The Lost Warrior :: Alternate Reality
by ChibiChibi
Summary: 4th Lost Warrior story, but can be read without knowing the first three. Please give it a chance. In an alternate reality, an old enemy destroys a ritual meant to send an unborn girl to another dimension. What changes will the birth of this girl in her home dimension bring about? Good changes? Bad changes? One thing is sure: things will differ greatly from the original reality.
1. Prologue

The Lost Warrior – Alternate Reality

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**Disclaimer:**    This is the one and only disclaimer you will find in this whole story. So listen, and listen well. I don't own Dragonball Z. All characters concerning the manga and TV show belong to Akira Toryiama. I'm just writing for fun and I'm _not making any money with it._

**A/N:**                Hey! Here is the new story! The fourth part in my trilogy that has nearly nothing to do with the series itself, well, maybe a bit with the first part, but definitely not with the second and third part. 

                        I really don't have much to say. But please don't sue me for the first part of the prologue. I've taken a few things out of my memory when I had astronomy in school and I've just made up the rest, I think. 

                        But now, have fun!       

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Prologue 

Many, many centuries and decades ago, when the human's only worry was to find a place to live in some cave and to kill some poor animals to have something to eat, he had no idea that next to the small territory, where he was living, something else existed. He didn't know the meaning of why things happened the way they did, he didn't know the reason of day- and nightfall, nor did he know any laws of physics. The only thing he knew was one ever-present law of nature. The survival of the fittest. But that was all he needed in that time.

First many thousands years later famous scholars and astronomers started to theorize about the world. At that time they were still thinking that the earth was as flat as a plate and the sky just a dome-like vault. According to them there was a huge waterfall at the end of the earth, letting all the water fall into black nothingness directly to hell. Sailors were scared that they would sail over the edge with their ships, so they never dared to get near the horizon and so they never looked for better seaways to other countries and islands. 

It would take another century or so for them to finally realize that the earth was a sphere. Yet they were still far behind our knowledge about the universe, because they still thought that the earth was the center of it and that all other planets were circling around it, until a few of them got the idea that the sun could be the center and that all other planets, including the earth, were on its orbit.

But no matter what time we look at, there will always be things our scientists don't, can't or won't know or understand. For example did people think for a long time that we were all alone in the universe. An egoistic and at the same time illogical thought. But the eyes of those skeptics had been opened as one day at 11.43 am two space pods landed in a city, leaving huge craters in the street and two human-like beings, just much stronger, with brown furry tails, emerged out of them. From that moment on they were definitely sure that we aren't alone in the universe.

But this story is not about those two aliens, well, at least not about one of them. This story is about something else that needs a bit more explaining.

As you know now, there's the universe and in this universe are many different galaxies, each with its own solar systems. But the universe isn't everything out there. Parallel to this universe other universes and timelines do exist. Those do exist in different dimensions and worlds. In one dimension the earth could be populated by normal humans, in another by other creatures, who are like or not like humans and there's the possibility that just other humans are living there. The technology could be more advanced or you could find yourself in the Stone Age. The same goes for the different worlds, just that they are on a complete different plane of existence than the dimensions. Like the name already says, this other world is different from everything. There are other planets, other beings, the time could even pass differently there. One example for another world is the afterlife, the world of the dead, what is kind of lying in another dimension, just that the laws are different from those in parallel dimensions.

But above all dimensions and worlds stand different realities. A reality is kind of like a timeline, just way more sweeping. You know that, when you go back in time and change maybe just one small detail, you've created a new timeline, while in your own nothing had changed. This same law reigns in a reality. Just one small incident could create another reality, with its own worlds, dimensions, universes, galaxies, stars and planets. 

This is what this story is about. This story tells you what influence the birth of one baby girl in the wrong (right) dimension could have on the happenings in the future. Some things could become better, other things worse. But one thing is sure. Happenings, both important and unimportant ones, would definitely differ from the _original reality, of which this one had been created…_

~*~

In a different world, the world of the dead, also called the afterlife, was found among many other small and big planets one that was much like earth, as we know her. The only difference was that the sky had been purple and that no mortal being was allowed to set foot on it. On this planet the most powerful being of the universe was living together with his friend and servant. When I'm talking about powerful I do not entirely mean strength. This being possessed the wisdom of many hundred years of living and of his ancestors and he was the most powerful of his rank in this world. He was more important than the god on earth, more important than the four Kaious and even more important than the Dai Kaiou. He was the Kaioushin. 

The small incident that would change everything, happened one week after the terrible android Cell had been defeated by a boy of merely eleven years. It was night, even though you couldn't tell between day and night in the world of dead, and a large fire was lighted in the middle of a meadow. The shadows of the high flames danced playfully on the purple skin of the Kaioushin, whose white mohawk was swaying in the wind. His brows were furrowed in concentration and sweat was running down his face, while he was mumbling a combination of words in a strange language, repeating them again and again like a mantra. 

Next to him stood a large and strong-looking man with dark rose-colored skin and white long hair. He was Kibito, his friend, servant and bodyguard. He watched tensed how the Kaioushin performed this strange ritual, without directly knowing why his master was doing it. 

Even though this girl had just been conceived, the Kaioushin could already feel a great power coming from her and that her role in the fate of this and the earth in another dimension was an important one. She was the daughter of a powerful warrior, a warrior that saved the earth more than once, but was now dead. Neither this warrior nor his wife knew yet that she was expecting again. Not just one, but two strong babies. This was another, if for some people not even more important, reason to take the unborn girl from her mother, so that another woman in another dimension could give birth to her. Because due to the heritage of the father and the growing strength of both babies, the mother would surely die giving birth to them. She was just human and wouldn't be able to survive the strains of bearing two children that are more than a hundred times stronger than her. 

Both, master and servant, were too deep in concentration and the noise of the fire too loud, making it impossible to notice that they were being watched by two figures. First as those two figures stepped nearer Kibito's head jerked up, seeing them standing in the shadows the fire was throwing on them. He walked past the Kaioushin, careful not to bother, but at the same time willing to protect him, and stopped, when the distance between him and the newcomers had shrunk to a few meters. 

"Who are you," Kibito demanded to know. His voice was strong and firm and would have made normal people squirm. But those two figures, one as large as Kibito, the other small, even smaller than the Kaioushin, both wearing capes, which hoods were covering most parts of their faces, didn't seem to be normal. They just stood there, unmoving. "Who are you," the Kaioushin's servant repeated again, when there came no answer. "As you maybe see the Kaioushin is performing an important ritual and he might not be disturbed."

"I see that," the small figure now said, stepping nearer. 

The Kaioushin stopped his mantra and tensed remarkably, when he heard this voice. He knew it… and he feared and hated it at the same time. All the years he had hoped that he would never hear this voice again, this voice that had brought him nightmares for all those years. But now it was back, the owner of this voice was back, most likely out for revenge. His eyes jerked open, but he stared into the fire, refusing to look into the direction of the voice.

"But the Kaioushin and I, we know each other. Isn't that so, my old friend?" the small figure now said, laughing mockingly. "What is it?" he continued, when the god didn't move. "Scared of little old me?"

Now the Kaioushin finally turned his head, got up and walked up to his friend. The ritual was far from finished, but he knew what the owner of this voice was capable of, so he must be his first priority, with the hope that he would later be able to finish the ritual and wouldn't be dead. "Oh no, I'm not scared," he said with pure venom in his voice. "I was just surprised to see you here. I've thought I would never see you again, after I've killed your father, Babidi."

The small figure, Babidi, laughed again and pulled the hood down from his head, revealing his dirty-yellow and wrinkled skin. "So, you still recognize me."

"Why are you here?" the Kaioushin wanted to know.

"I thought you knew why I'm here. Vengeance of course. I know that I alone won't be able to revenge my father, but I've found someone who could do it. Isn't that so, Darbura?"

"Yes master Babidi," the large figure said, also pulling the hood down, to reveal the rose-colored skin of the demon Lord himself. 

"Darbura?" Kibito and the Kaioushin mumbled, a wave of sudden fear running through their bodies, and both took a step backwards. 

"Darbura, you know what you have to do. Kill the Kaioushin," Babidi ordered.

"Of course, master." The demon Lord clenched his fist and with a roar rushed towards the god, who was almost paralyzed with fear.

"Kaioushin! No!" Kibito screamed and threw himself in the way of the attack, what just ended with him dead on the ground, having a bleeding hole in his abdomen.

"Kibito…" The Kaioushin fell down on his knees next to his friend. He was defeated and he knew it. There was no way that he could defeat Darbura. He looked back up just to see the Demon Lord shooting a ki blast at him, but before the blast could hit him, he sent a quick prayer to the sky. _I'm sorry. I couldn't finish the ritual. Please forgive me._

"What are you planning to do now?" Darbura wanted to know, as he and Babidi stood in front of the two bodies. 

Babidi snickered. "Now that the Kaioushin is dead, there's no one who could stop us. We will now go and start gathering energy and when the time is right we go to earth, where we will reawake Buu."

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So? What do you think? Is this a good start for the new story or not?

Please tell me and I'd be thankful till eternity!

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	2. Part I: Important meeting

**A/N:**                So, here's finally the first chapter of  "The Lost Warrior – Alternate Reality". I'm sorry for letting you wait so long, but I decided to build a website with my and maybe also fanfics of other authors and I had started to revise my other fics. But thanks a lot for the reviews! I'm glad that you like this story and that I seemingly had a good start with it. But now on with the story. 

So, I've finally thought of a title, even though it's not _that original…_

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**Part I**

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**Chapter 1: Important meeting**

It was common knowledge in the afterlife that news, be it good or bad ones, have this strange ability of spreading really fast. So it was no wonder that one day later the mood of nearly all occupants of the other world was more than a bit grim – especially those of the four Kaious and the Dai Kaiou. Something that no one would have ever thought could happen has occurred. The Kaioushin has died, along with his bodyguard – killed by whom they had yet to find out. 

Unfortunately the person who could answer that question had sent the Dai Kaiou a message earlier that day, telling him that his arrival would be a bit delayed due to other, also important matters, he had to attend to. And now all the notables of the afterlife were gathered in the palace of the Dai Kaiou, waiting more or less patiently and in silence for this person who would throw light on the dark of that mysterious death. 

"I'm bored…" a voice suddenly whispered. The owner of the voice, a man with spiky black hair and black eyes, wearing a blue shirt covered by an orange gi and having a halo flying above his head, had his elbow propped up on his knee and his chin resting in his hand, while his eyes darted around the hall, observing all the different people in the hope to find someone he knew, what was most unlikely due to the sheer number of people there, when a loud grumble was being heard coming from his stomach. "And hungry…"

The man next to him on the bench, a blue catfish-like being with two antennas on and also a halo above his head, let out an annoying sigh. "Goku, I've told you to stay home, but you wanted to come with me."

"But Kaiousama," Goku whined. "I wanted to know who was able to take the Kaioushin down, I mean, when he's really that a big shot as you told me, the one must have been extremely powerful."

The Northern Kaiou noticed how already a few heads turned towards them and felt his face becoming warm of embarrassment. "Goku," he hissed. "Not so loud."

"Oops." He quickly clasped his hands over his mouth and said then in a muffled voice, "Sorry."

At about the same time on the other side of the hall one small green-skinned boy was sitting on a chair, nervously fidgeting with his hands. He didn't know what he should do – staring in awe at his surroundings or just staring at the floor, trying to avoid any strange eye contact with the other, definitely more important persons than him in the large hall. Many of them were throwing him glances as if asking what a small kid like him was doing at an important meeting like this. Even _he was asking himself that question. He had just been the guardian of Earth for not more than three weeks, so why was he already at a meeting, where the death of the highest being in the universe was being discussed? You could say that he was more than a bit surprised, when suddenly a servant of none other than the Dai Kaiou had appeared on his Lookout, asking him to be there, where he was right now. Dende sighed. Hopefully he would find out why his presence here was acquired some time during this meeting._

Suddenly he heard a whining voice, which was well known for the small green guardian of Earth. His head jerked up, while his eyes wandered through the hall and there he saw him – on the other side of the hall Goku was sitting, together with whom he assumed to be the Northern Kaiou. He just wanted to get up and walk over to them, when someone cleared his throat and all attention was drawn to the front of the hall, including his and Goku's, whose eyes suddenly changed from showing boredom to showing curiosity for what would happen now. 

In front of everyone stood an old man with a long white beard and hair, dressed in a black robe and wearing sunglasses. Dende asked himself if this is the Dai Kaiou, but his question was answered, when someone next to him started to whisper, confirming his assumption. So, this is really the Dai Kaiou. Doesn't look too powerful, but that didn't mean anything of course. Dende knew from own experiences that you shouldn't judge people after their outer appearance. Heck, who of the people in the hall would think that he, a merely child, was the god of a planet called Earth?

The young god's thoughts were interrupted, when the Dai Kaiou cleared his throat a second time and finally began to talk. "Ladies and Gentlemen, people of the living realm and the afterlife, fellow Gods and Goddesses. I just wanted to let you know that I just got a message of the person we are all…"

Before the Dai Kaiou could finish the sentence, two men, a large and a small one, suddenly materialized in the hall next to the Dai Kaiou. Excited and disbelieving murmurs immediately went through the hall, while the smaller one of the two just smirked down at them. 

"But that's…" the Northern Kaiou mumbled disbelieving, before he realized his mistake and let out a chuckle. "Of course…"

"What is it, Kaiousama?" Goku asked confused. "Who is that?"

"_That_ are the Kaioushin and his friend Kibito," he informed the dead warrior. 

"WHAT?! But I thought they were dead!" 

"Of course they are, Goku. Don't you see the halos above their heads? They are just as dead as we are and the Kaioushin has – of course, if I may add – the same privilege you and I have. He and obviously also Kibito were allowed to keep their bodies."

"I see," Goku said smiling. "But that means that the whole situation isn't that bad. So they just continue their life, err unlife here in the other world."

The Kaioushin waited for a short time, until the murmurs had almost died down, before he started to speak. "I'm sorry for letting you wait so long," he said, "but I first had to _bail my friend Kibito out of heaven and talk Enma Daiou into giving him his body back." He chuckled lightly, much to the confusion of everyone else in the hall. They couldn't understand what there was to laugh about. Didn't they understand that they were dead? "And to answer the questions you might have – Yes, I am the Kaioushin, this is Kibito and yes, we are dead, and just the like the Northern Kaiou, of whom I've heard that he'd died about two weeks ago, and most other people on this planet, we were allowed to keep our bodies." _

Again a few murmurs went through the crowd and Kibito used the time to bow down and whisper into his friend's ear, "Lord Kaioushin, I think you should tell them now the reason of our death."

The Kaioushin nodded and turned his attention back to the 'audience'. "But now enough of that. Tell me, has anyone of you ever heard of Majin Buu?" Just few people nodded, having terrified and shocked expression on their faces, while the rest either shook their heads or looked questioningly at the Kaioushin, urging him to go on. "Well, for those of you who don't know him – Majin Buu is a terrible monster, a demon to be precise. He has already killed four Kaioushins – I was the only one who has survived his attack – but fortunately his creator, a magician with the name Bibidi, sealed him away in a sphere, because he started to fear Buu's power and that he wouldn't be able to control him any longer. I had been able to kill Bibidi, but yesterday my worst nightmare came true. Bibidi's son Babidi came to my planet to kill me, so that I wouldn't be able to stop him from resurrecting Buu."

But how could this Babidi kill the Kaioushin _and his friend, when then Kaioushin had been able to kill his father? Goku asked himself. Is this Babidi that strong?_

"No, Goku, Babidi isn't strong enough to kill me and Kibito on his own," Kaioushin answered, looking at Goku, who just looked up startled. "He hadn't come to me alone. With him was the Demon Lord Darbura, the strongest being in the Universe of Evil. He had been the one to kill us without breaking into sweat. You must know Babidi has the ability to possess people with evil in their hearts – that's how he made Darbura his henchman." He paused a bit, waiting if he could pick up any thoughts or questions that he needed to comment or answer, but they all just looked at him expectantly. "Fortunately I think that Babidi isn't that familiar with the rules of the afterlife. He probably thinks that I'm gone for good and can't interfere in his work anymore." He smirked. "Well, he doesn't know how wrong he is, because from now on I will do everything in my might to stop him." 

Loud cheers erupted from the crowd in the hall, including three of the four Kaious. The Northern Kaiou however had a thoughtful expression on his face after hearing what the Kaioushin had told them. He frowned. That's not good. With Darbura at his side Babidi will be really hard to defeat. But first of all they had to find him and that would be the other hard task. The Kaioushin however seemed to hear his thoughts, because he suddenly heard a voice in his head. _Don't worry too much, Kaiousama. I'm quite positive that we will be able to defeat Babidi. As you self said it will be hard for me to find him, especially now that I can't leave the realms of the afterlife, and I'm sure that it will take a few years. Just promise me that you keep a good eye on Earth and tell me when you feel something unusual there. But please don't tell Son Goku about it and make him train hard. We might need his help when it's time to fight. Instead of answering him, Kaiousama just looked at him and nodded lightly. _

The Kaioushin smiled back and then turned again to the other people in the hall. "Okay, that was everything I had to tell you. But before you go, is Dende, the guardian of the Planet Earth present?"

"Dende is here?" Goku asked smiling, as he looked around. 

Dende looked up surprised, when his name was mentioned, and saw that all people were frantically looking around in search for the god of Earth. Taking a deep breath, he stood up. "Yes, I'm here."

The Kaioushin smiled at him. "Good. Please come here, Dende. I want to talk to you. Everyone else can go."

While Dende made his way up to the front of the hall, everyone else streamed into the other direction, just Goku and the Northern Kaiou remained seated. They watched, as the Kaioushin welcomed the boy and then led him through one of the other doors into a room behind the large hall, followed by Kibito.

And they were still there, when Dende left the room again alone about two hours later. Of course, Kaiousama wanted to go home again instead of waiting, but Goku wanted to use the possibility to talk to the young Namek. He didn't know when he would again get the chance to do that. Besides, he was curious of why the Kaioushin would've wanted to talk to him, so his master reluctantly agreed to waiting with him. 

Dende looked quite shaken, when he stepped out of the room, but quickly forced a smile on his face, when he saw his friend sitting there, waiting for him. The Kaioushin had just allowed him to tell the other Namek on earth, the one who had fused with Kami, what he had been told in those two hours. No one else was allowed to know about _that. But in those two hours Dende had also used the chance to offer him the use of the Dragonballs to bring them back to life.  "Hello Goku, Kaiousama," Dende greeted him friendly. _

"Hey Dende! I didn't expect to see you here," Goku told him.

"Well, I was quite surprised myself, when suddenly one of Dai Kaiou's men invited me to come here," the guardian said. 

"So, why wanted the Kaioushin to talk to you?" the Saiyajin wanted to know, while they left the palace

Dende shrugged. "Nothing big. He just wanted to get me to know a bit, since I'm the youngest guardian of a planet he had ever heard of. We also talked about the Dragonballs and I told him that I could use them to resurrect him and Kibito again so that they would have it easier to find Babidi." Dende tried hard to avoid the eyes of Goku. He had never been one to lie, especially not to people like Goku, but at least it wasn't a complete lie. "I'm sorry Goku, but I have to go back now. Popo is probably already waiting for me and I don't want to leave him alone too long."

"Yeah, good old Popo… Tell the others I said hi," Goku said cheerfully, seemingly not once doubting the words of the young Namek. 

"I'll do that. Goodbye Goku!"

"Goodbye Dende!" They waved at each other, before each of them went their own way. 

~*~

"I wonder why Dende is lying to me…" Goku said thoughtfully, when they had reached the house where he and Kaiousama were living in.

"What makes you think that?" Kaiousama asked surprised. He hadn't thought that Goku would discover the lie. 

"Well, I know I'm not the smartest person here, but I know when someone's lying to me. Maybe it has something to do with Babidi and Buu." Goku sighed. "Well, whatever it is, I'll continue my training, just to be on the safe side. I'm sure he and the Kaioushin have their reasons."

"Do that Goku, do that…" his master mumbled, following his pupil into the house.

~*~

"You've been gone longer than expected," Piccolo greeted Dende, when he was back on the Lookout. "Has something happened?"

Dende nodded and started to tell Piccolo everything that had occurred that day. To be blunt Piccolo was quite shocked to hear that the Kaioushin had been killed, but also glad that he would be wished back in about one year. But he was even more shocked when he heard what the Kaioushin had told Dende about the whereabouts of the sphere Buu was sealed away in. 

"That's terrible," Piccolo muttered. "The sphere is here on Earth and Babidi could appear here any time to resurrect this monster."

"I know… But that wasn't the only reason the Kaioushin wanted to talk to me…" Dende admitted. "When he had been killed, he had just been in the process of performing a ritual concerning Goku's family."

"What?"

"He told me that ChiChi is pregnant again, with twins – one boy and one girl. With this ritual he wanted to take the girl from her and send her into another dimension, where she should've been born by normal human parents. He said that the fate of the girl was lying there, but he had no idea what directly that meant. He just said that this was written in some old prophecies. But thanks to Babidi's and Darbura's intervention he hadn't been able to finish the ritual and when he had woken up everything he needed to finish or to repeat the ritual had been destroyed."

Piccolo snorted. "So what? Now the girl is going to be born in this dimension. So maybe we can find another way to send her into this other dimension after she's born and old enough to face her _fate_."

"If it were that easy." Dende sighed. "But it is not. He also told me that ChiChi won't be strong enough to give birth to two strong Saiyajins. She most likely won't survive it."

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So, that was the first _real_ chapter. I hope you liked it and I promise I'll bring the next chapter out as soon as possible.

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	3. Part I: A gift from heaven

**A/N:                **Well, thanks a lot for your reviews! I'm glad that you like this story so far and I hope that it could become at least as good as TLW-TNG…

                        Otherwise there's not much to say, except enjoy this chapter!

**Part I**

**Chapter 2: A gift from heaven**

It was a sultry summer's night and it was all in all peaceful. The dark-blue, almost black, sky was starlit and just around the peaks of the mountains in that area some white clouds were to be found. Everything was quiet, just a few crickets were playing their song, joined by a single owl, what, along with the haze that was floating low above the meadows, gave the whole night a lightly ghostly touch. 

But this idyllic picture was suddenly destroyed, when an ear-piercing shout echoed through the area. "GOHAN! DINNER IS READY!"

Not even ten seconds later a young boy with short and wild black hair emerged from the woods and was running towards a house that was standing in the middle of a clearing. Light could be seen through the windows of the house and white smoke was coming out of the chimney, carrying the scent of a delicious meal. The boy quickly threw the door open, ran into the house and threw it again shut behind him. He hadn't once noticed the large figure that was standing on a small hill near the house under a tree, completely engulfed in darkness. His cape was flying in a light breeze, as he was watching the boy entering the house.

~Piccolo~

Three months… Has so much time already passed? Usually I'm not the one to muse about those things, but since I fused with Kami I've found myself every so often asking myself questions about things that I have never cared about before. Damn that Kami! He has more influence on me than I like. The only good thing that came out of this is the fact that I'm much stronger now. Nail had been right about that. Defeating Frieza would have been a piece of cake if I had refused with Kami… But no matter how strong I am now, it still wasn't strong enough to defeat Cell. Not even the man we all _knew_ could do it was, leaving the defeat of that terrible monster to an eleven years old boy. 

A part of his innocence had been ripped off in that fight. He had seen his father die in that fight in the noble act of sacrificing his life for the behalf of the world, because his son hesitated in killing Cell – he wanted to see that monster suffer – giving him enough time to prepare his self-destruction. Of course things aren't always as easy as it seems. Cell came back, once again in his perfect form, but the boy, Gohan, has been able to revenge his father's death and finally put an end to Cell's life. 

Now, three months after this fight, everything seems to be back to almost normal. The boy puts up a brave face, as does his mother for her son's behalf. Not many people see it, but I can see that Gohan blames himself for his father's death. He tries his best to hide it, especially in front of his mother. He does everything to please her, everything to fill the void in their family that has been caused by Son Goku's death, everything to replace his father – and it is eating him up from the inside. The weight of the world that had been lying on his shoulders during the Cell games isn't anything compared to the weight he's carrying now. With his behavior he is trying to make amends with his mother – he thinks that she is blaming him for her husband's death. He just doesn't see that she isn't blaming him for anything, that the _only_ person to put any blame on him is himself. It's just a matter of time until the boy falls apart.

They don't know yet about ChiChi's current condition. Maybe when they find out, it will pull Gohan out of his misery, giving him a new purpose in life. But at what price? A few months in happiness – if at all happiness – followed by new misery when he loses his mother, too?

Damn it! It's not fair! What does he, or his whole family, have to do just to live like every other family, to not being haunted by evil creatures, who want to take over the world or to not be put through another of those tests, which always leave another scar in his once pure innocent soul?

I know, this isn't like me, but in the last years I've really grown to care about the boy. I've seen what he has gone through – hell, I was one of the persons who shattered a small part of his innocence just to make a warrior out of him. And yet I want to scream out, asking the higher gods what he had done to deserve this, but I hear a small voice in the back of my head – probably Kami – telling me that it isn't their fault. It also tells me that life is never fair. I want to yell at him to shut up, but I can't make him. He's now kind of my new conscience. Well, not exactly… His and mine somehow made a deal, just like our souls, if I even had one. I suddenly hear the voice again. It is taunting me, telling me that of course I had a soul before we fused. What else let me care for the boy? 

I decide to ignore him, but my thoughts drift back to what he just told me. Damn it – he might even be right. But now the kindness I already felt for that boy has grown that much that I even find myself caring for his family. I even cut our training short now and then, sending him home. I think he knows that I'm keeping something from him, he doesn't understand why and I won't tell him. I won't tell him that I want him to spend as much time with his mother as possible, to savor every moment he spends with her – just Enma Daiou knows when it is _planned_ that they will see each other again – that he will lose her as well. He already had so few years with Goku and I've seen how happy the boy was in the three years before the androids arrived. And now he had lost him, just like he will lose his mother in six – maybe even less – months. 

And I swear, if I ever get my hands on that Babidi, I'll make sure that he won't see the next day and rot in hell.

~*~

Right after Gohan had dashed into the kitchen, he plopped down at the table, eagerly waiting for his mother to put the last bowls on the table and to allow him to begin. As strange as it was… Usually when normal people feel bad or are depressed they suffer from loss of appetite, but no matter how bad Gohan felt, his stomach was always dominant. He even ate his normal helping, when he was at his worst. After ChiChi was also sitting and had filled her plate, she gave Gohan an approving look and he dug into the mountains of food. 

ChiChi watched him for a while, happy that his eating habits were still the same, before she picked up her chopsticks. But she didn't start to eat. In contrary to her son she didn't feel like eating. It wasn't that she suffered from loss of appetite, she just felt nauseated every time she looked at food. It had been going on like this for the last three months or so, ever since Goku had… left and every time she forced herself to at least eat something of it to not make her son suspicious and worry about her. 

"Mom?" her son's voice suddenly tore her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"What?" she looked up startled and saw Gohan watching her with a worried look on his face. "Uh, sure I'm okay? Do you still want something to drink?" she avoided the topic about her well-being upon seeing the empty glass of her son. Without waiting for an answer she grabbed the glass and got up, a little too fast, because a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. She dropped the glass, letting it shatter in thousand pieces all over the kitchen floor, and had to support herself on the table. 

"Mom!" Gohan screamed and immediately was at her side, carefully guiding her back to sit on the chair. 

"It's okay, Gohan, it's okay," she tried to calm her son down, taking deep and regular breaths. It wasn't the first time that something like this happened. She felt this dizziness for about as longs as she couldn't eat properly, but Gohan had never been present, when everything became black in front of her eyes. It always only lasted for a few seconds and she never really blacked out or lost consciousness, but she slowly started to worry about her well-being. 

"No, mom, it isn't okay…" Gohan insisted. "I know that this isn't the first time that something like this happened…" He noticed the surprised look on his mother's face and continued his explanation. "I've felt your ki wavering like this before… I thought that it was because of dad and the stress and all, but now I think that it could be something serious. Please, go and see a doctor. Just in case…"

"Gohan," ChiChi protested, but her son cut her short.

"Please, mom…" His voice had become a whisper and for the first time in weeks he felt again tears in his eyes. 

ChiChi looked at him and studied carefully his facial impression, not missing something glistening in his eyes. She hadn't seen him crying once since his father sacrificed his life, and it hurt her to see him like this. She had kept this from him so that he wouldn't have to worry about her – he already had enough things to worry about – but it seemed like she just achieved the contrary. She sighed. "Okay, Gohan… I'll call Bulma and then I'll see a doctor tomorrow…" Feeling better, she took another deep breath and got up again, much to her son's surprise. She went to a closet and pulled out a broom to take care of the mess, but also to not show the own tears that were slowly forming in her eyes. 

"Let me do this," her son's voice interrupted once again her thoughts, as he took the broom out of her hands. "You should get some rest."

She nodded, gave her Gohan a quick and grateful hug and went into the living room, where she laid down on the couch. From there she could hear the noise of Gohan sweeping up the remainders of the glass. When had he become so big and responsible? It seemed as if it was yesterday that Gohan had been four years old and he and his father had left for the get together on Muten Roshi's island. He wasn't her little baby anymore, that she slowly understood. But he was still just a child. She should take care of him and not the other way around. She knew that he just wanted to replace his father, being the man in the house, but even if he didn't want to admit it, she knew that he still needed her. Now more than ever. Goku's… death, or more the circumstances of _it_, hurt him so much. She needed to be there for him, because she had no idea if he could take it, if he lost her, too. She would go to the doctor for him and not for herself.

~*~

The next day Bulma sat in the waiting room in front of the doctor's office, eagerly and worriedly waiting for her friend to come out. She had of course immediately agreed to take her there, when ChiChi had called the other night. She just wished that she could be in there with her friend right now.

"Well, Mrs. Son," the doctor began. He looked pretty serious and ChiChi didn't like that look at all. "After your blood samples have been evaluated I'm glad to say that there is nothing really _wrong with you. To be precise, you are pregnant – about three months along." ChiChi just stared at him, slowly registering his words in her mind. But her mind went numb, after it finally realized the meaning of those words, unable to form any words that she might have said. "Mrs. Son, I really would like to make an ultra sound, just to make sure that everything is okay with the baby…"_

"Of course…" ChiChi finally found her speech again. The doctor led her over to a bed, where she laid down and exposed her stomach to the doctor. He took out some cooling ointment and spread it over her belly. He then switched on the monitor, took the sensor and placed it on her stomach.

"Oh god…" the doctor just said. 

"What is it, doctor?" ChiChi immediately grew worried.

"Well, Mrs. Son, both babies are healthy…" ChiChi's eyes went wide with surprise. Did he just say _both babies? "Do you like to know their sex?" Again ChiChi just nodded numbly, staring fascinated at the two white spots on the screen. Tears were brimming in her eyes. Even though she couldn't really see much on that screen, it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. "Mmh, let's see… Both are turned right… The left one is a boy and the right one a girl… Do you want me to print the picture out?"_

"Of course!" ChiChi now said excitedly. 

"Okay… You can get dressed again and then please sit down at my desk again… There's still a more serious matter I have to discuss with you…"

ChiChi still couldn't believe it, when she was again sitting on the chair with the doctor sitting across of her. Two babies. A boy and a girl. Twins! That was just unbelievable!

"Okay, Mrs. Son… Those were the good news, if I may say, so far… But there's still something else." The doctor's expression was again completely serious. "Giving birth to twins isn't always easy…"

"Who says that giving birth is easy at all?" ChiChi threw in. 

"You may be right, but I still remember the strains and how exhausting Gohan's birth had been for you. What I want to say is that the birth could become dangerous… For both you and the babies…"

"Dangerous?" she asked confused.

"Yes, dangerous… I admit, no birth is really safe, but giving birth to twins, especially knowing how hard it was for you to give birth to one child, could lead to complications. I don't want to scare you, but I just want to let you know that we should monitor your pregnancy very closely, just to be on the safe side…" he explained.

"I think that would be the best," ChiChi said, now slightly worried. "Well then, was that everything you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes, I think so… Please go to my secretary for a new appointment…"

"Don't worry, I will," she said and got up, extending her hand to the doctor. "Thank you."

He shook it. "Goodbye Mrs. Son… I'll see you in a few weeks."

When ChiChi stepped out of the office, Bulma was looking at her expectantly. Seeing her friend's face, ChiChi quickly pushed all the doubts the doctor had put into her mind aside and allowed a smile to spread over her face. "So, what is it?" Bulma asked carefully.

ChiChi then put a hand on her belly and said, "Goku left something to me…"

~*~

Gohan was staring worriedly out of the window, waiting for his mother to return. It was now already late afternoon and his mother had left for the doctor quite early this morning. He hadn't even been able to train, because his thoughts always wandered off to what could be wrong with his mother. She had never been ill in her entire life – as far as he knew. Suddenly a thought struck his mind. What if his father's heart virus had been contagious and his mother got it, too? There wasn't anything of the medicine left…

His thoughts were interrupted, when he suddenly felt the kis of his mother and Bulma directly in front of their house. He looked again out of the window and saw how his mother got out of Bulma's jet, waving one last time before Bulma took off again. He quickly turned away from the window and sat down in a chair, trying to concentrate on his homework that was lying there. Or at least let it look like he was working there – he knew how his mother could get, when she found out that he didn't do his homework and had just been staring out of the window waiting for her. He nervously tapped with the pen on the desk, until the movements became too fast and the pen broke, just at the moment his mother opened the door. He froze in place, when he saw a secretive smile on her face – something he wouldn't have expected at all. "Hey mom," he greeted her, his throat suddenly feeling as dry as after living in the desert for a few days without anything to drink – a feeling he knew quite well.

"Hello Gohan," ChiChi answered, taking her sweet time in closing the door, putting her bag on the desk and finally sitting down, the whole time being aware of Gohan's questioning eyes following her every move. She knew she was nearly killing him with this, but seeing him with this expression on his face and thinking about the news she had, she couldn't resist the urge to torture him a bit.

The tension in the room was that thick that you could slice the air with a knife. "What did the doctor say?" Gohan eventually asked. This whole situation was starting to drive him crazy. 

"Calm down, Gohan," ChiChi said smiling. "The doctor said that nothing is wrong with me… He just found out something else about me that explains my problems in the last weeks."

"And what is it?"

Again ChiChi took her sweet time, as she took something out of her bag and put it on the table directly in front of her son. "The doctor made this today."

"What?" Gohan looked at the black and white picture his mother had given him and tried hard to see anything on it. The only things he could see were two white spots on a black background. Somehow this seemed familiar to him and he thought were he could have seen something like this before, when it suddenly hit him. "You're pregnant?" he asked disbelieving.

ChiChi nodded and said in a soft voice, "Yes, I am. The two white spots on the picture are the babies…"

"Babies? As in two babies?" he asked, even more surprised.

"A boy and a girl… You're going to be a big brother Gohan…" she told him. She grabbed his hands and squeezed them lightly, looking directly in his eyes, smiling. "Your father left us a gift to remember him… It's a gift from heaven." 

And for the first time in three months both, mother and son, felt again true happiness.

************************************************************************************

Hehe, this was the first time in my life that I wrote a Piccolo POV… I hope I didn't make him too OOC… 

So, please review and make me happy! ^-^

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	4. Part I: The baby shower

**A/N:                Well, not much to say, except thanks for the reviews – I'm glad that you like this story, and enjoy reading!**

**Part I**

**Chapter 3: The baby shower **

Pain. That was the only thing she felt. Like she was torn from the inside. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. Oh god, it hurt so much! 

Her eyes were squeezed shut, her hands clenched in tight fists, anything to shut out this unbearable agony. Over her screams she could hear someone calling out for her, throwing commands at her. She didn't understand those commands, but she knew instinctively what she had to do. Gathering all of her left strength and did what she thought and knew was right. With one last scream a small part of the pain subsided, but she knew it wasn't over yet – just one more time and it was over. 

And indeed, a short moment later the worst of the pain was gone and she heard two loud wails. Feeling utterly exhausted and weak she barely managed to open her eyes, when two small bundles were laid into her arm. She looked at them, a small baby boy being the exact mirror image of his father and a small baby girl with – as strange as it might sound – blond hair and blue eyes, and smiled faintly. "Hello little ones," she said weakly and raised her head, meeting the eyes of her now eldest son. "Gohan… Meet your brother Goten and your sister Jenny."

Suddenly she felt her eyelids getting heavier with every second and started to loose the contact to the real world, but also slowly started to feel at peace. The last thing she heard was her eldest son calling out for her in a desperate voice. 

ChiChi's eyes flew open with a start. She was bathed in cold sweat and her whole body was shaking. Her hands immediately traveled to the huge bulge of her belly and rested on it, waiting for _any movement. She held her breath for a few second until she felt first one kick and then a second kick and breathed deeply after making sure that everything was okay. _

But still… She was scared. This dream… It didn't feel like a normal dream. It felt so real, it felt like she actually had been there, experienced the pain, just knew that this would happen. And it wasn't the first time that she had this dream either. It was reoccurring now for two weeks, each night the same terrible dream with the same terrible end. Maybe it was just a bad feeling because of what the doctor had told her a few months ago – that the birth could involve complications – but ChiChi somehow _knew_ that it was more than that. It was a feeling, like a forecasting shadow of what was about to happen…

~*~

"Okay ChiChi," Bulma said, as she put her cup back on the small coffee table in front of her. "Now tell me, what's wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" ChiChi answered absently, not really taking attention to what Bulma was saying.  

It was a sunny Friday afternoon in January and it almost hurt the eyes to take a look outside. Everything was white in white there, but it wouldn't be like this for long anymore. The January was already coming to an end and another month later it would get warmer, melting all the snow that had fallen during the winter. Time had really passed fast. ChiChi couldn't believe that already eight months had passed since the Cell Games and her husband's… death. It was still hard for her to think about it, knowing that he would never come back to her, especially now with her going to be a mother again, what would make him inevitably a father. 

The news of the babies had pulled Gohan out of his misery and he was really looking forward to finally have two siblings, with the knowledge that his father hadn't gone without leaving them something to remember him. Gohan was happy – but what about her? Of course she was happy that she was pregnant again. She had always wanted more than one child, but with Goku always gone, dead or having to face a threat they never got the chance to willingly conceive a child. She didn't even know now, if the twins were just an accident or if her husband had planned this, leaving her something in case he didn't make it. But at the same time she was scared and the reasons for this was this dream. The previous night she hadn't been able to fall asleep again. She was truly getting worried – and scared – about this dream and the most likely meaning of it and she had thought the whole night about what she should do now and it wasn't until early in the morning that she made up her mind about what she could do… That was the reason why she called Bulma over.

"ChiChi?" Bulma's voice echoed in her mind and ChiChi looked up startled. 

"What?" she asked, surprised that she had been lost in her thoughts, again. "Sorry, I zoned out there for a moment…"

"Don't worry, ChiChi," Bulma said, waving her hand. "You really look tired. Are they wearing you out that much?"

"No… not really…" ChiChi hesitated. "Bulma, I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, what is it? Spit it out."

"I… Bulma… In case that something happens to me, if I don't make it through the birth, I wanted to ask you to take care of my children," she whispered. 

The blue-haired woman blinked in surprise. "What makes you think that you won't make it? Of course you'll…"

"The doctor told me that there might be complications," the other woman cut her short. "You know as well as I do how hard it is for us humans to give birth to a Saiyajin child. Gohan's birth alone had already taken a lot out of me and my doctor told me that giving birth to twins could be dangerous for me."

"Nonsense, ChiChi. You're a strong woman, probably the strongest human woman on this planet and…"

"That's still not everything," she interrupted her friend again. "All the previous nights I dreamt always the same dream. It is about the birth of the twins and every night it ends the same – with me dying… Please let me finish this," ChiChi said, when she saw that Bulma had opened her mouth to say something. Her friend nodded and closed her mouth again, just staring at her friend. "I somehow know that this isn't just any dream – no, this dream means something. Please Bulma, promise me that you will take care of my children, if the birth ends like the dream. Will you do that?"

"Of course," Bulma agreed in a soft voice. She saw how scared her friend was and she just wanted to take the fear away. She noticed that ChiChi was truly convinced that the dream meant something and alone to help her, to make her feel better, safer, she said yes. Of course, she almost loved Gohan like her own son and of course would she take care of him and his siblings. Every child of Goku and ChiChi was welcome at her home and she would do her best to make them feel like it was their own home - _in case ChiChi was right. _

"Thank you Bulma," ChiChi said, feeling tears in her eyes, which she quickly blinked away. "I knew I could count on you."

"Your welcome, Chi. You know how I adore Gohan and if his siblings are anything like him, I'm sure they'll conquer my heart at once."

"In my dream," the dark-haired woman suddenly told her, "the boy, I named him Goten, looked exactly like Goku and the girl had – don't ask me how or why – blond hair and blue eyes. Her name was Jenny."

Bulma gaped at her. "Was she already a Super Saiyajin?"

"No," ChiChi shook her head. "She just – looked like this. I can't explain it, as well as her name. Of course I've thought about many different names for a girl, but I never thought of this one, until I suddenly called her like that in my dream. I just did it, without thinking, as if her name had long been decided…"

Bulma saw again how her friend's eyes became sad and put a hand on hers. "I'm sure," she said softly. "That they, no matter what hair- or eye-color or what you name them, will be beautiful." Suddenly a huge grin spread over her face. "ChiChi, I have an idea to keep your mind off of that dream. I want to throw a baby shower for you."

"A baby shower? But…"

"No buts, you're already eight months along and you haven't had one. Don't worry about the preparations; I'll take care of everything." Bulma clapped her hands and jumped up. "Oh, that is so exciting! I have to go now, to take care of everything. You don't have to move a finger, just be ready tomorrow at 3pm, understood?"

Before ChiChi could even say another syllable, Bulma was already out of the door and took off in her jet. The woman shook her head. At least she hoped that she now would stop worrying about her children's future, knowing that they were taken care of, _when she died. _

~*~

When ChiChi woke up from her small afternoon nap and walked down the stairs, she already found everything prepared. She wondered, when exactly Bulma had done this, because before she went to sleep everything had still looked normal in her house. Now her living room was almost empty, except of the couch, a large dining table, of which she had no idea where it came from – most likely also Bulma's work – another table covered with plenty of food and more than enough chairs around the table. 

She had just reached the last step on the stairs, when a black and white blur suddenly stopped in front of her, revealing no one else than her son. "Hey mom," Gohan said surprised. "What are you already doing up? It's not even 2pm!"

She smiled at him, even though tears were hid behind that smile. "I haven't been that tired," she answered and that was even the truth. Even though she again had the same dream like all the other nights, she had been able to get to sleep again. It somehow didn't scare her anymore like it had first. She had accepted that she most likely just had one more month with her son and that she wouldn't be able to see her other children grow up, but it still made her incredible sad. But she _would see Goku again and that made this whole going to the other world much easier. _

"But Bulma said that you shouldn't move a finger, so why don't you sit down in the living room while Bulma and I prepare the rest," he suggested.

"Ah, now I understand why everything had changed so much within the last hour… You helped her. By the way, where is she?"

Gohan smiled at his mother. "In the kitchen and now please sit down. The afternoon will be more than a bit exhausting for you…"

"Okay, okay," ChiChi laughed. "I go already…" Suddenly, when she wanted to move, she felt a small, but yet sharp pain in her back. Wincing lightly, she reached to the sore spot with her hand. 

"Are you okay, mom?" Gohan asked her worriedly. 

"Yes, I am," his mother told him reassuringly. "Just some backache, nothing bad. It's normal."

"Okay, when you say so." Gohan wasn't completely convinced, ChiChi could see that, but he still retreated again to the kitchen, letting her walk the rest to the living room alone. Hell, how could her son be convinced, when even she wasn't completely convinced that this was just a normal backache? She knew this kind of pain, but wasn't it too early?

It was really a wonderful afternoon. It was the first real get together since the Cell Games and almost everyone had taken the chance to see the others again. Her father was there, Bulma of course with her whole family, Krillin with – oh surprise – Juuhachigou, Yamcha and Puar, Muten Roshi and Oolong were there and even Piccolo, much to Gohan's delight. The only ones that weren't there were Tenshinhan and Chao-Zu – they stayed true to their promise that they wouldn't see the others again – Mr. Popo and Dende, who couldn't leave the Lookout. Everyone, however, had fun. ChiChi was showered with presents, of course just things for the babies like clothes, toys and so on. Everything a baby does or doesn't really need. 

After they had all eaten the delicious cake and cookies Bulma had ordered from a catering service, everyone was again sitting in the living, chatting happily with each other, exchanging memories, if it was from their fights or just other random things. ChiChi watched everything with a smile on her face until she suddenly again felt this sharp pain her back. It was much more intense than the first time hours ago and she had to suppress a groan. She gritted her teeth, waiting for the pain to pass, when she suddenly felt something else – something wet. A look of shock appeared on her face, knowing exactly what this wetness meant.

"Uhm, guys…" she said carefully, getting the attention of everyone in the room. "It's time…" At this moment another wave of agonizing pain ripped through her body, letting her scream out.

************************************************************************************

Oh yes, like I already said in "The Treasure of Power" I'm slowly being back to normal! That means evil cliffhangers! Mwhahaha!

Okay, please don't kill me, because I still have to finish this story for you, but I still appreciate reviews! *grins*

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi 


	5. Part I: With life comes death and with ...

**A/N:**    Wohoo, here's another chapter of TLW-AR! I hope you'll like it and thanks a lot for the reviews!

_@ Luinthoron and Vindali: I knew that someone would wonder about the similarities between both Jennys, even with the name, but I'll tell you that everything has its reason and that it will all be explained during the story! So, the only way for you to find out why things are like they are is to stay tuned! And Luinthoron, you second guess is the right one, when you know what I mean._

**Part I**

**Chapter 4: With life comes death – and with death comes life**

The scream echoed through the whole house and even if ChiChi didn't already have the attention of everyone in the room, she would've had it now. But still no one dared to do something, not even to move, all eyes were directed at her, just staring in disbelieve, surprise and maybe even shock. 

When the worst of the pain had subsided, ChiChi opened her eyes again, noticing everyone's eyes on her. "What are you still standing there?" she hissed through gritted teeth, her hands tightly gripped into the cushions of the couch. "The babies are coming and they don't want to wait!"

Bulma was the first one to come out of her shock and stepped in front of everybody. "Okay, listen. I know this is unsuspected but we have to act fast. It seems that the contractions are already coming in short intervals. Yamcha," she said directed at the formerly desert bandit, "go and get her doctor. In her condition we can't take the responsibility for taking her to the hospital. Besides it's just much faster when you fly." Yamcha nodded and quickly left the house, leaving a white trail of ki once he took off. "Okay…" Bulma seemed to think for a few seconds, considering everything that had to be done in a situation like this. "Gyuu Mao, please bring her upstairs into her room, Krillin, you get some hot water and towels!"

The Ox-King gently picked his daughter up and carried her upstairs, while Krillin also left the living room to get the things Bulma told him to. Gohan watched this whole scene with a mixture of excitement and fear. Of course he had read about pregnancy and the course of giving birth in one of his schoolbooks, but in reality this whole thing seemed to be so different. He had read about the contractions and the pain a woman had to go through, but seeing this first hand scared him. Especially when this woman was his mother. He had never heard his mother scream like this before, so he was sure that she had to go through a lot of pain. The whole time, all those months he had been looking forward to the birth of his siblings and now that it was actually happening and he saw what birth was really like he wished that his mother didn't have to go through this. 

Shuffling uneasily with his feet, Gohan went over to Bulma, who just wanted to follow his grandfather to his mother's room. "Bulma?" he stopped her. "Is there anything I could do? Can I help somehow?"

Bulma looked down at the young boy and saw how worried he was. Her first reaction would have been to kneel down and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, when she suddenly and for the first time seemed to realize that the kneeling down part would be ridiculous due to the fact that Gohan was almost as large as her. She had never noticed how much the boy had grown in the last year and silently wondered how much he would still grow in the following years. When she looked at him like that she could almost say that he would grow up to become a strong and handsome young man, of which both ChiChi and Goku would be proud of. She also suddenly wondered if he would still grow up to be this young man, _if _ChiChi were right with her dream. Shaking her head lightly, deciding that ChiChi _wasn't right, that this whole dream was just ridiculous, and smiling compassionately she just put a hand on his shoulder. "Gohan, why don't you wait here until Yamcha comes back with the doctor? Bring him up to your mother's room as soon as he arrives, would you do that?"_

Gohan nodded, if reluctantly and sat down on a chair near the window. He sighed in defeat. He knew that this was truly the only thing he could do, no matter how much he wanted to be with his mother right now. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Krillin hurrying up the stairs with some towels and a pot of hot water and he could hear the silent conversations, which took place in hushed and excited whispers, but in the current situation he wasn't able to listen to any of them. He just wanted the doctor to come – and to come soon – so that he could help his mother. 

Seconds passed like minutes and minutes passed like hours – or so it seemed at least. Gohan winced and squeezed his eyes shut when he could hear again a scream coming from his mother's room, but luckily, as he opened them again this time, he could see a small white spot in the blue sky, which was getting bigger with every passing second. Excitedly he jumped up, left the living room and threw the main door open and just a short time later Yamcha landed directly in front of him, holding a lightly shaken doctor. "Doctor!"

The doctor looked up, still a bit unsteady on his legs after just having flown with a _man instead of his jet, and adjusted his glasses on his nose. "Oh hello Gohan. This young man told me that your mother is in labor?"_

"That's true," Gohan told him. "She's in her bedroom. Please follow me." 

Not even waiting for the doctor to answer or to react, Gohan turned around and quickly walked back to the house, up the stairs and to his mother's bedroom, trusting the doctor to follow him. When he stood in front of the door, he looked up to see that the doctor had indeed followed him and knocked at the door, before he opened it and led the doctor inside. But while the doctor immediately rushed inside and to ChiChi, Gohan remained standing in the doorframe, frozen still at the sight that was greeting him. His mother was lying on her bed, her face completely pale and drenched with sweat. But what shocked him most was the red liquid that seemed to be soaking the bed sheets. Seeing his father or any other friend bleeding after a rough sparring match was something he was used to, but seeing his mother bleeding tightened the knot in his stomach. He silently watched how Bulma briefly greeted the doctor with a handshake and then saw that he was saying something to her with throwing a quick glance at him. His mind wasn't able to register what the doctor had exactly said, but he could see that Bulma nodded to Krillin and Gyuu Mao, who were then walking up to him. 

"Come on Gohan," Krillin said soothingly. "Let's wait outside. There's now nothing we could do." Krillin put a hand on the boy's shoulder and gently shoved him outside, closing the door behind them. He then let go of him and he and the Ox-King walked along the small corridor to the stairs, turning around one last time, before they went down. "Gohan? Are you coming?" he asked the boy, who was still standing in front of the now closed door. "Don't worry, the doctor will take care of everything and Bulma is there to help him. We should go down and wait there." Gohan looked up briefly and finally nodded.

Everything was quiet in the living room. Way too quiet for Gohan. They were now all already sitting there for more than four hours, waiting for someone – the doctor or Bulma – to come down and tell them that everything is over and that ChiChi and the children are all well. No one dared to say something, just the occasional sound from someone shifting his weight on a chair or couch, the silent shuffle of the feet while walking over the carpet and the muffled screams coming from upstairs. 

Gohan's fists were clenched tightly so that it almost hurt and his eyes squeezed shut every time he again heard his mother's agonizing screams. He felt so helpless. How could he defeat a terrible monster like Cell and not be able to help his mother through this? What's the use of being the strongest being in the whole universe, when he can't soothe the pain of those he loves? He was so tired of this… His father was dead because the new discovered strength had left Gohan careless, arrogant, with the feeling of ultimate superiority – the biggest mistake in his young life. Sure, he had defeated Cell in the end, but what had he lost? No, not he – what had his mother lost through his mistake? She had lost the man she loved, the man who should be with her right now, helping her through those hours of pain. And he had deprived her of that. 

Another tearful cry echoed through the thin walls of their house and again Gohan squeezed his eyes shut and – if even possible – clenched his fists even tighter, almost enough to draw blood at the places, where his nails dug into the flesh. Suddenly he felt a hand on his back and looked up with watery eyes. "Piccolo…" he whispered. "Please, I want this to stop. Her ki, it's getting weaker and…"

Piccolo turned his face away from the boy. He couldn't bear seeing the turmoil the kid was going through and he couldn't bear lying into his face. "Giving birth is always connected with extremely strains to the body," the Namek simply said, trying to calm Gohan down. He just couldn't tell him that the ki of his mother would eventually drop to zero. He was still clinging to one small straw of hope that the Kaioushin might have been wrong and the birth wouldn't kill the mother of his pupil.

~*~

It hurt. It hurt so much. It was even worse than in her dream. The waves of pain ripping through her body seemed to find no end and she had no idea how long she had already been in labor. Gohan's birth had been nothing like that. The only thing she wanted now was release. Release of the pain. Release of the feeling that she was torn from the inside. "Okay Mrs. Son," she heard a voice somewhere in the distance. "It's almost over. I can already see one head."

"Come one ChiChi," she heard another voice and even though she had gotten no real command she knew what she had to do. When the next wave of pain hit her, she pushed with all her might and soon part of the pain subsided and her own scream was replaced by a loud wail. She wanted to open her eyes, to see if everything was alright with the first baby, but didn't have any time for that, because of another pain ripping through her body, as strong as the one before. 

Without saying anything the doctor handed the baby to Bulma, who took it to a small table in the corner of the room to clean it, before he turned his attention back to the woman in labor. Bulma tried to shut out the cries of her friend, while she removed the last remnants of blood of the tiny boy's body. She couldn't suppress a small smile. The little boy was an exact carbon copy of Goku and he even had a small brown tail. Goten, she thought. The name ChiChi had planned to give the boy. 

Her thoughts were interrupted, when another wail of a baby echoed through the room and ChiChi's screams subsided once again. The doctor handed her also this baby, so that he could help ChiChi with the afterbirth. She laid the small girl next to the boy on the table, cleaning her with a wet piece of cloth. That was when she noticed it. Tears shot immediately into her eyes and a hand flew up to her mouth. Unlike her brother the girl didn't have a tail, but that wasn't what Bulma had noticed. The girl was gazing at her with big blue eyes and on her head was a fine layer of golden blond hair, just like ChiChi had said. Bulma looked over to her friend and saw that she was almost through with the afterbirth. Biting back the tears and trying hard to concentrate on the matter at hand, she finished to clean the baby girl. Jenny, she thought, when she gathered both babies in her arms to bring them up to their mother. 

While the doctor cleaned his hands, ChiChi looked up expectantly at her friend with half-closed eyes and a light smile on her face. You could immediately see that the birth had taken a lot out of her. She was as pale as a sheet and she was drenched with sweat. Bulma forced a brave smile on her face and walked over to her. "They are beautiful," she just said, when she carefully laid both babies into ChiChi's arms.  

ChiChi smiled at them, but Bulma could see that tears were also gathering in her friend's eyes, when she looked at the girl. ChiChi looked back up at her and at that moment both knew what it meant and no one needed to say anything. It was as if at that moment a silent agreement was made between the two women that the promise given the previous day would be kept. "Bulma," she suddenly said in a whisper. "Please, would you please get Gohan?"

"Of course," Bulma answered softly and just wanted to leave the room, when the doctor stopped her.

"Mrs. Briefs," he whispered, so that ChiChi couldn't hear them. "I don't know if you have noticed this, but Mrs. Son state is critical. She has lost a lot of blood during the birth and the strains were much stronger than at any other birth I have ever witnessed. I'm not sure if…"

"I know…" Bulma said softly and finally left the room.

When she came into the living room everyone looked up expectantly. She had to bite back her tears again and had to clear her throat, but was finally able to speak. "The babies are well, but ChiChi is extremely weak. Gohan, she wants to see you." As if in daze Gohan walked up the stairs and before Bulma followed him, she went to Krillin. "Krillin, go to Korin's tower and get a senzu, fast." Krillin saw the look on her face and the tears in her eyes and immediately obeyed, taking into the sky as soon as he had left the house.

After also going back to ChiChi's room, Bulma found Gohan standing in front of the door, his hand resting on the doorknob. He threw a look at her and first at her nod turned the knob and carefully opened the door. Inside he found his mother lying in her bed in an almost sitting position, holding a baby in each arm. Curiously he walked up to them and looked at them in awe. ChiChi smiled at him and he saw how tired she really was, but though worried didn't think much about it. 

"Gohan…" ChiChi whispered. "This is your brother Goten and this is your sister Jenny. Would you like to hold them?"

Gohan nodded lightly and carefully as if afraid to break them he took the babies from Bulma, who placed them from ChiChi's arms into his. "Hello little ones…" he said smiling. "I'm your big brother Gohan." ChiChi watched him for a few minutes in contentment until she suddenly felt that she was getting weaker and drowsier. Gohan, who noticed again a drop in her ki immediately looked up from the babies and gave them back to Bulma. "Mom? Are you okay?" he asked, now again growing worried.

"Gohan… Please come nearer." Gohan silently obeyed and knelt down next to the bed, taking one of his mother's hands. "Gohan, I love you. Remember that I will always love you and your small siblings."

"Mom? What are you talking about?" Gohan asked, panic rising in his voice.

"I'm sorry Gohan, I really am… The next time won't be easy for you. Please, take care of your brother and sister and give them all the love they need and don't blame them. Love them with all your heart…" Her voice faltered and her vision was getting blurry because of the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks. "Please study hard and don't cause Bulma too much trouble." 

Gohan's eyes widened with realization and he turned to Bulma, who was still holding the babies, but whose tears were also flowing freely. That was everything it took for him to also not holding back his tears anymore. "Mom, no…"

ChiChi raised her hand and soothingly stroked her son's cheek. "Goodbye Gohan… I love you." 

Gohan felt the hand losing the contact to his cheek and saw it falling down onto the bed. His mother's eyes closed and her head rolled to one side. The final vanishing of her ki just confirmed his worst fears. Suddenly the body started slowly to fade. "Mom?" he asked in a whisper. "No, mom!" He threw himself over her and held onto her tightly, not wanting to let her go. But in the end the body completely disappeared, leaving just air, where she had just been lying a few seconds ago. "MOOOOOM!"

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*sniff*

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	6. Part I: Hope shattered

**A/N:**                Thanks a lot for your reviews!

**Part I**

**Chapter 5: Hope shattered**

Krillin flew as fast as he could, a small bag filled with senzu beans dangling at his belt. He had made it to Korin's tower in record time - he fortunately didn't need to explain anything to the cat – and was now on his way back to the house in 439 Mountain Area. He was almost there, when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. ChiChi's ki – it was gone. He tightly clenched his fists and tried to blink away tears that threatened their way into his eyes. That could just mean one thing – he was too late. ChiChi was dead. 

After taking a deep breath he resumed his way to the small house in the woods, though this time at a slower pace. He knew that there was now only one hope left, but he doubted that it would work.

~*~

The excited murmurs about the birth of the twins immediately died down, when a part of the group in the living room felt ChiChi's ki drop to zero. Those who weren't able to feel ki just looked around confused, but already had this sinister feeling in their guts that something bad had happened. The silence in the room got suffocating and the faces of those, who knew what was going on, were filled with sorrow and grief for the loss of the woman most of them knew since her childhood and, in Vegeta's case, was masked with a look of indifference.

"Please," Gyuu Mao finally asked with a hoarse voice. "What has happened?"

Almost everyone looked to the ground, not being able to speak the word that would break the man's heart. After what seemed like minutes, Muten Roshi walked up to the Ox-King and gently laid a hand on his harm. "I'm sorry my friend. Your daughter… she is dead."

"No," he said disbelieving, though he knew deep down that his friend said the truth. He rather unfriendly shook the hand off his arm, the whole time fighting the salty tears in his eyes, and after throwing one look around, seeing the pity in the faces of the others, which just confirmed what the turtle master had told him, hurried up the stairs to his daughter's bedroom. He threw the door open and stood still in the doorframe upon the sight of his grandson lying with his upper body on an _empty bed, his hands tightly gripping the with blood stained sheets on the verge of tearing them apart. His eyes quickly searched the room for any sign of his daughter, but he only found the doctor standing on one side and Bulma standing on the other side, holding two small bundles in her arms with tears streaming down her cheeks. At that moment he truly realized it and felt the salty liquid flowing out of his eyes. His old master had spoken the truth. He gently took one step torwards the bed. "Gohan…" he said softly, but the boy didn't react to this tear-stricken voice._

Instead he could just see how the air around his grandson's body slowly started to waver and feel the earth under his feet starting to tremble. Bulma let out a small scream and dropped down on her knees, clutching the two babies even tighter against her body. The doctor stumbled backwards and had to find support on a near standing drawer. The trembling of the earth increased, when the room was filled with the agonizing cry of the boy, whose now golden aura started to crackle around him, while his hair flickered from black to gold and from gold to black. Suddenly a small explosion emitted from his body, letting both the doctor and Gyuu Mao loose their balance and when the explosion, which had destroyed parts of the room, subsided, the change was completed. Blue flashes crackled around the now with golden flames surrounded, blond-haired and green-eyed Son Gohan. Without looking back once, he shot forward, through the closed window into the air, letting shattered glass falling on the bed, where his mother had just given birth to his siblings minutes ago.

"Gohan!" Bulma screamed, when she got up again and ran over to the now destroyed window, but the boy was already nowhere in sight. "Oh Gohan…" she whispered, before she turned around to face Gyuu Mao and the doctor, who was nervously cleaning his glasses. "Gyuu Mao," she said, when she walked up to him. "I'm sorry…"

"Thank you, Bulma…" he said softly and then took a look at the two bundles in her arms. "Are they okay?"

The blue-haired woman nodded and gently handed him both. "The boy's name is Goten and the girl's Jenny."

Despite the whole situation a small smile graced his lips, when two pairs of eyes – one black and the other blue – stared at him and both babies started to make gurgling sounds. 

The quite peaceful scene was interrupted, when the doctor suddenly cleared his throat, getting the attention of both Bulma and the Ox-King. "I'm extremely sorry for your loss," he told both of them in a soft voice. "I wished things could be different. Those poor children, growing up without both mother and father. May I ask… Did Mrs. Son make any precautions concerning the future of the children in case something happened?"

Bulma nodded slowly, trying to stop the flow of tears. "She asked me yesterday to take them in if something happened, and, if Gohan agrees, I'll adopt them… I think ChiChi had a feeling that this would happen," she half-lied, not wanting to make it anymore difficult for Gyuu Mao. "But doctor… I'm sorry… We completely forgot about you… It must be quite unusual for you to witness something like this…"

"Don't worry about me," the doctor calmed her down. "I've already been present at Gohan's birth. Sure, I've been surprised of the fact that the boy had a tail, but now, after having seen what Cell was able to do and having _flown_ with a man, seeing Mrs. Son disappear like that and her eldest son transforming into probably one of the golden haired warriors, who had been present at the Cell Games, isn't that much of a surprise for me. So, you should now worry more about young Gohan and his family and friends, while I'll prepare all the forms. Okay?" 

"Okay." Bulma put a brave smile on her face and then took after getting his silent agreement the girl out of Gyuu Mao's arm. "We should go downstairs to the others… There's nothing we could do anymore up here." The Ox-King nodded at her and then they all left the bedroom and walked down the stairs.

Krillin had just about one minute left till he reached the house, when he felt a ki skyrocking – Gohan's ki – and saw the earth underneath him shaking. The next thing he knew was happening was seeing something golden glowing shoot past him. He stopped for a second to look past the trail of ki flying into the same direction he just came from and then flew the last few miles again in a faster pace. He then landed in front of the house, quickly entering it. Just at that moment also Bulma, Gyuu Mao and the doctor came down the stairs and upon the look on their faces he knew that what he had felt wasn't wrong. His right hand grabbed the small bag at his belt and he looked to the ground, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Bulma. I wasn't fast enough."

"Don't blame yourself, Krillin. It wasn't your fault," she tried to comfort him. 

Krillin didn't say anything to that and instead decided to change the subject, while they were on their way into the living room. "Gohan… It hit him pretty hard, didn't it? He flew past me and his power level… it had been higher than when he fought Cell."

Bulma just nodded in silent agreement. "I haven't seen him like this before… I wonder, where he's going now…"

"Where do you think he's going now, woman?" they heard Vegeta speaking for the first time since he had arrived this early afternoon. "The Lookout of course." The Prince of all Saiyajins had to bite back to say something like 'how stupid they are, when they couldn't figure out something as simple as that', but in the four years he had spent on that planet he had learned when to carefully choose his words – and this was one of those moments.

"I hate to say it," Piccolo now spoke, "but I have to agree with Vegeta. Gohan is most likely going to Dende to ask for the Dragonballs."

"But we just used them eight months ago to revive Trunks and all the other victims of Cell…" Bulma contradicted. 

"I think he knows that," the Namek told her. "But do you have any idea what's going on in his with grief and rage filled mind? And to make sure that nothing bad happens I'll follow him. The rest of you should also go home now. There's nothing to do anymore." Casting one last glance over his shoulder to take a quick look at the two babies, he left the house and took into the sky, following his pupil's ki.

"Piccolo's right," Bulma broke the silence once again. "You should go home. I'll just stay here and wait for Gohan to come back and clean up. Yamcha, would you be so nice and bring the doctor back to his office?"

"Of course…" the former desert bandit said. 

So, slowly, one after one, they all left the house, leaving just Bulma, Vegeta, Gyuu Mao and the twins. "Vegeta," Bulma said hesitatingly. "If you want, you could also go… I understand, when you don't want to stay."

Vegeta just hmphed and leaned again against the wall, ignoring what his mate had just said. Of course, he could just go home like she said and use the time to train, but seeing his woman like this, with her puffy and red eyes, trying to remain strong, even though she was on the verge of crumbling, and feeling the pain she was going through, held him in this house to be near her, to give her the strength she needed right now and maybe even to console her, when they were alone.

~*~

In the meantime in the other world a still clueless Saiyajin was training on a meadow near the house he and the Northern Kaiou were living in, when suddenly two persons appeared out of nowhere, startling him and the Northern Kaiou, who had been watching the warrior in his training.

"Lord Kaioushin," Kaiousama greeted him respectfully, with a hint of surprise in his voice, as to why the god of all gods and his friend Kibito were granting them the honor of their presence. "Can I help you?"

"I wish to speak to Son Goku," Kaioushin told him. "Is it possible?"

"Of course it is," Goku, who had been walking up to them, answered in his cheerful way. The smile on the warrior's face immediately disappeared, once he saw the serious look on the supreme Kaiou's face. "What is it?" 

"Son Goku, I ask you to come with me to Enma Daiou. It's about your wife…"

Not even one minute later Kaioushin, his bodyguard and Goku appeared at Enma Daiou's check-in station. The dead Saiyajin immediately started to frantically look around until he spotted the person he had been looking for sitting on a chair near the huge desk of Enma Daiou. "ChiChi!" he called out and ran up to her.

ChiChi looked up quickly, when she heard the voice of her husband calling out for her. When she finally saw him running up to her, she felt how tears were starting to run down her cheeks. "Goku!" She got up and also started to run up to him. As they met in the middle she found herself in an almost bone-crushing embrace of her mate, which she returned, burying her face in the soft fabric of his orange gi. 

"Oh god, ChiChi… What are you doing here?" he mumbled into her hair. "The Kaioushin told me that you're dead, but I didn't want to believe him. God, how?" he asked, when they broke apart and he gently ran his right hand through her hair.

"I- I wasn't strong enough… The strains of the birth… they were too much for me… the pain – and the loss of blood… But at least the babies are okay…" she told him in incoherent words, still too overwhelmed by the whole experience and finally seeing her husband again. She raised her hand and stroked his cheek. "I've missed you so much."

Goku gently took her hand. "It's okay, Chi. But tell me again… I didn't quite get what you just said. Birth? Babies?"

The black-haired woman nodded. "You've become a father again. A father of two beautiful babies – a boy, who looks exactly like you, and a girl."

Goku was speechless. For the first time in his life he didn't know what to say. "A father…" he just repeated stupidly. "Gohan!" he suddenly exclaimed, when his mind was able to work again. "What about him?"

"The next weeks won't be easy for him, but I'm sure he'll manage. He and the twins will live with Bulma from now own. He's a strong boy, so grown up. I'm sure you'd be proud of him."

Suddenly they heard someone clearing his throat next to them. It was the Kaioushin. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to tell you that I settled with Enma Daiou and the Dai Kaiou that you'll keep your body and are allowed to live with your husband on the Dai Kaiou's planet," he said directed at ChiChi. "Son Goku, Mrs. Son, I'm truly sorry that this has happened… This is the least thing I could do for you."

"Thank you…" Goku mumbled. The Kaioushin lightly bowed before them and then walked up to his friend and both disappeared. 

"What was he talking about?" ChiChi asked confused. 

"I don't know…" the Saiyajin answered thoughtfully. "Maybe we should also go now and then you can tell me everything." ChiChi nodded, put an arm around her husband's waist and they vanished.

~*~

The tears in his eyes had dried, the pain and the anger in his body suppressed by sheer determination. In the far distance, which got smaller and smaller with each passing second, he could see his destination floating high above all clouds in the sky, seemingly mocking all laws of gravity with its pure existence – the Lookout. He could feel the presence of the person he wanted to see at this place and another well-known presence not far behind him. But he ignored this presence. He was only interested in the person on the Lookout, the only person who had the possibility to fulfill his heart's desire – the only person who had the power to bring his mother back to life. He went to see earth's guardian, earth's god, and he would do anything necessary to get his wish. _Anything.___

Dende was already standing on the Lookout, obviously waiting for his friend, when Gohan landed on the platform. The small guardian took a step backwards, once he'd taken in the boy's appearance. Every bit of gentleness in his face and posture had disappeared, the once so living eyes dark and cold. The flashes around his body were still present and it seemed more like the boy was facing an enemy he had sworn to kill than an old friend. "Gohan…"

"I take it you know already why I'm here…" Gohan stated, his voice not once wavering a bit.

The young Namek nodded. "I know… But I'm sorry Gohan, you can't use the Dragonballs."

"Not yet," the half-Saiyajin contradicted. "But I'm sure that you can do something so that I can use them now."

"That's not possible," Dende told him. "And even if I were able to do something about it, I couldn't allow you to use them."

"Why not?" The boy's voice suddenly sounded frightened.

"Giving birth is a natural process." Hearing this voice, Gohan turned around to face Piccolo, who had just landed. "And therefore also death while giving birth. Your mother wasn't killed during the process, her body was just too weak to bear the strains."

"But this isn't the only reason," Dende threw in. "Gohan, you know that I would do anything in my power to somehow find a way to revive your mother again, but the Dragonballs' use is already promised to another person. Shortly after Cell an old enemy killed the god of all gods and his friend. I promised him to use the Dragonballs to wish him and his friend back to life, so that they are able to search for his enemy and aren't trapped in the other world."

"No…" Gohan mumbled. "No… There has to be a way…"

"I'm sorry, Gohan. But there is no other way," Piccolo said and put a hand on his pupil's shoulder, but he just shook it off and took again into the sky. "Gohan!" The Namek wanted to follow him, but Dende held him back.

"Let him, Piccolo. He needs some time alone…"

Blinded by tears he flew – flew as fast as he could – trying to flee from the world. He didn't care if anyone saw him. He didn't care where he was going. He just wanted to get away – get away from the pain, away from the hurt. 

The air around him became chillier as he was flying to the north, but Gohan didn't notice it. The aura of his ki held him warm, but he slowly felt that his ki-level started to drop. He had been at his maximum the whole time and the strains started to weaken him. Soon he dropped out of level two of Super Saiyajin and his survival instinct told him that it would be better for him to land. He carefully descended and as soon as he set foot on the ground, dropped completely out of Super Saiyajin mode, almost entirely drained and fell on his knees. Through his blurry vision he looked around, trying to find out, where exactly he was. The whole area seemed vaguely familiar. It was a desert surrounded by cliffs and large rocks. He tried to think when he could've been at this place before, but his mind refused to work - it was numbed by both physical and psychical exhaustion.  

His now again black hair swayed in the light breeze, which let a shiver run down his spine. He had to close his eyes, so that he wouldn't get any sand into them that was being carried by the wind. When it had subsided, Gohan opened his eyes again and the first thing they focused on was a piece of metal. Suddenly an image flashed in front of his eyes – a vision of the head of a certain android squashed by a foot. The boy's head shot up. That couldn't be! He had sworn that he would never come back to this place. He looked around worriedly, trying to find anything that would disprove his assumption, but the only thing his eyes fell on was a huge crater, which he strangely hadn't noticed before, along with several cracks in the earth not that far away from him. Somehow his subconscious must have led him to this place.

But why? This place bore nothing than painful memories. Here he had lost his father, because he had been too cocky in a fight concerning the future of the earth. The tears, which had momentarily stopped due to this shocking revelation now started to flow again, when he saw another image of his father disappearing with Cell. Would his mother still be alive, if he had killed Cell earlier? Would his father have been able to help his mother through this? Did his mother just die because of his own stupidity? 

All those questions didn't help him feel better – they just made him feel worse. Though having learned that blaming himself didn't help eight months ago, he couldn't stop doing even that. But still - all those questions didn't change anything at the fact that his mother was gone without a way to bring her back. First his father and now his mother. Gone – forever. He was alone, alone with two small siblings to take care of.

"You are not alone, Gohan."

The boy's head jerked around, when he suddenly heard this voice. "Dad?" he asked disbelieving.

"Yes, it's me..." Goku's voice said again. "Kaiousama gave me permission to talk to you. Gohan, your mother is here with me. We're together. So don't worry about that. She is sleeping right now. The whole thing had been pretty exhausting – even for someone who's dead. To be honest, she didn't want me to talk to you, because she thought that this would just hurt you more, but I couldn't help myself – I just need to tell you some things. Your mother told me what you've done in the last months and how responsible you've grown. After hearing this I couldn't be any prouder to call you my son. So don't blame yourself for anything, understand? And then I need to tell you that you're not alone. Bulma is going to take care of you and then there's still the rest of our friends you can rely on. And don't forget the twins. Promise me that you'll take care of Goten and Jenny for me and your mother…"

"I promise, dad…" Gohan choked out, his vision again completely blinded by his tears. 

"I knew that I could count on you…" his father said. "I know I haven't always been the best father, but I love you, son. Please tell your sister and brother that I love them, too, when they are old enough to understand. I'm sorry Gohan, but I have to go now… Goodbye…"

"Goodbye, dad… I love you, too," he whispered. When the connection to his father was gone, Gohan broke down sobbing. 

It was already dark outside, when Gohan finally found the strength and will to get up and fly home. Once he got there, he quietly entered the house the same way he had already left it hours ago – through the still broken window of his mother's bedroom. It was almost completely dark in there, but the half moon threw just enough light into it for him to see that the shattered glass had been swept up and the bloody sheets on his mother's bed had been removed. Despite the open window it looked like nothing had ever happened in this room. 

He expanded his senses to find out, who was still in the house. There were two small kis in the room next to this one – the room that should've been the nursery – then there was Bulma's ki in the living room along with Vegeta's and, in the small guestroom the one of his grandfather. The kis of the three adults were all pretty low, indicating that they were asleep – well, in Vegeta's case you'll never know – so Gohan quietly opened the door of his mother's bedroom and sneaked to the next door in the corridor. The door was half opened, but still he hesitated to open it more and step inside. This was the room his siblings were sleeping in, his brother and his sister. 

He took a deep breath and carefully pushed the door open, revealing two small cribs standing next to each other at a wall, lightened by the weak light of the moon. Hesitatingly, he walked up to them and first stopped, when he had reached them. He had thought that the twins were sleeping, but both were staring at him with wide eyes. A sudden peace washed over him, when their eyes looked. Now he knew what he had to do. He would be a good big brother for them and love them like his parents had asked him to – and he wouldn't disappoint them. 

A small smile appeared on his face, when first Jenny and then Goten yawned. Gohan got a chair and sat down on it, putting his hands on the cribs to gently rock them, while he was humming a lullaby for them. Soon both babies' eyes closed and shortly after Gohan also fell asleep, his head resting on his arms, which were lying on the cribs.

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So, this chapter was a bit longer than the last one(s) and I even managed to write it in two days!!! Well, it's still a bit sad and I'll promise you that this is not the last time a chapter will be like this. I can also assure you that I've planned some things to happen in this story that'll most likely surprise you…

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	7. Part I: Letting go

**A/N:    I think I slowly stop to say how sorry I am, but with work and everything I just don't find so much time to write. It's about two to three hours a day at the most. But I won't stop this story, I promise! When I had been on a trip about two weeks ago and have been daydreaming while we were in the car I almost _wrote two chapters of this story in my mind! But it will take a bit longer until I'll write the first of those chapter, because those happenings will be in the far future. The second one will even take much longer, because, well… No, I won't tell. But I think I write them down before it's actually time for them to be posted, just so that I won't forget what I had planned. *grins*_**

**            By the way, some of you commented how sad this story is and I don't know if I've said it before, but this won't be the last sad part in this story. There'll be probably parts in this story, for which you really want to kill me… Enjoy!**

**Part I**

**Chapter 6: Letting go**

_We have to learn to let go. This is the biggest lesson of life.  
- Julie Schlosser –_

The rising winter sun slowly crept over the tops of the trees, its golden light illuminating everything in its way, trying to chase away even the smallest spots of darkness. It wasn't even stopped by a window, fore the curtains weren't drawn close, and so easily made its way through the glass to rest on the face of a small boy. The boy's eyes squeezed shut, hoping to be able to shut out this merciless disturber of his sleep, and turned around, face away from the sun. But it wasn't of any use. As soon as he did that, another thing, just not as harsh as the sun had been, proceeded to pull him out of his slumber. The whole room was filled with the sweet scent of breakfast – eggs, bacon, pancakes… Those scents were penetrating into his nostrils, letting him slowly but surely stir. 

The black haired boy opened his eyes and sat up confused upon hearing a soft and familiar humming coming from downstairs. Had everything just been a dream? A horrible nightmare? He quickly jumped out of his bed, throwing over a shirt while leaving his room in a hurry. He stopped in front of a wide open door, taking a look inside. Everything looked peaceful. The bed was made neatly and the white curtains were gently blowing in the light breeze coming through the gap of the opened window. 

A hopeful smile appeared on his face, when he ran down the corridor, not stopping at the next door, and almost flew down the stairs into the kitchen, where he stopped dead in his tracks. There she was. Standing in front of the oven and making breakfast, the whole time humming the happy tune he had already heard upstairs. His eyes glazed over with tears, when he finally started to approach the woman. "Mom?" he asked in a whisper. 

The black haired woman turned around, smiling at him. "Good morning, Gohan. Do you want some breakfast?"

"Mom? Is that really you?" Gohan reached out fearfully, afraid that she might disappear once he touched her. 

"Of course it's me…" She got a worried look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Oh mom!" He threw himself into her arms. "I thought I lost you! I thought you left!" he cried. 

ChiChi gently peeled him off of her and ruffled through his black hair. "Why should I leave, sweetie? You know that you and the twins need me. I would never leave you…" Gohan wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded bravely. That was when he suddenly heard a dripping noise. Turning away from his mother's face, he looked to where the noise was coming from and immediately saw the red puddle that was slowly forming on the ground underneath his mother. He paled and took a step backwards. "Gohan, what's going on?" he heard his mother asking, before he turned around and darted for the door. 

He threw it open, fully expecting to be outside, but was taken aback, when he noticed that he wasn't outside. He was in his mother's bedroom. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, when he took in the scenery. His mother was lying in the bed, her face being deathly pale and cruelly contorted with agony, with the doctor standing next to her. 

And there was blood. Everywhere. 

He wanted to leave the room again, getting away from here, wanting to get this picture out of his head, but the door was gone. He turned around, his eyes once again resting on his mother's form. He could feel her ki and eventually see her body vanishing. "No! Mom! No!"

"No!" Gohan jolted awake, sitting up. His whole body was drenched with sweat and he was breathing hard, as if he had just been fighting Cell all over again. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath and laid down in his bed. Wait a second? Bed? He sat up again and looked around. He was in his room, but how did he get there? The last thing he remembered was rocking the twins back to sleep in the nursery. He knew that he must have fallen asleep there, because he didn't remember going into his own room. 

But maybe… Maybe…

His face lit up by a small spark of hope, he jumped out of bed, throwing a shirt over his head while leaving his room. He stopped in front of the closed door of his mother's bedroom. He rested his shaking hand on the handle, not really knowing if he should open it or not. He didn't want to see what was behind it, but he had to find out. If… Taking a deep breath, he just wanted to push the handle down, when his nose suddenly caught the scent of breakfast coming from the kitchen just like in his dream – nightmare. 

Ignoring the door for the moment being and obeying his rumbling stomach, he removed his hand from the handle and walked down the stairs. He not once noticed the slight burned smell accompanying the sweet scent of breakfast. Gohan bolted down the stairs, heavily anticipating his stomach's desire. "Hey mom, what's for…" he asked cheerfully, when he came through the door, but his voice immediately faltered, when he didn't see his mother standing at the stove, but Bulma. "Breakfast?"

Upon hearing the boy's voice, Bulma turned around, having a sad smile on her face. "Gohan…"

Gohan took a step backwards. All hunger gone from one second to another. His face was considerably paler than just a few seconds ago. "So… this whole thing… it was no dream?" 

"I'm sorry, Gohan…" the woman told him sympathetically. "Are you okay? Okay, you don't need to answer that…"

"Where are the others?" he asked, wanting desperately to change the subject. "I mean grandpa and Vegeta. They- they were here last night, when I got home. I felt them."

"I sent your grandfather home earlier this morning, after I got Trunks from Capsule Corporation. But he will come over later today to help us moving your stuff to Capsule Corporation and Vegeta… Well, I was even surprised that he kept up with me the whole night," she said while getting two bottles filled with a white liquid from the kitchen table. 

"Move- move my stuff?" the young half-Saiyajin asked confused.

Bulma nodded. "Your mother asked me to take you in… in case something like this happened."

"And you tell me about this now?" he yelled, feeling new tears in his eyes. After saying this, he immediately regretted it and hung his head. "I'm sorry, Bulma. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just…"

"Hey," Bulma immediately went up to him and put a calming hand on his shoulder. "It's okay…I'm not angry at you…" She bit down on her lip. Don't cry, don't cry… Not in front of Gohan. "Hey… You want to help me feed the twins?"

Putting a brave smile on his face he nodded and followed Bulma into the living room, where Goten and Jenny were lying next to each other in a playpen and one year old Trunks was sitting in his buggy, desperately trying to reach his foot with his hands. After having tested the temperature of the two bottles' content by splashing a bit of both on the back of her hand, she placed the bottles on the small table and gently picked up the dark haired boy, handing him to Gohan, who carefully cradled the newborn in his arms. She then bowed down again and picked up the girl, before she and Gohan sat down on the couch. 

She watched how Gohan took the bottle and gently stuck it into Goten's mouth, who immediately began to eagerly suck on it. She smiled lightly. The hours of babysitting Trunks truly did pay off well.  She suppressed a sigh. She wished ChiChi could see how her small boy was taking care of his younger siblings. How much love and adoration his face already showed, especially after the tragedy the previous day. A small squeal coming from the tiny girl in her lap brought her back into reality, reminding her that she would also be hungry and especially of how demanding Saiyajins could be when it was about food. 

"Bulma," Gohan suddenly jerked her out of her thoughts. After they had fed the babies, they hadn't put them back into the playpen, but were still holding them, sitting next to each other in comfortable silence, each of them lost in their thoughts. "About… moving in at CC… You know I'd never ask anything of you, but… I know, it didn't sound like this earlier, but… Thank you. I'd never be able to raise both of them, alone. I'd need help and there aren't many people I trust enough…" 

Gohan paused for a second, trying to find a way to put his thoughts into words without starting to drift off or ramble. It was so difficult. He wasn't used to voicing his feelings. In a way he was raised to be a strong warrior. Never had he been in the situation to do something like that. How could he tell Bulma that she was the only one he trusted to help them without giving her the feeling that he would saddle her with all of his problems? "Of course, there would be grandpa, but he's getting older and I can't burden him with this responsibility of taking care of us. Then there's Piccolo. He's like a father for me, but to be honest, he isn't able of raising children in a normal way. He raised me to become a warrior, but I don't want that for Goten and Jenny. They should grow up to live a normal life. Another person who I'd trust to do even this is Krillin. I'm sure he'd be a great dad for them. But he and Juuhachigou seem to get along pretty well and I don't want to disturb and maybe even destroy this relationship." 

Hi haltered for a moment, thinking about how to continue. The first part had still been easy, but what was coming now proved to be pretty difficult to say. Eventually he took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady, before he started to speak again. "The only person I'd ever truly trust who won't have those problem is you, Bulma. You may not be a fighter, but you're strong. You were able to tame the Prince of all Saiyajins. You already have Trunks, what gives you the knowledge of how to handle a Saiyajinbaby. You can raise them in a human way and, I know mom didn't think much of him, but Vegeta can teach them everything important about the Saiyajins and maybe even train them if he and they want someday. I wish I could do all of this, but I'm no parent. According to the law I'm still a child and I don't have any resources, though I promised that I'd do anything for them." Gohan swallowed down the lump in his throat that had been formed while he was talking, but he didn't stop the few tears from flowing, before he continued in a whisper, "I think that's the same mom thought about when she asked you to take care of us. And in her name I have to say thank you, for helping them – us. I don't know what we would do without you and I promise that I won't be big of a bother as long as you take good care of the twins…"

"Oh Gohan," Bulma didn't know what to say. She was sure that this was the longest and most heart wrenching speech she had ever heard from the boy. There's this thing about all Saiyajins she had known so far – their pride. How long had he been thinking about this, trying to overcome his pride and ask her for such a small and in a way natural thing? According to what he had to say the whole previous afternoon, while he had been gone. So, instead of just saying something she adjusted the girl in her arms so that she wouldn't get crushed and pulled Gohan into a soft hug, also taking care that they wouldn't hurt the boy in his arms. "Neither you nor Goten and Jenny will be a bother for me. I love you like my own children and of course I'd do anything for you. I would've even done it if ChiChi hadn't asked me. I know it will be hard, for all of us. Especially for you. But I love you, Gohan and I'd do anything to make life more bearable for you, so that not just the twins, but also you'll have the chance to live a normal life."

They remained like this for a short time until Gohan suddenly winced and pulled away from Bulma's embrace, rubbing his stomach while doing so with a somewhat sheepish look on his face. "Ouch…"

"Gohan?" Bulma asked surprised, due to the sudden change of mood of the boy. 

"Goten sure is already strong…" he told her, but suddenly stopped, his eyes resting on his sister. "Strange…"

"What is it?" 

"I don't know why, but there's a huge gap between Goten's and Jenny's power level. Goten's power level is, well, I'd say normal for a Saiyajin, but Jenny's…" He shook his head in disbelieve. "It's about as low as a normal human baby."

"A normal human baby?" Bulma looked down at the almost sleeping baby in her arms. "She also doesn't look like a Saiyajin. Of course, Trunks doesn't look like a Saiyajin either, but at least he had a tail when he was born, just like you and Goten…"

"It doesn't matter," Gohan suddenly announced. "Though it's strange, but she's my sister and that's the only thing that counts."

"You know what, Gohan?" Bulma asked him, as she stood up, having a smile on her face. "You're right. It really doesn't matter how high their power level is or how they look like as long as you love them. Well, what do you think now of bringing them to bed. I'm sure that they are tired after having eaten that well. Yes you are all tired, aren't you?" she cooed at the tiny girl.

Gohan smiled at them. Yes, going with Bulma would be the right thing to do. "Okay, and after that I'll start packing."

~*~

Later that day, in the late afternoon to be precise, Piccolo was standing at his usual spot on the small hill near the house, watching how Gohan and his grandfather were loading various bags and cartons into the big jet Bulma had brought along. So it was final. Gohan was, along with his newborn siblings, going to leave the only real home he had known for almost all his life and live with Bulma – and, even though he wasn't too fond of this thought, Vegeta. But Piccolo hadn't expected it to be different. And this would have been what Piccolo had told him, if Gohan had come to him with the question of what he should do. It would have been hard to do that and not say 'Live with me', but he did also know that this wouldn't have been possible. The reasons for this being quite obvious. But fortunately the kid had made up his mind on his own and spared him to answer that question.

Still, it somehow saddened him to know that from now on his pupil would now live in a large city, where, though it wouldn't be the first time, he couldn't just wander around like any normal person. Some people still remembered Piccolo Daimao and he didn't want to cause any panic among Western Capital's citizens. So it was up to Gohan to come to him, if he wanted to train or something like this. But living in a large city could just be good for Gohan. There he had so many possibilities. He could make friends his age and maybe even attend a public school, if he wanted. Though it would be hard, the boy could learn to be a normal child. 

With this thought in mind, the Namek turned around and shot up into the sky, not caring if anyone saw or felt him, because he already knew that the only person who he cared about had already known about his presence.

~*~

It wasn't until a few days later that the friends came together again at the house in the woods. And it wasn't a happy occasion either. The same persons who had already been there for the baby shower, this time also Dende and Mr. Popo, were gathered to hold the funeral for Son ChiChi, mother and wife of some of the strongest warriors the earth had ever seen. 

As if to confirm the low spirits of this event the sun wasn't shining. Gray clouds were keeping the sun from casting its rays on the earth, but it didn't rain. Instead white snowflakes were falling softly, renewing the already white snow cover on the usually green grass. 

Friends and family were standing in the backyard of the house under a willow tree, under which were found two plain gray gravestones, mourning the loss of their friend and mother. Silent tears were shed during the sermon that was held by no one else than the earth's guardian, at which end almost everyone went up alone to the gravestone and placed a special chosen flower in front of it on the soft snow. 

Gohan was the last one, who went up to the stone with his mother's name engraved on it and placed a white rose, symbolizing the pure love he felt for her, on it. After having done this, he placed a soft kiss on his fingertips and gently touched the stone with them, letting them linger there for a few seconds. "Goodbye, mom. I love you…" Smiling softly, he removed his hand and looked at the gravestone next to his mother's, which was carrying his father's name. "Please take good care of her, dad. Now that I can't do it anymore…"

Turning around, he walked up to the others, who were already waiting for him and without looking back he stepped into Bulma's jet, its doors closing behind him. 

~*~

Once they reached _home Gohan immediately went up to __his room and laid down on his bed. He could see the snow falling outside, but eventually closed his eyes, exhausted from this day. He almost chuckled at the irony of this. There he was, the defeater of Cell and he was exhausted after about one hour standing outside in the cold. _

But today he had not just said goodbye to his mother, but also to his old life. This day somehow made it final that he would be living here at Capsule Corporation. The funeral made it clear that this time there was no way that the Dragonballs could help bringing a loved person back to life. After the one of his father, this had been the second burial he had attempted, because all the other times his friends or father didn't stay dead for longer than one year. 

Gohan had insisted that he just took his most personal belongings to CC, that the rest should stay at the house, though he had no intention of ever returning there. This, and having things brought with him to CC, things that had belonged to his parents, would just hurt too much for him to bear. The funeral had been a final goodbye, because when he wouldn't return to the house, he also wouldn't visit his parents' graves. 

To Bulma's idea to sell some things, he just told her that he didn't want that. Those were his parents' belongings and they couldn't just decide what to do with them. Everything in the house should stay like it had been. Nothing should be changed. It was not in their right to do so…

A soft knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts. "Come in…" he answered, already sensing that it was Bulma.

"Hey," she said gently, after she opened the door. "We'll be having dinner now… Do you want to come downstairs and join us?"

Gohan seemed to ponder this thought for a few seconds, before he nodded. "I'll come… Shall I bring Jenny and Goten along?"

"That would be nice," Bulma told him. "Well, we'll be in the dining room, then."

After Bulma had closed the door again, Gohan changed into something more comfortable and then went to the room next to his – the room that they had prepared as nursery for the twins. Another thing he had insisted on. He had wanted his room to be directly next to theirs, so that he was better able to take care of them. He carefully gathered them into his arms and then proceeded his way downstairs… 

To his new life…

************************************************************************************

So, I hope you like it! But please make me a happy little girl and leave a review! Thanks a lot!

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	8. Part I: Family

**A/N:**    Well, first of all there's my obligatory 'thank you' for the reviews you left me. I don't know why, but somehow during this time of year, I always get depressed and sometimes really have the feeling that I should just screw all my stories, but then I remember that it's because of you that I'm writing and that it's my stories that keep me somehow going… Thank you for this!

**            Mmh, I see that there were some questions…   
_@ Luinthoron:_ Do you really want me to spoil everything? I've planned so many surprises (if not always surprises you'll love me for) to bring into the story and telling you now wouldn't be fair… Hehe. Nope, not a word!**

            _@ Vindali:_ Believe me, I also thought about this problem when I first started writing this story, and I thought I found an easy solution, which, after I read your review, suddenly don't seem so easy anymore… But don't worry! Somehow I'll find a way to get out of this mess. But there's no going back now for me!

**Part I**

**Chapter 7: Family**

It was May. For most people a really joyful month, for the snow has long melted away, letting the green grass finally resurface after months of being covered. Trees were green and in bloom, the sun was higher and brought more warmth over the world. The days were finally longer… That could just mean one thing: Summer was near. 

But for some people May was a month of tragedies, but this also just because of the happenings one year before. The appearance of the Jinzoningen and in the end Cell had left a gaping hole in some people's hearts. While all the other people killed by Cell were resurrected with the Dragonballs, one young warrior made the noble sacrifice of not being wished back, fore he feared that alone his being on earth was responsible for the threats coming after them. The decision of this warrior left a void that couldn't and never would be filled, especially in the heart of one young boy, who had first lost his father and eight months later his mother, but yet gained two small siblings. Just like his father had given his life for the world, his mother had given her life for the children. 

It was at that time of the year, the day a parade was given for someone who had stolen the credit of having beaten that monster, when one blue-haired woman was standing in front of two plain gravestones, holding two bunches of flowers in her hand, a larger one and a smaller one. The sun was burning down on her that day, just like it already had one year ago, and she wiped some pearls of sweat from her forehead, before she walked up to one of the stones, placing the smaller bunch of flowers in front of it. Smiling a small smile, she gently touched the gravestone, before she went to the other one, where she laid down the other bunch. 

She didn't say a word, just staying there and reveling in old happy memories for the next couples of minutes, when she suddenly felt a cool breeze. Shivering slightly, she rubbed her bare arms. She turned around to go back to her jet and almost ran into an eight foot high wall. Startled, she took a step backwards, before she finally recognized the 'wall'. "Geez, Piccolo… Do you have to scare me like that?" She scowled at the large Namek in front of her with her arms crossed over her chest, but she wasn't really angry with him, couldn't be angry with him, at least not at this day.

The warrior grunted in response. "I've been waiting for you. I expected you to come here today."

"Of course did I come today…" Bulma turned around, to throw a look at the two gravestones. "They were my best friends. And I hope that someday Gohan will also find his way back." She looked back at Piccolo and shook her head. "Sorry, but why exactly are you here? Do you want to talk to me about Gohan?"

Piccolo nodded. "I wanted to ask you, if I could train with him tomorrow. In your gravity room."

"Sure, I guess I could arrange that. But why?" Bulma asked confused. 

"Dende will use the Dragonballs tomorrow to resurrect the Kaioushin and his bodyguard. Dende agreed with me that Gohan should first know about it, when it's already over, so that he doesn't interfere…"

"You think he would do that?" She had a thoughtful look on her face, when she asked this. 

"To be honest with you… I don't know. Probably not, but better be safe than sorry," he replied in his usual gruff voice. Piccolo seemed to think for a moment and opened his mouth a few times, as if wanting to ask something, but eventually closed it again. He had a reputation to lose after all. 

Bulma however seemed to read his thoughts, when she suddenly said, "He's doing fine. But I think it's good, when you train again a bit with him. He has to get out some more. He's dedicating all of the time he isn't studying or sleeping to the twins and that can't just be good for him. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you again. It's been quite some time, since he visited you the last time…"

"Two months…" Piccolo just answered with a hint of remorse hiding in his voice. He straightened up and prepared to take off again. "Okay then, I'll be there tomorrow afternoon. Please don't tell him."

"Don't worry, I won't…"

"I never worry," Piccolo told her, before a white aura flashed around him and he shot into the sky.

Bulma looked after the white trail, following it until she couldn't see the Namek anymore and sighed. No matter what Piccolo said, she knew – they all knew – that he worried about Gohan. Without looking back, she walked past the house, where once a happy family lived in, to her jet, leaving behind the two gravestones that read,

_Son Goku  
May 26, 766_

_Beloved Husband,   
Father  
and Friend_

_Warrior at heart  
You've never let us down_

and

_Son ChiChi  
January 24, 767_

_Beloved Wife,  
Mother  
and Friend_

_Noble at heart  
May you now stay with your true love_

~*~

It was the early afternoon the following day, just after lunch. Gohan had finished feeding Goten, who was sitting in the playpen, playing with some stuffed animals, a while ago and was now in the course of giving his little sister the bottle, when suddenly the doorbell rang, followed by a call coming from upstairs, "Gohan? Can you please get the door? I'm busy with putting Trunks to bed."

"Okay!" Gohan responded, gently pulled the bottle out of his sister's mouth, who immediately started to pout after that, obviously still being hungry, before he picked her up and settled her on his hip, holding her with his right arm so that it was comfortable for both of them. He grinned down at her. Even though her power level was as low as the one of a normal human, nothing compared to Goten or Trunks, and she didn't look at all like a Saiyajin, she still had the appetite of one. She looked at him almost skeptically, if that was even possible for a four months old baby, her big blue eyes eyeing Gohan as if asking him, if _this was really all she should get for lunch. Gohan ruffled her gently through her thin blond locks. "Don't worry, little one. You'll get the rest as soon as I've looked, who's at the door." Seemingly satisfied with this answer, she snuggled up to her older brother, holding tightly onto his shirt with her tiny fists. So, being like this, Gohan went to the door and opened it, just to get wide eyes and a huge smile on his face. "Piccolo!" he exclaimed excitedly. "What are you doing here?"_

The Namek smirked at him. "I'm here to use the gravity room. I want to train with you."

"Train with me? But…" His gaze wandered down to the girl in his arm, who was hiding her face in the fabric of Gohan's shirt and just looked at the large green man with the pointy teeth for the split of a second, before she hid her face again. 

"No buts, Son Gohan," he suddenly heard a voice behind him. It was Bulma. When she was next to him, she gently detached Jenny from her brother's shirt and took her. "Vegeta is somewhere in the wilderness, so you two can use the gravity room." Gohan wanted to say something, but Bulma cut him off. "No, Gohan, you'll train with Piccolo. The twins will also get along a few hours without you. End of discussion. Piccolo, why don't you already go to the gravity room? Gohan will join you in a few minutes after he has changed into his gi, won't you, Gohan?" Bulma asked him sternly, nudging him with her elbow. 

"Okay…" Gohan agreed reluctantly and retreated to the stairs, which would lead to his room on the second floor. 

When he was gone and out of earshot, Bulma sighed and turned back to Piccolo. "I'm sorry for his behavior. He's nearly obsessed with the idea that the twins can't live without him…"

Piccolo frowned. "Maybe I should start again to train him on a regular basis, so that he gets out more."

"You should do that. He does neither listen to me nor to Vegeta, when we talk to him about getting out, well, you know how Vegeta is. With him it was more like 'Brat, get out to train or you'll get weak.'. But maybe you'll be able to do something about it. So, uhm… You do know where the gravity room is, don't you? Sorry, I don't want to seem impolite, but I just put Trunks to bed and Jenny still needs to finish her bottle…" Instead of saying anything, Piccolo just nodded and turned around, leaving in the direction of the gravity room. Bulma sighed and closed the door behind him. Sure, she had known that the months after ChiChi's death wouldn't be easy, but it was still much harder than she had thought. She often wondered how different things would have been, if her friend were still alive, or what would have happened, if ChiChi had just been pregnant with one child instead of two. What if someone had brought along some senzus? Would she still be alive then? Or had it just been her time?

Or, or, or… If, if, if… Bulma rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming, because of all those questions, and not for the first time in the last months she noticed tears forming behind her eyes. She let out a ragged breath and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. No matter how she looked at it. ChiChi was dead. And there was no way to revive her. Their only and last hope, the Dragonballs, won't work and even if, they couldn't use them. Sometime this afternoon the sky would become dark, signaling that the mighty dragon Shenlong had risen to fulfill two wishes. Bulma herself had talked to Dende about the possibility to use the Dragonballs after everything had calmed down again, and he told her that he needed to use both wishes. One for the Kaioushin and one for this Kibito-guy. Voicing one wish in the way that everyone killed by this Darbura would be brought back to life was out of question, since they had no idea, who exactly had been killed by him. Telling Shenlong this wish could release a threat bigger than this magician, Dende told her about. 

The blue-haired woman was jerked out of her thoughts by a small squeal coming from the girl in her arms. Jenny looked at her with wide eyes, smiling due to the fact that she now had the woman's attention and hopefully would get something to eat again. Bulma smiled back and gently stroked the baby's hair. "Still hungry? Well, I guess you come more after your father than we first thought."

~*~

When Gohan came into the gravity room, dressed in the gi Piccolo had materialized for him, a copy of the Namek's own gi, his tutor and friend was already waiting for him. He sheepishly scratched his head, while saying, "Sorry that it took so long, but I first had to look for my gi. It was still in one of the boxes I haven't unpacked yet."

Piccolo grunted in response, a habit that was similar to Vegeta's. Though after the fusion with Kami he had become more amiable, he still wasn't a friend of many words. Especially not in situations like this. It was exactly the same with the feelings he harbored for the boy. After all those years of knowing him, he had at least finally admitted to himself that he cared about him like he would care about a son, but saying this out loud was probably a thing he would never do. 

Gohan, being used to the taciturnity of his tutor, just shrugged and started with some stretching exercises, before dropping into a fighting stance, showing Piccolo that he was ready. And he didn't need to wait long, because Piccolo attacked him just a second later. The fight was evenly matched, mostly due to the fact that none of them was fighting seriously, using just a bit of their strength. Gohan wasn't even a Super Saiyajin, yet. Both saw this training more as a chance to get acquainted again to the other after not having seen each other for two months. It was almost like in old times, when they were preparing for the arrival of the Jinzoningen. Just that there was now one person missing.

Piccolo smiled in spite of himself. Though, according to Bulma, Gohan hadn't trained in the last months, he didn't seem to be out of shape. His technique was still flawless and the ability of sensing attacks, before they were carried out, wasn't lost. He enjoyed this fight, even if it was more fooling around than actually fighting. The fact that he was actually just training with Gohan because of the use of the Dragonballs was pushed back in his mind. But he knew, that he had still another matter to discuss with the small demi-Saiyajin. 

While sparring, none of them noticed how time passed, until suddenly a screen appeared in the room, showing Bulma. "I'm sorry if I interrupt you guys," she said. "But if you haven't noticed, the sun is already setting and dinner will be served in about half an hour."

"Really?" Gohan asked confused, just right before a low rumble was heard coming from his stomach. A grin appeared on his face, when he looked at the screen. "Oops, I guess you're right…"

"See? I told you. So, I think you should get showered, so that you'll be ready in thirty minutes. Piccolo, you can join us, if you want."

Again, Piccolo's answer was just a grunt, followed by a short, "We Nameks drink just water. I also think that I should go back to the Lookout."

"Right!" Bulma laughed. "How could I forget? Okay, remember Gohan, dinner in thirty minutes. See ya then!" 

The screen disappeared and Gohan looked over to Piccolo, who was gathering his during the fight discarded cape and turban from the floor. "So," he started slowly. "Dende used the Dragonballs today?" Even though Gohan had formulated it as a question, it was obvious to both of them that he knew exactly what he was talking about the very moment he said it. 

Piccolo's face showed a bit of mild surprise, but also a bit of satisfaction and pride. It looked like Gohan had finally accepted the death of his mother and the fact that there was no way to bring her back. "You knew it all along, didn't you?"

"Piccolo, please… Mom took care that I wouldn't be stupid. But I understand your reasons, especially after the show I put on four months ago. I would have done the same thing…" He took a towel and wiped the sweat away that was running down his face, along with some salty tears, which he didn't want to show. "You don't need to worry about me."

"Bulma does," the Namek told him. "She thinks you're spending too much time with the twins, that you barely have a life on your own. You know that I don't understand the human feelings, but you shouldn't put any blame on yourself and try to make amends with taking care of the kids. Let Bulma help you. You're still young, and even though they're the only part of your family you've left, you should get out more and try to continue your own life."

"You're wrong, Piccolo. The twins are not my whole family. You are family, Piccolo, as well as Bulma, Trunks, Krillin, Yamcha, Dende… even Vegeta. I'm just taking care of the twins, because I promised it." Gohan walked to the door and pushed a button, so that it slid open, letting the golden-orange rays of the setting sun fall on his face. He didn't want to say more about it, above all because he hadn't told anyone about his small talk with his father at the site of the Cell Games, just hours after his mother's death. Before he left the gravity room, his hand rested at the frame of the door and he turned around one last time, having a small smile on his face. "I really enjoyed our small sparring match, Piccolo. Uhm, I'll see you next week? Same time, but different place?"

Piccolo noticed the expectant look in the boy's face and smirked. The boy had done the first, if small, step into his old, and maybe also new, life. "Next week, same time, in the mountains," he confirmed Gohan's question. Gohan smiled one last time at him, before he turned around and left the Namek behind.

~*~

Nearly another year has passed by. In this time almost everything in the newly formed Briefs household had found its way to normalcy. After his first sparring session with Piccolo four months after he had moved in with Bulma, Gohan had been visiting him once a week in the mountains to continue at least a bit of training with him. He stayed often the whole day with him, though he was always still having the twins in the back of his mind. Jenny and Goten were still his last stop before he left and the first stop, when he came back. He loved them with all of his heart, but was sometimes really glad that he wasn't alone to take care of them, especially at night.

Most parents would know what kind of relief it had been for Bulma and Gohan, when the twins finally started to sleep through the night without waking up once. They were now one year old and had quite grown a bit. Goten and Jenny were now too big to sleep in their cradles and were transferred into larger beds. Most of the time they were just innocent and adorable kids, but sometimes, they, just like all kids their age, could be a real pain. Being one year old meant that they could walk and with Trunks even being one year older than them, they could mean pure chaos. The fact that two of them had the strength no other toddler had didn't make the whole thing easier. Bulma was sometimes more than glad that the children were still too young to learn how to fly, otherwise she wouldn't know what to do. 

It was at the twins' first birthday that Goten surprised them all with his first word. Gohan. Though the first time it sounded more like 'O-an', but still, it was his first word and from this moment on Gohan had the biggest smile on his face everyone had ever seen since ChiChi had passed away. Since Trunks was also already pretty good at speaking, they thought that it had something to do with the Saiyajinblood that was running through their veins. Vegeta just confirmed their thoughts by telling them, that it was necessary for the children of the Saiyajins to learn fast how to talk and walk for that matter, so that they could be sent on purging missions or combat schools early in years. So it wondered no one, why Jenny hadn't made the attempt to talk yet, since she still didn't show any sign of being part-Saiyajin, except of her eating habits.

But it shouldn't be too long until she followed her brother's example…

One day in the beginning of February hell had broken loose at Capsule Corporation. Dr. and Mrs. Briefs were on vacation somewhere in the sunny south, since it was unpleasant cold, with snow and rain and lots of ice. It was not hard to guess at how many days the sun had actually been shining and so they just left from one day to another, leaving the house to Bulma and her family. This alone wouldn't have been that bad, but due to the fact that the weather was the way it was, she couldn't let the kids out to play and nothing was worse than a couple of part-Saiyajins, who weren't able, or rather not allowed, to leave the house. Trunks was almost constantly whining, causing Goten to do the same, and on top of that Jenny had somehow managed to catch a cold. She even had some fever, so that Bulma had been forced to call in a doctor, since she didn't want to risk taking the girl outside. The doctor had examined Jenny and written down a prescription for some medication.

Bulma sighed, after the doctor had left again, knowing very well that she now had to go outside to the next drugstore, which was about twenty minutes from Capsule Corporation, but due to the small storm outside, it would surely take longer. Great, she thought. Today she had forced Gohan to go training with Piccolo somewhere, where it was warm and her parents were on vacation. The only person left to take care of the children, or at least Jenny, while she was gone, was Vegeta. 

Already thinking about how she could force him to play babysitter, she got dressed in her winter boots and coat, along with a warming scarf, and made her way through the thick snow to the gravity room. Sometime really soon she would have to build one inside the house, so that she didn't need to walk through the cold, when she wanted something from Vegeta. With shaking fingers, she entered the code, which would drop the gravity to one and open the door. Vegeta didn't look all to pleased, when she stepped inside, and said, "What do you want, woman?"

"I have to go into town to get some medication for Jenny."

"And you tell me that why?"

She scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "First of all I thought that you maybe would like to know and then I still need you to look after Jenny, while I'm gone." Bulma saw that Vegeta wanted to say something, but beat him to it. "Look, I can take Trunks and Goten with me. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to get out for a while, but I can't take Jenny with me. In case you haven't noticed yet, she is sick."

"Then let the brat look after her," the Prince of all Saiyajins, with all meaning one full-blooded Saiyajin and four hybrids, of which one didn't even show any signs of being one, just said.

"Gohan is training with Piccolo. Vegeta, please do it… Or else I would be forced to shut down the gravity room…" She noticed Vegeta's body tensing and smirked inwardly. She had no idea why, but somehow this threat did always work. After hearing a grunted 'fine', she turned around, trusting Vegeta to follow. When she noticed that he didn't, she turned around, putting her hands on her hips. "What are you waiting for, I don't have all day."

Faster than she could see, Vegeta was suddenly standing in front of her, trapping her between himself and the wall, his left hand pushed against the wall, while he was so close that their noses were almost touching. A few years ago, Vegeta knew, Bulma would have cowered in fear in this situation, but nowadays he just felt her breath quickening and her heart beating faster. The days that she had been afraid of him were long over and he was kind of glad that their relationship had worked out like it did, though he never really told her that. "You owe me, woman," he breathed, before tossing himself from the wall and left the gravity room. Bulma, though her legs felt a bit weak, smiled. No matter how much Vegeta tried to deny it, he cared and she loved him for it.

~*~

On a field somewhere in the mountains, Gohan stopped dead in his tracks, when he suddenly felt Bulma's ki, along with the ones of Trunks and Goten moving away from Capsule Corporation. It had almost become a second nature to him to sense, when things somehow changed at Capsule Corporation. Some people might think that he was overprotective when it was about the twins, but he would never forget the promise he gave his father one year ago. Never.

Unfortunately Gohan was the only one who had stopped in the midst of the sparring match, so he never noticed the fist flying at his face and hitting him. He crashed into the ground, which had been a few hundred feet underneath him just seconds ago and got up a bit dazed, coughing due to the whirled up sand. "You've let your guard down," Piccolo told him.

"Yeah, sorry…" he mumbled. "But I just felt Bulma's, Trunks' and Goten's ki leaving Capsule Corporation. Jenny and Vegeta are now the only persons left. Maybe I should…"

"No, you shouldn't. I think Vegeta is quite able to look after your sister for one or two hours," the Namek contradicted.

"But Jenny's sick, I mean, I've never been really sick before and she's just one year old…"

"Stop worrying about that. Such a small cold won't kill her and I'm sure Bulma wouldn't have left her in Vegeta's care if she didn't trust him."

"Okay…" Gohan sighed. "Maybe you're right. So, let's continue…"

~*~

Vegeta was in the kitchen, thinking that if he had to stop training, he could at least help himself to a, at least for a Saiyajin, small snack. Bulma was gone now for about one and a half hour and nothing had happened in that time. Of course exactly at the moment he thought that, he heard a small cry coming from the twins' room. Groaning he got up and went to the room and there she was, sitting in her bed with tears streaming down her face. He hesitated in the doorframe, silently musing about what to do now. He vaguely remembered having once been forced by Bulma to pick Trunks up, when he had been crying. Maybe this would also work in the other brat's case. 

He expanded his senses, feeling that Bulma was already close and thought about letting the girl cry, but at that moment she noticed him. Strangely enough, she immediately stopped crying, just looking at him and sniffing lightly. Satisfied with the sudden quietness, Vegeta was just about to walk out of the room, when the girl started crying again. He gritted his teeth and eventually came back into the room, picking her up rather clumsily, since she was the second child he ever held. But it was worth it – she stopped crying again. He just looked at her, not for the first time noticing how much she didn't look like a Saiyajin. No black eyes, no black hair, no tail and just a pitiful power level. He inwardly shook his head. The first female Saiyajin he saw since his early childhood and it seemed that she wasn't even one. 

He had been so deep in thoughts that he was quite surprised to suddenly hear her squeaking voice. "Da-da!" His eyes went wide. She didn't just 'say', what he thought he had heard her say. "Da-dy!" No, it couldn't be. "Da-dy!" Her short arms reached out for him, but he just held her at arm length. "Da-dy!"

"Listen brat," he found himself saying in a gruff voice, though he knew that she probably wouldn't understand him. "I'm not your _da-dy_ and I'll never be your _da-dy_. Your _da-dy__ is dead, do you hear? Dead!" He unceremoniously put her back into her bed and left the room, too shocked by the sudden developments. He ignored that she had again started to cry and walked down the stairs. He had never shown any interest in her and still her first word was directed at him. How could she get the idea that he could be her 'da-dy'? Trunks… Yeah, she surely had heard Trunks saying this word. That would be the only explanation. It was impossible that she would see him as her father. Simply impossible._

He just wanted to storm out the front door, when Bulma came inside with one overactive Saiyajin in a buggy and another one in her tow, who just ran past her to the playroom. She groaned, when she now also heard Jenny's cries and Vegeta walked past her straight back to the gravity room. Shaking her head, she took Goten out of the buggy and took off his anorak, before she picked him up and went with him to his and Jenny's room. There she sat Goten on the floor, who was immediately getting up again and following Bulma over to the bed where his sister was sitting in. The wails of the girl stopped, once Bulma picked her up and she buried her head in the woman's shirt, still sniffing lightly. Holding her tightly, Bulma sat down on a chair at the window with Jenny sitting on her lap. Curious as he was, little Goten walked up to them and looked at his sister with his large black eyes, watching as Bulma put a hand on his sister's forehead. 

Bulma sighed with relief. It seemed that the temperature had gotten down while she had been gone. But she still wanted to give Jenny the medication. Better be safe than sorry. They sat there like this for a few minutes, Goten had quickly lost the interest in watching them and was now playing on the floor with some stuffed animals, until Jenny had calmed down again. It was then that she suddenly stood up on Bulma's leg and bowed forward to watch out of the window. She reached out to it and eventually squealed, "Da-dy!"

Surprised by this, Bulma also turned around and saw that they were looking directly at the gravity room and her eyes went wide with sudden understanding. That must have been the reason why Vegeta stormed out so suddenly. The first thing Jenny had ever said was calling him her daddy. Vegeta must have been more than a bit surprised by this. And she didn't know what other feelings were stirring in him, since he had never given much attention to his archenemy's daughter. Was it anger, or more surprise and shock? She had no idea and Vegeta would probably never tell her. But though she found it kind of cute, she had to try to make the girl understand. "Jenny," she said softly. "Vegeta's not your da-dy. Your da-dy is somewhere else, watching you. Vegeta is just… Vegeta…"

"'Geta?" the girl questioned.

"Yes, Vegeta…" Bulma repeated, just in case. 

Jenny turned back to the window and put her hand on the glass. "'Geta!"

Bulma smiled as she watched her, and Goten. Has it really been a year already? They had grown so much and were now starting to talk. She still remembered four-year-old Gohan, when everything began. Now he had grown up so much, had been through so much. And it wouldn't be long until the twins grow some more and talk some more and then someday they'll start to ask questions, questions she and Gohan would have to answer. But they would manage it, she was sure of that, because they were one family.

************************************************************************************

Wow, I could have made two chapters out of this one! I really didn't think that the second part of this chapter would become THAT long… But well… I hope I made the waiting worth for you. Last week had really been hell for me, don't ask me why… I just think that it's really that part of the year. Not much sun, much rain, it's getting dark early and so on… I think you know what I mean….

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	9. Part I: Only normal

**A/N:                Oh god, I hate Christmas… Not the holiday itself, but more the stress connected to it. Actually I had planned to finish this chapter a few days ago, but I somehow never found the time to write! I'm really sorry, but I think you know what I'm talking about!**

**                        Whatever! ****I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!**

**Part I**

**Chapter 8: Only normal**

It was a beautiful summer day in the middle of July. With the sun throwing its warm beams at earth and with the birds singing in the trees everything seemed to be peaceful and idyllic – at least to the outer world. No one out there seemed to know, acknowledge or even suspect that it was quite possible for hell to break loose within the next few minutes – or within a few minutes in general for that matter – which would definitely destroy this picture of perfect harmony in a matter of seconds…

She slowly tiptoed through the small forest that belonged to the large compound, careful not to step on a twig or make a sound that could give her away. They were close and she swore to herself, this time she would get them. She smiled, her large blue eyes sparkling with anticipation. All the other times they had tricked her, having used their power to their advantage. 

A small rustling came from a bush in front of her, followed by some noises that definitely didn't belong to an animal. The smile on her face widened. Gottcha!

Two small boys were sitting behind said bush, trying hard to stifle their giggles. But still they didn't succeed fully. The whole situation was just too funny. At least for them. Playing hide and seek was always fun, especially when they were the ones to hide. The two boys looked at each other, the black haired one having a wide grin on his face, while his lavender haired friend smirked, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. No matter how quiet she was, they were always able to detect her. Her inability to suppress ki usually worked for their advantage, just like this time.

The lavender haired boy raised his right hand, counting silently down from five to zero. At exactly the same moment he lowered the last finger, a shadow came over them, followed by a girl yelling, "Found ya!" 

By the time the girl jumped through the bush, ready to tackle at least one of the boys down, they were already gone. Having gathered way too much speed in preparation for her attack, she stumbled and couldn't keep herself from falling – directly into a puddle of mud. Scowling she looked up again, just to see the two boys landing directly in front of her. The lavender haired boy had his arms crossed over his chest and smirked down at the girl, while the other one's expression resembled one of regret. "Hey sis, you okay?" he asked. 

But she didn't say anything. She just looked at them, her lower lip quivering though the scowl remained on her face. She blinked a few times in the hope of holding back the salty liquid that was threatening to fall. She didn't want to let them see her cry. It was bad enough that they were always so far ahead of her, that her own strength was nowhere near theirs, that she was weak – that she was just… normal. She sniffed one time before she got up, head bowed and tightly clenched her fists at her sides. Her clothes were a mess – the once red sneakers were dirty brown and her black shorts and white T-shirt were stained with mud, as well as her face and blond hair. 

"Jenny?" the other boy asked, suddenly not seeming so smug anymore. 

"Not fair…" Jenny mumbled and then looked up again, her blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Not fair!" This time she yelled, brushed past the boys and ran through the small forest back to the house. 

"Where are you going, Goten?" the lavender haired boy asked his friends, when he turned to run after her. 

"After her…" 

"Why?"

"Look, Trunks… I think we really made her mad this time. I wanna say sorry," Goten said and you could both see in his eyes and hear in his voice that he truly regretted the trick they played on his sister. 

Trunks snorted. "Do what you want. But I thought it was fun." Shaking his head and still with his arms crossed over his chest, he went after the other boy. 

Goten caught up with Jenny in the backyard and gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Sis…"

"Go away!" she yelled and turned around to face him. Goten's twinges of remorse got even worse, when he saw her cry. She had never cried before, when they'd made fun of her. "You cheated. You do always cheat!"

"Do not," Trunks, who was now standing a few feet behind Goten and Jenny, quipped. 

Growling Jenny walked up to him and pocked a finger into his chest. "Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

In the house on the first floor a black haired teenage boy was groaning, when he heard the fight through his open window. He just wanted to do his studies and then maybe later head over to Piccolo. But he should have known that it would come like this. In the last few years he had learned that they, or at least Jenny and Trunks, never got along one week without fighting. And the last few days had been way too quiet for his liking. Usually their fights were about something Trunks had said about her or when he and Goten had again played a trick on her by using their powers. He knew that Goten only tagged along, because Trunks was his best friend and that he always felt sorry afterwards, but Trunks had too many Vegeta-genes in his body to stop playing tricks on her. And, well, Jenny… She was much too proud and stubborn for her own good – he had no idea where she had gotten that trait from; it couldn't be in her genes since neither he nor Goten were like this – and so those two just seemed to be predestined to argue with each other and he sometimes wondered if they would ever manage to become friends. 

He shook his head. They were just four – in Trunks' case five – years old and still had all of their lives ahead. One day they would be old enough to see how stupid their fights were and then they would become friends. 

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

He sighed and ran a hand through his thick and short black hair. Well, Bulma was in her lab tinkering away and Vegeta was in the gravity room – not that he cared anyway – so he was the only one to put an end to this fight and maybe even find out what it was about. He put the pen down on his desk, closed the exercise book and walked over to the open window. He climbed out of it – something that Bulma wouldn't like to see, since she always told all of them to use the door like normal people do – and slowly descended to the ground. 

"Do too!"

"Do…"

"Hey, what's going on here?" he demanded to know, his voice having become firm, when he saw his sister's clothes and the tears that were running down her cheeks. 

Both boys winced upon hearing this voice, but Jenny immediately ran up to him, burying her face in the tall boy's pants. "Gohan," she cried. "They-they cheated. They tricked me and I fell. I hate them!"

Gohan threw a sharp look at the boys. "Is that true?"

"It was Trunks' idea," Goten quickly blurted out. 

"Shut up!" the other boy hissed and hit him on the back of his head.

"What? But it's true, Trunks. You said you wanted to play a trick on her and 'cause of that we hid directly in front of the puddle of mud and…"

"But you were with him, though," Gohan stated and his younger brother immediately lowered his head.

"I'm sorry…"

"You should be. What about you, Trunks?" The other boy crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away. Gohan sighed. "Trunks."

Trunks rolled with his eyes, but eventually said, "Sorry. Won't happen again."

"I hope so. Now you go up to your room. I'll come later to you." The boys wanted to say something, but Gohan cut them off with a wave of his hand. "Go." 

Trunks shot Goten a glare and then went to the door sulking. Before Goten followed him, he looked back. "I'm really sorry, sis…"

Gohan watched them go and when they were gone, he crouched down in front of Jenny, putting both hands on her shoulders. "And now we'll get you cleaned up, okay?" She nodded still sniffling and then Gohan picked her up, flying back into his room with her. Together they went into his private bathroom and he sat her down on the toilet lid. Jenny didn't look up once and she was still hiccupping slightly. First when she heard the water running she raised her head to see her brother filling the bathtub. "Hey," Gohan said softly, when he looked into his sister's red and puffy eyes. "You wanna tell me what they did to make you cry?" Her face started to turn red, but more out of embarrassment that she had allowed herself to show this weakness as Vegeta would put it in front of the boys than out of anger, and she vehemently shook her head. Gohan frowned lightly and started to untie her sneakers. "Come on, sis. I know that you and Trunks don't get along that well, but you've never cried before…"

"It's not fair…" she mumbled. 

"What is not fair?" He put the sneakers aside and pulled now the T-shirt over her head. 

"They do always win. They are always better than I. They are way stronger, faster and they can feel it, when I'm around, just because they are Saiyajin and I'm just normal. I hate that. I wanna have those powers, too."

The frown on Gohan's face deepened, when he helped her down from the lid and pulled her shorts and panties down, before lifting her into the bathtub. He closed the faucet and got some shampoo to wash the mud out of her hair. So this was her problem. She hated it to be normal, something he himself had always longed for. A normal life without having to fight to protect the earth, without having to worry about being different than others. 

"Hey, whaddaya thinking 'bout?" Jenny asked, upon seeing the faraway and thoughtful look in her brother's eyes.

"Nothing," he answered, putting a smile on his face. But maybe this was the thing. She didn't want to be different, just like him. Only that it was the other way around. Maybe being normal among four other Saiyajins was what made her different. Just like he always wanted to be normal to fit in with others, his sister wanted to be a Saiyajin to fit in with her family. "Jenny?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I know what you mean… and don't worry. I'll talk to Goten and Trunks about their behavior." He gently massaged the shampoo into her hair and after having rinsed them out, he let her sit in the bathtub for a few more minutes, while he gathered her dirty clothes and put them into the laundry basket. After he had done that, he turned to her. "Mmh, I think you might need some clean clothes. Can you stay alone here for a few minutes, while I'm gone to get you some?"

This question brought a scowl on the girl's face and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course. I'm not a little kid anymore."

The teenager laughed and ruffled through her wet hair. "Of course you're not." 

Still smiling he left his room and walked to the one next to his – the room of the twins and of Trunks. About two years ago, when the twins had been two and Trunks three years old, Bulma let the wall that separated the two rooms of the kids pull down, so that they would 'grow closer' as she put it. But Gohan somehow doubted that her plan had worked so far. Sure, Goten and Trunks were best friends, but Jenny and Trunks were like fire and water – mix them together and you'll get a lot of steam. When he opened the door, two pairs of eyes immediately rested on him, watching warily his each and every move as if expecting the worst. But Gohan just ignore them. He would take care of them later, once Jenny was again clean and dry. 

He returned to his room not even a few minutes later after having gathered some new underwear, a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and found his little sister sitting on his bed, wrapped up in one of his large and fluffy towels. "Hey, finished already?"

Jenny shrugged. "I was getting bored."

"I see." Gohan sat down on the bed next to her and gave her the clothes. "So, you wanna get dressed now so that we can maybe play a bit afterwards?"

Her eyes lit up immediately after her brother's offer and she nodded, having a huge grin on her face. She quickly jumped from the bed and put on the clothes. She was just ready and wanted to take her brother's hand, when a yell echoed through the house.

"Brats! Get down here!"

Gohan sighed and looked at his sister with a sad look in his eyes, noticing that the grin had also disappeared from her face. Both knew what a call like this usually meant. Vegeta wanted to train with his son and the brats of Kakarotto, who were still useful to train with. And this excluded Jenny, as Vegeta made it clear the one time she asked him, if she could train with them. Words like 'weak' and 'pathetic' still sounded in her ears and she had learned that day that she'd probably never be a fighter. "You should go," Jenny told him disappointedly. 

Gohan crouched again down and put his hands on her shoulders. "No. I promised I'd play with you and I intend on keeping my promise."

"But do you really want to let Goten and Trunks train all alone with Vegeta? What if he hurts them?"

"I thought you hate them," Gohan asked with a slight grin on his face.

Again, the girl shrugged. "Right now I do, but I don't wanna see them hurt. You should really go, just in case."

The teenager sighed. "Okay… if you really want me to. But I don't want to leave you all alone here. Maybe should go to Bulma and help her a bit in the lab, okay?"

Jenny nodded and walked with her brother into the corridor, where they parted. 

While Gohan went to the stairs, Jenny strolled through the many corridors of Capsule Corporation until she arrived at a door with a sign that read 'Laboratory – No entry!'. She reached up to the panel and entered the code that would open the door. Once she'd stepped inside the door slid shut behind her and she looked around, spotting Bulma working at one of the machines. Her face lit up. Though she was just four years old, she loved spending time in the lab almost as much as she loved spending time with her older brother. Bulma always let her help and she could spend hours just tinkering with some tools. Whistling she walked up to the woman who was the closest thing to a mother she ever had. 

Upon hearing someone whistling, Bulma looked up and smiled, when she saw Jenny walking up to her. "Hey Jenny. What's up?"

"Vegeta's training with the others…" Jenny told her and Bulma could hear in the girl's voice that she was sad about not being able to train with them. 

"Well, then. You wanna help me finishing this? And after that we can make some cookies for the boys. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great!" Jenny chirped.

A few hours later, Jenny was sitting in front of the oven, eagerly waiting for the rest of the chocolate cookies to finish. The bowl on the kitchen table was already almost full, but Bulma first allowed her to try one, when the last ones were also finished. And just about one minute later the egg timer went off, signaling that it was finally time. She jumped from one leg to another and licked her lips; her mouth was already watering by just smelling them. "May I? May I?"

Bulma smiled at her and handed her one of the still warm cookies. The woman was glad that she had managed to cheer the girl up. She was probably the only one who could understand the girl's problem like no other. Among the Z fighters she had been and still was the weakest, but at least she could help them with her technology, something that Jenny could most likely also help them with, once she was older. 

She found the girl grinning up at her, a look that definitely told her that the cookies were good. Well, Bulma wasn't known as the best cook, but having to raise four part-Saiyajins and having to feed one full blooded eventually left her with at least some cooking skills – and if it were just the cookies that they all liked. "So, shall we now bring out this plate for them? I'm sure they are already starved."

"Sure!" Jenny took the plate filled with cookies from Bulma and walked out of the kitchen, followed by the older woman. 

They had to walk around the house until they found them all training in the backyard. Vegeta and Gohan were sparring with each other, as well as the two boys, who were sending ki-blasts at each other. Jenny, who was still standing in front of Bulma, and Bulma herself stopped to watch them for a bit. Goten had just sent a – for them – smaller Kamehameha that could kill, or at least burn a human really bad, at Trunks who reflected it with ease. The older boy just wanted to prepare a counter attack, when he saw Goten's eyes growing wide. He turned around, just to see that the very same ki-blast he had just deflected was now directly flying at Jenny and his mother. A scared "Mom!" escaped his mouth, getting everyone's attention, but it was too late. The moment they also noticed the blast it was already too late for them to dodge or for one of the others to interfere and just a second later a detonation was heard all over the compound.

************************************************************************************

No, you don't need to tell me that I'm mean… I know that already… I know, I could have continued there, but I just didn't want to let you wait any longer, so you just have to live with this cliffie… 

Again I want to wish you a merry Christmas!

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	10. Part I: Insight

**A/N:                Sorry that it took so long, but here it is now! Chapter ten! Please be so nice and leave a small review for me to make the author happy!!!**

**Part I**

**Chapter 9: Insight **

Son Gohan was in his room, sitting on a chair directly next to his bed and watching over the small figure lying in it. The whole room was wrapped in almost complete darkness though it was still light outside. Only through few gaps of the curtains a bit of light was able to invade the room. For any normal human it would have been nearly impossible to not stumble over something in these shadows. But still, for Gohan's eyesight was much keener than the one of a human would ever be, he could still make out every single detail in his room. So he could also see the paleness of his sister's face and the bandages that covered her forearms.

Gohan wanted to bury his face in his hands, but he refused to turn his gaze away from the bed. His mind was working overtime. Just this morning he had comforted her after Trunks and Goten had again played a trick on her and now she was lying here in his bed, unconscious. It was his fault that she was lying there now. He had promised to play with her, but then Vegeta came with his plans for training and she told him to go. Had he just stayed! Then _this_ – whatever it was – would not have happened.

**Flashback**

When Trunks had called out for his mom, the moment all of their heads turned it was already too late. They had to shield their eyes from the whirled up dust, but Gohan feared the worse. If the ki-blast had really hit Bulma, then she would not have had a chance to get out of this alive. At that moment he still didn't know that his sister had also been caught in the explosion. 

After the shockwave of the detonation had gone past them, the cloud of dust slowly started to settle, but even though the explosion had subsided the Saiyajins were unable to do anything. Seemingly glued to the ground and frozen in shock they were just standing there, waiting for the dust to clear. None of them wanted to face reality sooner than he had to. 

Then they saw her: floating at least one foot in the air with her arms crossed in front of her face. Bulma was sitting behind her, obviously having been thrown down by the shockwave, with a dazed expression on her face but she seemed to be okay otherwise.

"Jenny…" Gohan just managed to croak out in utter disbelieve. He knew that it was his sister, it just had to be her, but she didn't look at all like the Jenny he knew. Her once blond hair was suddenly jet-black and she had – he had to blink a few times to make sure that his eyes really didn't betray him, but it was still there, swaying from one side to another – a tail. For the first time in his life he felt like he would faint; and this not because of heavy injuries. 

After what seemed like an eternity for him, but what was in reality only merely seconds, the girl's arms dropped to her sides and her eyes rolled back, before her limp body fell to the ground with a thud, where her hair color changed back to the normal blond and the tail disappeared.  First at that moment everyone snapped out of his trance and Gohan and the two boys ran up to them, while Vegeta just snorted and took into the sky. But Gohan didn't pay him any heed, for he just wanted to make sure that his sister and Bulma were alright. 

**End Flashback**

Bulma, who had immediately come out of her dazed state, when Jenny had hit the floor, had reassured them quickly that she was alright and had just some minor scratches, since Jenny had taken the full impact of the blast. Gohan had brought Jenny quickly to the infirmary, closely followed by Bulma and the boys, but the latter two were sent to their room and after Gohan had placed her on one of the hospital-like beds, he had also been shooed out of the room. Much to his dislike the door didn't have any windows, so he really could just stay there and wait for Bulma to tell him something. 

It had been hell. He had been scared – still was – that his sister wouldn't be able to recover from the injuries, especially since they didn't have any senzus at the moment, though he hadn't seen any more wounds than the burns on her arms, and Bulma had told him afterwards that her forearms were really just the only body parts hurt, but still he felt like someone was choking him. 

The last time he had felt like this had been when his mother had died. He had been devastated then and it was still hard for him to think about it, though he was confronted with those hard facts day by day. Dende, four and a half years have passed and he had never even found the strength to visit his parents' graves! So, what would he have done, if something worse had happened to Jenny, if he… lost her? Would he have been able to be strong for Goten, or would he have lost his mind? He honestly didn't even want to know. The twins were everything he had still left of his true family and alone the thought of losing one of them or both made him want to cry out in despair. If this happened, it would be his end and not even the Earth's Special Forces would be able then to stop him from whatever he would do in his grief-stricken mind.

After 28 minutes and 51 seconds – Gohan had tried to keep his mind from imagining the worst things that could happen by staring at the clock at the wall and counting every single minute and second that passed with a tick and a tack – Bulma finally came out of the room, looking a bit exhausted but having a smile on her face. She had told him then about Jenny's injuries and that she had given her something for the pain that would also let her sleep for a while. She had also asked him to bring her somewhere, where she wouldn't be disturbed. Gohan had immediately complied and had brought her to his room.

And there she was now lying in his bed, still fast asleep. In the quiet of the room he could hear her steady and deep breath and through the covers see the rising and falling of her chest. Her face held a serene and peaceful expression that made him wonder, what she was dreaming of. Was she even dreaming at all, or did the drugs Bulma gave her put her into a dreamless slumber. He already dreaded the moment they wore off and the burning pain would pull her out of this well-needed sleep. When she awoke, would she even remember what had happened? Or would she be even more confused than he was right now? Fact was that he didn't want to let her wake up alone in a room that wasn't hers. He had to be there to comfort her, to answer the questions that she would have – though he wasn't sure if he had all the answers to them. But he would do his best; that's what he owed her.

A bitter tear rolled down his cheek and he didn't stop it, when he voiced out in a merely whisper what was going through his head. "I failed, dad. I failed, yet again. I promised to take care of Jenny and Goten and to protect them. And I failed. Just like the other times. First I failed you, then mom and now Jenny. Just why? Why does everyone that I love get hurt? Why…?"

A faint knock at the door let him jerk out of his silent turmoil and he quickly wiped away the tears that were still lingering in his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. The door opened a small gap and let a faint ray of light fall inside. Gohan sat up straighter, so that the light missed his face, in the hope of hiding his lightly puffy eyes in the darkness. It was Bulma, who was standing in the door. "Gohan? Dinner is ready."

"I'm not hungry," the teenager simply answered. He turned his gaze from the door back to the bed and continued in a lower tone. "I can't leave her alone. She might need me, when she wakes up."

He heard Bulma sigh and shortly after he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Jenny won't wake up for another couple of hours and you haven't eaten anything since breakfast, so don't tell me that you're not hungry." He felt her giving his shoulder a small squeeze. "I know you better than that. And if it makes you feel better, my mother offered to look after her in a few minutes until you've finished your dinner. Come on, freshen yourself up and then you could do me the favor and tell the duo from hell that dinner is ready. I come later, when my mother gets here."

"But––" Gohan began to protest, but Bulma cut him short. 

"No buts, Son Gohan. Now, go."

Still not wanting to leave his room, but also knowing that he couldn't win an argument with a woman like Bulma, when not even Vegeta was able to do even this. So he complied, if more than a bit reluctantly, and got up to go into his private bathroom, just to return a few minutes later with the redness washed from his face and feeling a bit refreshed. When he got back, Mrs. Briefs was already there, sitting in the same chair he had been sitting in for the whole afternoon. Bulma was already gone. "You will tell me, when she wakes up or something else happens, won't you?" Gohan asked the woman. 

"Of course, dear," the blonde told him. "Oh, and before you go, Bulma said that she's in the kitchen preparing the rest and that you still have to get the boys." Gohan returned the smile she was giving him and left the room, but not before looking back at his sister one last time before the door behind him closed.

He walked down the short distance to the three kids' room and stopped in front of the door, when he heard the two boys talking inside. He strained his ears to understand what they were saying and a small smile appeared on his face, when he heard Goten's voice saying, "I think Gohan is really mad at us. He hasn't said anything to us since the accident."

"I think you're right," Trunks' voice answered. "He's gonna kill me."

"You? I attacked you."

"But it was me who made it hit mom and Jenny!"

"Gohan's gonna kill both of us! But wasn't Jenny's trans–, transfo–"

"Transformation?" the other boy offered.

"Right! I still think Jenny's transformation was cool!"

"Yeah…" Trunks agreed and Gohan had to grin at the boys' sudden change of mood, even though the subject was a touchy one for him. "Hey, maybe she's a Saiyajin after all!"

"Of course is she a Saiyajin! I'm one, brother is one, so why shouldn't she be one, too?"

At that moment Gohan decided that he should go inside. The more time he spent in front of this door, the longer he couldn't be with Jenny. The boys looked at him with large eyes, when he opened the door and stepped into the room and he even thought that for a moment he could see fear in them. Did they really think that he would hurt, or worse, kill them? "Bulma sent me," he said and for a moment he thought that their eyes had become even larger. "Dinner is ready."

Both let out the breath they had been holding upon seeing Gohan and grinned at each other. "How's Jenny?" Goten wanted to know.

"Still asleep, but she'll be alright." Hearing his voice saying that somehow made it sound more believable, so that he also slowly started to be more optimistic. "But now, let's go. I'm sure you are hungry." 

Without waiting for another second to pass, the two boys dashed past him. Gohan just shook his head and followed them, but at a much slower pace.

Dinner passed without much talking, mostly due to the fact that all in all five Saiyajins (Vegeta would never miss a meal) were sitting at the table, gulping down everything that was put in front of them and remotely resembled food. Gohan was surprised by how hungry he truly was. The whole afternoon he had not once thought about the possibility of eating something, but when he smelled the scent of food, he noticed that he was close to starving. 

After dinner the boys quickly went back to their room. Gohan also wanted to leave once the dirty dishes were put into the dishwasher, but Bulma stopped him, before he reached the door. "Gohan, would you please sit down again? Vegeta and I, we need to talk to you."

Gohan gave her a confused look and glancing at Vegeta, he sat down on his chair. A frown had appeared on his face, for since Vegeta would be a part of the conversation, he could already guess what it would be about. "What is it?"

"Well," Bulma began and Gohan could feel that she was quite uneasy. "This afternoon, after… Vegeta came to me and he – you'll probably won't like it, but I agree with him – well, he told me…"

"Stop your pathetic stuttering, woman, and tell him! Or better yet, I'll do it. I intend to train the brat."

Having already expected this, Gohan wasn't that surprised, but still his whole body tensed and he jumped up, the chair falling down behind him. "No! I won't let you train her. She is no fighter. Jenny's just a girl, a normal girl!"

Vegeta snorted. "After what happened this afternoon you still want to tell me that she just normal? You can't tell me that you believe this nonsense."

"So what? Just that there seems to be some power flowing in her body doesn't mean that you have the right to force her into something that she might not want!"

"Something that she doesn't want or that _you_ don't want?" Vegeta questioned him.

"Hey! Calm down! Both of you!" Bulma quickly interjected, when even she started to feel the room heat up and to see the air around her waver. "No fights in the house!"

"Well, then… Gravity room." Vegeta just nodded at the young Saiyajin's challenge and followed him outside, leaving behind a with anger boiling Bulma. 

"Get back here, now!" she cried after them, but to no avail. They wouldn't listen anyway. "Saiyajins…" she muttered and wiped with her palm over her face.

It was already long dark outside and the stars glistened at the sky, when Gohan trudged through the corridors of Capsule Corporation to get to his room. He was a mess. His whole body was covered with bruises, burn marks and other various wounds and his left eyes was swollen shut. The clothes he wore weren't anymore – the only remainders were shreds. There had been no holding back – neither he nor Vegeta wanted to give in. In the end it was Bulma who had stopped the fight and this only by shutting down the main control of the gravity room. At least Vegeta looked the same. 

He stopped in front of his door and carefully opened it, just to find Bulma sitting in the chair next to the bed. The woman looked up and walked up to him, gently shoving him out of the door and closing it behind her. She seemed to take a good look at the boy, who was already a few inches larger than her, and shook her head sighing. "Oh Gohan…"

"I'm sorry…"

"I know you are," Bulma answered smiling. "And I'm not mad at you. But please tell me, why don't you want Jenny to train?"

Gohan heaved a sigh. He should have known that Bulma wouldn't stop bugging him, but now he felt too spent and tired to be angry or be willing to argue with her. "Until this afternoon she was a normal girl with a chance at a normal life. She could do everything I'd just dreamed of. But when–, if she trains, everything would be different. She would get stronger and become a fighter – a fighter who'd have to go out to defend the earth if a new threat arrives. I just…" He took a deep breath. "I know that you probably want to know why I let Goten train… With him and Trunks it's different. I know that it will sound stupid, but I think that it is so because they're boys. They possess the strength of a Saiyajin. They already tried to mimic Vegeta's and my moves as soon as they were able to walk. They were born into a world of fighting and before I even realized what was happening it was already too late. I couldn't stop Goten anymore. But Jenny, she has always been the calm and weak one and I just want to protect her – always wanted. I still want to protect her, though I know now that at least a part of her strength has awoken. She always wanted to be like Goten and Trunks – she just told me again so today – and I know that, when I let her train, then she won't turn back. I can't deny anymore that she's a Saiyajin, no matter how much I want to do it."

"You are right, Gohan," Bulma said softly. "With everything you've said. Jenny's a girl, but she's also a Saiyajin – she's your father's daughter after all – just like you and Goten. I know you Saiyajins and what fighting means to you. Jenny, also Goten and Trunks, are still kids and easy to carry away. Why don't you just ask her what she wants, once she's awake and even if she decides to start training, who knows what she will do in a few years, when she's a teenager? You can't protect her forever. And who knows, maybe she'll give up the fighting and turn her interest to other things, boys for example."

"Boys?" Gohan asked her startled and he could see the knowing smirk on her face. 

Bulma shook her head and laughed lightly at the shocked expression on the teenager's face. "Oh yes, boys… Believe me, Gohan. There'll be much more and worse things you have to worry about in the coming years." Gohan swallowed hard and Bulma could see his face pale even more. "So, Gohan. Why don't you go to your room now? You look like you could need some rest. And remember what I said."

Gohan smiled at her, as he put his hand on the doorknob. "I will. Thank you, Bulma." The blue haired scientist just winked at him and left. Now feeling a lot better than before, Gohan opened the door and stepped inside. He sat down on the chair and rested his head on his hand, his eyes resting on his sister's still form. 

Gohan's head jerked up, when he heard a movement of the covers and a tired yawn. Had he nodded off? He looked at the clock at the wall. It was about four o'clock in the morning. Yep, he had nodded off. His eyes turned again to the bed and he saw that his sister's head was turned to him and that her eyes were open. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she replied, just as quietly and slowly sat up. 

"How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "I'm tired and I'm thirsty. And my arms itch. Why are they bandaged?"

"They're burned," Gohan told her, as he filled the glass on the nightstand with water and gave it to her. "Do you remember, what has happened?"

She took a few large gulps, emptying the glass within a few seconds and wiped her mouth with her bandaged arm. "Bulma and I were making cookies for you. We just wanted to bring them out to you, when I saw a blast flying at us. I was scared and I dropped the plate with cookies to protect my face, just like I saw you doing it, when you were training. Then… I dunno… I suddenly started to feel strange. I remember that I closed my eyes, because there was so much dust. After that… nothing." Suddenly a though occurred to her. "Is Bulma okay? She was behind me."

"She is okay," Gohan reassured her and stroked through her blond hair. "You took the full blast and saved her life. Jenny, we don't know, yet, how it happened, but you transformed and with the transformation your ki went high enough to block the blast."

Jenny's eyes went as wide as saucers and a huge grin spread over her face. "I transformed? Into what? Does that mean I'm not weak? Can I train now with you and the others?"

"Hey, hey!" Gohan laughed. "Not so fast. Yes, you transformed. Your hair color changed to black and you grew a tail. But the tail disappeared again and your hair changed back to blond when you fainted. And you haven't been weak at that moment, otherwise your injuries would be much worse and concerning the training… Well, Vegeta wants to train you, but I––" He suddenly stopped, not knowing what to say. He didn't want to upset her and seeing the sparkling gleam in her blue eyes, he decided not to tell her the truth of what had happened just a few hours ago. "I told him that I'd have to ask you first. So, do you really want to train?" She nodded eagerly, her grin not once wavering. "Okay, then it's settled. As soon as your wounds are healed, we will start to train you." As long as you don't start to date until I'm too old and too weak to stop you, he added as an afterthought. 

"By the way, Gohan?" she suddenly asked, upon taking in his whole appearance of the bruises and torn clothes. "What happened to you?"

Gohan grinned at her and scratched the back of his head. "Well, let's just say I got into a small fight, okay?"

"Okay…" she yawned and lay down again, snuggling into the covers. "Gohan, can you tell me a story, please?"

"What do you want to hear?"

"Tell me about dad…" she said, her eyes already closing.

"Dad… Dad was a great man. Warrior, husband, father… He was the strongest man on earth and the whole universe, defeating every enemy that dared to attack him. He never gave up and always saw the good in someone's heart. He was usually always cheerful, just like Goten, but in a fight he could be a complete different man. Fighting was his life, though he never forgot about his family. He decided not to return to us, because he wanted to protect not just the world, but also us, his family. He loved us." Noticing that his sister was already fast asleep, he bent over and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "He still does."

************************************************************************************

Yay, another chapter finished!

I really hope you liked that one, though I think it was again a bit depressing.

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	11. Part I: First training

**A/N:**    Well, well, as you maybe noticed I decided to divide this whole story into (until now) 5 different parts, each one of them dealing with a different stage of their lives. I think that like this the story won't become too complex and difficult to understand…

But now, have fun with this chapter! Oh, and thanks for the reviews!

            @ Vindali: To be honest, I'm still thinking about how I could get out of this mess, but I still have much time until then and I'm positive that someday I'll have a good idea!

**Part I**

****

**Chapter 10: First training**

Son Gohan was sitting at his desk, brooding over his books. The room was almost completely dark for it was late in the evening, almost midnight, but the small lamp on his desk threw just enough light on his books for him to read them. Even though his life had taken one dramatic turn after another, his studies still played an important role in his life. He had never gone to school, but he knew that for making something out of his life he had to study hard. He had to take care of the twins after all and he couldn't expect Bulma to take care of them forever, since it was more his responsibility to do this than hers. Of course he was sure that later Bulma would voluntarily pay the college for him and the kids, but if he had the chance to get a scholarship – and those chances weren't that bad –, he would take it. 

The teenager sighed silently and closed his books. He rubbed his eyes and then stretched his arms and upper body. That was enough for today. He was really tired. Keeping up with two, make that three, part Saiyajins all day was truly exhausting, especially after he hadn't gotten that much sleep in the last few days. It had been six days since the accident and since then he had allowed Jenny to sleep in his bed with him until she had fully recovered. And boy, for her small frame she really needed much space. But he couldn't deny her this; not when she looked at him with her large blue eyes and when he knew just how much she loved to cuddle with someone, or was it just being in one bed with someone, being near him. He had often found her in one bed with Goten, who strangely enough almost never crawled into other peoples' beds, and she had also done this with Bulma a couple of times before, when he had been out with Piccolo, but also just when Vegeta wasn't there. They had told her that he probably wouldn't like it, when she crawled into his and Bulma's bed with him still lying in it. And surprisingly she had complied without a word of protest. 

He got up from the chair and looked at the sleeping form in his bed. The bandages were gone and her arms were completely healed – not even a scar could be seen. He had agreed that she could sleep in his bed until her training started and tonight would be the last night, meaning that tomorrow they would begin with her training. Ever since the first day after the accident she hadn't talked of anything else and when he saw the look in her eyes, when she again started about this, he feared that he couldn't deny anymore her true heritage. She was a Son, daughter of Goku, the strongest man in the whole universe. Fighting was in her blood – she was a Saiyajin. 

After having gone into the bathroom, he emerged again dressed only in a pair of boxers. He switched off the light on the desk and walked over to his bed in the darkness. Gohan carefully lifted the covers and lay down in his bed. Upon feeling the sudden source of warmth, Jenny immediately scooted over to him in her sleep and curled up against his chest. Her brother gently caressed her soft blond locks, before he also closed his eyes. He hoped that maybe this night he would get a bit more sleep than the previous nights, but somewhere deep in his mind he knew that he wouldn't.

And he had been right.

The next day, or rather morning, he awoke to the bed shaking and eventually to feel the air leaving his lungs when something, or rather someone landed on his stomach. He forced his eyes open; just to find himself staring into a pair of two blue ones. "Jenny, what do you want?" he mumbled groggily. He turned his head to look at his alarm clock. "It's five o'clock in the morning."

"I know!" Her grin was stretching from one ear to the other. "The sun is rising and there's already light in the gravity room! And you and Vegeta wanted to start training me today! You promised!"

"Yes, I promised. But can't it wait until after breakfast?" he asked her. Her lips curled into a pout and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Jenny, please… Even if we start after breakfast, we still have all day. Why don't you lie down again and sleep for a few more hours?" He lifted the covers next to him and watched how she grudgingly slipped under them. 

"But we _will_ train today!"

"Yes, we will. But now go back to sleep, okay?" His eyes were already closed and he hoped that he would be able to go to sleep again, though he knew that his sister wouldn't. He knew that she was way too excited to close her eyes again, especially now that she seemed to be pretty much awake and he could only hope that she wouldn't be bugging him about the training for at least two or three more hours, so that he could at least get _some more sleep. _

Much to his contentment someone out there had granted his wish and the next time he woke up, the clock showed him that it was already past seven o'clock. He turned around to check on Jenny, when he noticed that he was alone in his bed. Confused he sat up and expanded his senses. He eventually found her on the ground floor in the kitchen, together with Bulma and the two boys. Had he really fallen again that fast asleep that he hadn't noticed her leaving the bed? He shook his head. At least she had let him sleep. Thinking that he shouldn't let her wait any longer, he got up, grabbed a few clothes from his drawer – one of them being his gi – and went into his bathroom. The last thing he needed right now was that she somehow got the idea that she could train alone with Vegeta. Dende forbid that he would let _that happen. _

Gohan really only took a short shower, just long enough to wash the remainders of sleep away, and after having brushed his teeth and gotten dressed, he left his room and walked downstairs to the kitchen, where he found his makeshift family – minus Vegeta and Bulma's parents – sitting around the table and having breakfast.

"Good morning," he greeted them. 

A chorus of muffled "Morning bro"s and "Morning Gohan"s answered him, when he sat down on the free seat at the table and helped himself to a glass of orange juice. 

"Did you sleep well?" Bulma asked, as she placed a plate filled with pancakes in front of him. Gohan just managed to nod in reply, because, being a true Saiyajin, he was already munching on a piece of pancake. Bulma, who was completely used to this kind of behavior after now more than four years of literally _feeding_ a couple of Saiyajins, only smiled. 

"Can we train now?" Jenny asked, as soon as the last bite disappeared in her mouth and her plate was empty. 

"Jenny," Bulma scolded, "your brother hasn't even finished breakfast, yet. But, why don't we go upstairs now and look for something for you to wear?" 

"'kay!" Jenny grabbed Bulma's hand and together they left the kitchen, leaving Gohan and the two boys alone. 

"Wow, I still can't believe that Jenny's now also gonna train!" Goten exclaimed excitedly, when Bulma and his sister were gone. 

"Me neither…" his older brother just muttered thoughtfully, before he turned his attention back to the plate in front of him.

About ten minutes later everything that had somehow resembled food and had been present on the kitchen table was safely stored in the stomachs of the remaining three semi-Saiyajins and Gohan was just putting their dirty dishes away, when Bulma and Jenny came back into the kitchen. The girl was now dressed in simple and practical clothes: old sneakers, a pair of black shorts and an old white T-shirt – Bulma knew that if Jenny decided to continue with the training she had to make her a gi that would be more resistant against the attacks than those clothes, but for now she guessed that this would do.

"I'm ready, big brother!" she said, her voice and eyes giving away exactly how excited she was. "Can we go now?"

"We can go as soon as I'm finished here," Gohan told her. 

"You can go now. I'll finish the rest," Bulma offered. The reluctance of the teenager concerning that matter had lessened a bit, but if they didn't start soon with the training she was quite sure that Gohan would change his mind and cancel her training. "Have fun!"

Grinning widely, Jenny took her brother's hand and nearly dragged him out of the kitchen, followed by the two boys, who were also eager to leave so that they could watch the training. The whole morning, right until Gohan arrived, the three kids had been talking about nothing else than the upcoming training. The two boys were at least as excited as Jenny, especially due to the fact that none of them knew what kind of training they could expect. Would Vegeta train her just like them or would he be a bit more considerate? Well, the musing about this would now come to an end, because the small group of part Saiyajins had just arrived in front of the gravity room. Gohan entered the code that would switch off the raised gravity inside and open the door and then the four of them stepped inside, only to find Vegeta standing in the middle of it in his typical stance – his arms were crossed over his chest and a characteristic half scowl half smirk was plastered on his face. 

"There you are, finally." Vegeta loosened his stance and walked up to the girl. "Okay, brat, now that you are here, are you ready?" Jenny just wanted to open her mouth in response, when Vegeta silenced her with a wave of his hand. "Wait, before you answer this question I want to tell you the exact terms of this training. First of all I won't show consideration for you just because you are a girl. I will train you just like I train the boys. That means that you have to give your best, because I won't be satisfied with less. I don't accept sloppiness and laziness. You will take breaks when I say so. When it seems to me that you can't take my training methods, you are weak and remember that I don't train weaklings. But do also keep in your mind that I do see potential in you and that I will do anything to make you use it to its fullest. So don't disappoint me." 

He watched out of the corners of his eyes how the oldest brat fought for control. This over protectiveness was just ridiculous. The girl was a Saiyajin and should also be trained like one. It would be too bad to waste this kind of potential that the girl obviously possessed. How else had she been able to deflect a blast that would have killed any normal human being within seconds when she wasn't even trained? Oh yes, he could feel it. This girl could become a great fighter under his tutoring, maybe even greater than this feeble excuse for a Saiyajin that was so desperately trying to protect her. Vegeta couldn't already wait for the day to arrive when she was ready to fight him for real so that he could see what kind of fighter _he had brought forth. _

"Now I ask you again. Are you ready for this training?"

Jenny swallowed the lump in her throat and answered in a strong voice, "Yes."

The Prince's mouth now curled up into a full smirk. "Fine. Then, do you know how you transformed last week?"

"No. I don't remember." The girl shook her head.

"I already expected that," Vegeta mumbled and jumped a few feet back. He formed a small ki-ball in his hands, which he shot at the girl at the same moment his feet touched the ground again. But the ki-ball didn't hit its target – instead it was reflected by a very angry semi-Saiyajin -, but still had the desired effect as Vegeta noticed.

"Care to tell me what is going on in your head?" Gohan growled dangerously. 

"Turned around and look."

The teenager obeyed and turned around and his mouth opened in shock. Jenny had transformed again. Just like the previous week she had her arms crossed in front of her face, but he could clearly see the blue aura surrounding her, the black hair and the tail that was swinging behind her. "How…?"

Vegeta snorted. "I thought you were supposed to be the genius here. But to answer your question: adrenalin. Upon seeing potential danger her body reacts in producing enough adrenalin for her to transform. That means she powers up on pure instinct." Gohan was just able to nod numbly. What Vegeta said made sense – somehow. He turned to look again at his sister, whose hair started to flicker blond again. "Keep it up, girl," Vegeta demanded. "Concentrate on that power. Don't let it slip from your grasp."

"I can't," she mumbled through gritted teeth. She lowered her arms, but still her whole body was tense. Her hands were clenched in tight fists and her eyes were squeezed shut tightly. 

"Breathe. Concentrate. You can't maintain this power with pure strength." The blue aura subsided, Jenny's body relaxed visibly and the flickering stopped. Her hair remained black, the tail was still there and now that she opened her eyes they could see that they, too, were black. 

"Cool…" Goten exclaimed and Trunks only nodded in agreement.

"Shut up! You're disturbing her concentration!" Vegeta snapped at them, before he turned back at Jenny, who was looking at him with her black eyes that were full of concentration. Pearls of sweat were lingering on her forehead and running down her flushed face. She breathed in short ragged gaps. "Breathe, slowly, deeply. And don't forget to concentrate."

"I…" Before she could finish what she wanted to say she fell on her knees and the power left her. She panted heavily and looked up at her teacher. "I'm… I'm sorry…"

Vegeta only grunted in response. "Five minutes to recover and then you'll transform again. Alone and without help."

"You can't do that, Vegeta," Gohan contradicted. "Look at her. She can't take another transformation today."

"You should have a little more faith in her, boy. She can take more than that, believe me. And if you keep on interrupting my training, the training she accepted, I'll have no other choice but to kick you out of the gravity room."

"But––"

"It's okay, Gohan," he heard Jenny's voice saying. Her breathing had calmed down again and she had managed to get on her feet. "I'm gonna be okay."

He wanted to say something again, but decided against it, when he saw the look in her eyes – a look that told him not to argue, a look that was definitely their mother's. So, five minutes later, Jenny tried again to transform, with him and the two boys standing at the sidelines, and much to their surprise Jenny managed it again, though it had taken a while at first. 

It was already late afternoon and Son Gohan sat outside of the gravity room in the green grass. He could hear the voices of Trunks and Goten nearby, but with his thoughts his was inside of the gravity room with his sister. Vegeta had locked him and the boys out after lunch, saying that they would only disturb and distract them. Gohan had even played with the thoughts of just blasting the door to hell, but he didn't want to deal with Bulma about it. He _had_ agreed to the training after all and he _had_ expected Vegeta's training to be harsh. So he couldn't just march in there and break his promise. He just couldn't do this to Jenny – not with the progress she was making. With each time she transformed it was easier for her to do it and to stay in this form, so that shortly before lunch Vegeta had started with _easy blocking and dodging exercises. _

He had seen it in her eyes – the determination, the ferocity, the passion and the love for fighting. Who was he to take that away? He wanted her to be happy and if he had to pay this price then so be it. And if he had still been in doubt about her heritage the previous night he was now completely sure about it. She seemed to be even more a Saiyajin than he ever was or ever will be.

And with this decision to allow her to continue the training he had forever sealed her fate as warrior.

**End Part I**

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Well, so this was the last chapter of the first part of this story! I hope you liked it so far and it would also be nice if you left a small review so that I know what you are thinking about this fanfiction….

Okay, and since I'm completely evil I'll give you now a small sneak preview of what will happen in the second part!!

_She suspiciously watched through the slits of her narrowed blue eyes how the new boy walked up the few steps to one of the last lines of seats – the same line she was sitting in – and sat down in the chair next to her best friend. She knew she had seen him before. Just when and most importantly, where? Her eyes still rested on him and she was absorbed in her thoughts about who this guy could be that she only half noticed what he and her friend were talking about, until she suddenly remembered. _

_He didn't know that in the whole universe there was just one thing far more dangerous than an angry Saiyajin - and that this would be a truly pissed off Saiyajin that was up to downright furious._

_And he didn't know that he now had to deal with one. _

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	12. Part II: Orange Star High

**A/N:**                Okay guys, do you have any idea what I should be actually doing right now instead of sitting here and updating this story? Right, studying. I'll write a test tomorrow and though I think I already know the stuff, I think it would be best to repeat it again, but for you I trust my knowledge and finished this chapter.

**                        So, here it is, Ladies and Gentlemen, the start of Part II of this fanfiction! Have fun!**

**Part II**

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**Chapter 11: Orange Star High**

Seven years have passed now since Gohan had moved in at Capsule Corporation and he and the twins were taken under Bulma's care, and almost eight years since the Cell Games. Because of one man's sacrifice, a brave warrior with the name Son Goku, and his son's unbelievable power, the world's citizens have been able to live in peace since the defeat of the android. But just few people, a bit more than a handful, knew about this, the truth. The rest of the world believed that a fighter, the last winner of the Tenkaichi Budokai, a certain Mr. Satan, had been the victor of the great battle years ago. They proclaimed him to be the world's savior and changed the name of his hometown to Satan City in his honor. 

Satan City was a quiet place, more or less, if you refrain from the almost constant appearing traffic offenders, hostage dramas or bank robberies. The Satan City Bank was a rather popular spot for robberies to take place, just like now. 

Shots could be heard from the bank's interior and everyone smart enough would soon leave the direct surroundings of the building to find shelter. But for the people inside it was already too late to flee, and this only because of the armed thugs that were threatening them with their guns. The bank's guard was already down with a nasty bullet wound in his shoulder and the rest of the staff was cowering in fear, hoping against hope that the police would be able to stop those thieves. 

One of the nice ladies behind the counter was filling the last of the robbers' bags with money, trying to ignore the gun the mugger was impatiently waving in front of her face, urging her to hurry up. With shaking hands she put the last bunch of bills into the bag and almost sighed with relief, when the man in front of her closed the bag and heaved it from the counter. He turned to his boss with a smug grin on his face. "This is it."

"Okay, let's get out of here," the leader of the gang replied. He raised his machine gun and said with a menacing voice, "When we've used up all of the money, we'll be back for more." He let out a shrill laugh and began to shoot around himself without aiming at a special target. 

~*~

Around the same time high up in the sky a black-haired teenager sat on a fluffy yellow cloud in Indian style with his arms crossed over his chest. Many people would call this sight quite unusual, but for the boy and those who knew him and his family it wasn't unusual at all. Son Gohan had closed his eyes and just let the wind rush past him, for the cloud knew where to go, leaving him enough time to ponder what he was doing, or more importantly why he was doing this. 

Well, both questions were considerably easy to answer. What was he doing? Son Gohan was on his way to his first day at Orange Star High School. Why was he doing this? Because Bulma told him to – and everyone who knew this woman did also know that it was useless to argue with her. After having been home-schooled for all of his life, Bulma thought that it would be now a good time to attend a public school and meet some people his own age. 

Some people his own age – that sounded good, if he just knew exactly how old he was. His birth certificate said that he was seventeen years old, but when he added the year he had spent in the Room of Spirit and Time and maybe even the influence his stay in space had on his age, he would say that he was roughly eighteen. He didn't even want to think about how old he was to Saiyajin standards nor about the fact that his knowledge already surpassed all of the things that were taught at school. He had passed all of the tests with ease and didn't even need to study for them. So, how could he, a perfectly not normal boy, considering the fact that he was half alien, had the knowledge of a teacher and wasn't even sure of his own age, blend in with a bunch of perfectly normal teenagers, who didn't know a thing about the world he lived in?

Oh, and did he even have to mention the problem that he, the true defeater of Cell, was about to go to school in the very same city the alleged world savior lived in?

When he had wanted to talk to Bulma about this, she had just shrugged with her shoulders and told him that this small fact didn't change anything about the school's reputation, which was very good and in any way better than any school in the Western Capitol. So he had no other choice but to take those tests, pass them and dread this very day, the whole time telling himself that maybe it wouldn't be _that bad. _

He sighed and opened his eyes. Some hundred feet below him he could see the borders of the city and decided that it would now be the best to walk the rest. As if sensing his thoughts the cloud started to drop in altitude until Gohan could jump down without raising any suspicions in case someone saw him. "Bye Kintoun! I'm counting on you to ride home!" He started to jog along the streets and after a few minutes looked at his watch. He frowned. He was late. Had he been walking too slow? Gohan looked to his left and right side, before he picked up his speed, racing even past a car, which drivers only saw a blur of black and white. 

He first stopped again when he noticed something in a street to his left. There was a large force of police cars in front of the Satan City Bank and shots were heard all over the place. The already annoyed frown on his face deepened upon seeing this. This was already the third time in a row that he had been in this city and had to witness how someone committed a crime. "Really," he muttered, while he put his bag behind a bush and disappeared behind a corner for no one to see him, "does this town have no self-respect?" His eyes wandered around one last time to make really sure that he was out of sight, before he transformed into a Super Saiyajin, ready to strike. 

The robbers were standing with their backs to the bank, shooting at everything that moved and their special targets were the police cars, behind which the police officers were hiding. "Morons! Why aren't you fighting back? Dumb cops!" one of the bandits hollered and shot another magazine of his machine gun at the cars. Unfortunately he was too engrossed in his activities that he never noticed the blond teenage boy landing behind him until it was too late and he was knocked unconscious by a hard kick directed at his jaw. Completely and utterly surprised by this sudden and unexpected attack one of his partners turned around, only to make his left cheek connect with the Saiyajin's fist. 

Gohan smirked inwardly, silently enjoying the looks on the others' faces, when they finally noticed that two of their men were down. He took a second to rethink this thought, when he noticed with shock that he had sounded too much like Vegeta for his liking. Shaking off this unwelcome revelation, he landed on the loading space of the criminals' pick-up, facing another one of the gang, who had his machine gun directed at him. 

"Who the hell are you?" the masked man yelled, while emptying his magazine on the teenager. 

Gohan would have laughed at this pathetic attempt to get rid of him, hadn't it been for the fact that he was already too annoyed with the whole situation to let his lips curl upwards just a bit. So he only caught all the bullets with the lightning fast reflexes of his left hand until the robber had run out of ammunition. Said robber only stared in shock, fear and panic written all over his face, as the teenager slowly opened his fist and let the bullets fall to the ground, before he, too, was knocked out by him. 

"He's a monster!" – "Hurry! Let's get outta here!" 

Gohan turned around, when he heard these voices accompanied by the sound of a running engine and screeching tires. He sighed ever so lightly and extended his right arm. With only a single yell he sent a shockwave of simple air pressure at the car, what caused it to turn over and land on its roof. Satisfied with his artwork, the young Saiyajin quickly retreated to transform back and maybe observe the further happenings from a safe distant. 

He had just picked up his bag and let out a sigh of relief that again he had prevented a crime without having been caught, when he heard a female voice behind him saying, "Hey you!" He winced and turned around, only to face a rather fragile looking girl with long black hair tied into pigtails and light blue eyes, which held a rather intimidating look. She was wearing black shorts and a white T-shirt that seemed much too large for her; her gloved hands were on her hips and she looked pretty angry. "Who caused all this? It couldn't have been the police."

"I-I don't know. I, uhm, just got here myself." Smart move, Gohan, really smart. Why don't you just tell her that you caused this? This would surely sound more believable than your senseless stuttering! Gohan scolded himself. 

"Damn it! I rushed here to teach those robbers a lesson…" 

Gohan noticed that she wasn't even looking at him anymore and probably didn't even remember that he was even there. That's my chance, he thought. So, he silently turned around and sneaked away. He could swear that in the distance he could still hear her silent rambling. 

"I only wonder who this other guy was…" the girl mumbled angrily and clenched her fists. 

"Ahh, Videl," one of the bystanders, an elderly man dressed in a black suit, said. "I saw everything. It was again this Golden Haired Warrior."

"The Golden Haired Warrior? Again?" the girl, Videl, asked stunned. 

 "Yes. He was incredible fast and strong! He even flipped their car over with some strange scream!" The man told her excitedly. "Hey, he's from the same school you go to. He wore the same badge as you."

"What? A student at my school?" It was an understatement to say that Videl was only surprised. Those kinds of things always raised her suspicions to their highest and she wouldn't give up now until she found out, who this mysterious Golden Haired Warrior was. And with him seemingly going to her school it would narrow her list of suspects considerably down.

~*~

"Hey, Sharpener, you aren't the Golden Haired Warrior, are you?" Videl asked the muscular teenager next to her. She was sitting on her table in what appeared to be a classroom of the Orange Star High. 

"Sorry to disappoint you, Videl. But I don't have time to do stuff like this. You know that I exercise at the club every morning," the boy, Sharpener, replied and flipped some of his long blond hair over his shoulder. 

"Videl," the girl to her left, a girl with short blond hair, got her attention. "Maybe that person is even stronger than your dad."

"Ah, don't talk nonsense," a voice in front of them said. "Videl's dad is the world savior Mr. Satan. There's no one stronger than him."

When the door suddenly opened, Videl quickly sat down in her chair between her two blond friends and watched how an elderly man, their teacher, entered the room. He stopped in front of the desk and cleared his throat to silence the class. It took a few seconds for the rest of the talk to die down, but after it finally did he turned to speak. "Class, let me introduce you to our new student."

All eyes were directed at the door, waiting for 'the new' to come inside. Everyone was silent, not one word was muttered, until a black-haired boy entered the classroom and went to stand next to the teacher. "Hi," he greeted them. "I'm Gohan. It's nice to meet you."

"Wow, he's pretty cute," the blond girl next to Videl exclaimed dreamily. "Just the kind of man I like."

"Gohan? What kind of name is that?" someone wanted to know. 

Videl blinked, chewing on a pencil. "Strange, I could swear that I've seen him before."

"Looks like a nerd to me," Sharpener stated smugly. 

"Son Gohan received perfect scores on the entrance exams in all important subjects." The class howled and whistled after their teacher had told them this. "Quiet, class! He's a very good student and I want all of you to give him your full support. Son Gohan, please sit down in an empty seat."

"Okay," Gohan responded and started to look around, after the teacher had sat down at the desk. "Uhm, let's see…"

"Over here!" a voice suddenly shouted. Gohan looked at the direction of this voice and saw a blond girl waving with her hand. "Right here!" The teenager gave her a grateful smile and proceeded his way up to the line the girl was sitting in. 

Videl suspiciously watched through the slits of her narrowed blue eyes how the new boy walked up the few steps to one of the last lines of seats – the same line she was sitting in – and sat down in the chair next to her best friend. She knew she had seen him before. Just when and most importantly, where? Her eyes still rested on him and she was absorbed in her thoughts about who this guy could be that she only half noticed what he and her friend were talking about, until she suddenly remembered. "Hey! It's you! You were at the crime scene earlier this morning!"

"Uhm, yeah…" he answered sheepishly and hid the frown that was again starting to appear on his face. Just great, not only did he have to go to school in the same city Mr. Satan was living, but he also had to go into one class with his daughter, as Erasa, the blond girl, had just told him, _and_ said daughter had seen him near the bank at which the robbery had taken place and according to the look in her eyes she seemed to suspect something, though he couldn't quite say, what. Her eyes just bore into him and he could almost swear that she could see first that he was hiding something and second, what he was hiding. But fortunately for him, Erasa interrupted Videl's small staring contest. 

"You mean where the Golden Haired Warrior showed up again?"

"The Golden Haired Warrior? Who is that?" he asked, playing clueless, though he knew exactly what, or rather, whom they were talking about – him, as Super Saiyajin. Damn!

"Yeah, right, you're new, so you probably don't know him," Erasa told him. "He had shown up three times already and he has golden hair, is really strong and popular!"

Gohan swallowed, as he again felt the eyes of Mr. Satan's daughter on him. "That old guy at the bank said that the Golden Haired Warrior wore our school's badge. He also said that he wore black pants, a white shirt and a black vest. Don't you think it's strange that this description seems to fit you, Son Gohan?"

"Wow, that's true!" her blond friend cried out surprised. 

"Hey, stop talking up there!" the teacher shouted. 

"Why do you even compare the Golden Haired Warrior to him?" Sharpener asked lazily. "Do you see any other resemblance between them? He doesn't look like a fighter to me and there's an old saying that states that he who is good at studying is bad at fighting. Besides, he doesn't even have golden hair."

"I hate to say it," Erasa told him, "but Sharpener is right. You don't look pretty strong."

Videl turned her eyes back to the text in her book, but couldn't concentrate on it. What Sharpener and Erasa had said seemed to be true and disprove the fact that this new boy seemed to stand in any relation to the Golden Haired Warrior, but she had seen on the video of the Cell Games that some of the fighters' hair turned golden, though her dad always said that she had just imagined it. But still…

"So Gohan," the blond girl started again. "Do you travel to school or do you have an apartment?"

"Uhm, I come from home." Gohan sighed inwardly. Even after so many years it still sounded somehow wrong to call Capsule Corporation his home. 

"And where do you live?"

"I live in the Western Capitol," he answered. 

"What?" Erasa jumped up. "Do you have any idea how far away that is? Why don't you just go to a school there?"

"Students, please quiet down," the teacher scolded again. 

The girl quickly sat down again and hid behind her book, but that didn't stop her from asking more. "But, how do you get here? Even with a jet it would take several hours."

"I-uh have a very fast jet and besides, I don't go to a school there, because their reputations aren't as well as this one's," Gohan replied quickly and buried his head in his own book, hoping that this girl, as nice as she seemed, would stop interrogating him. Surprisingly, she did. Probably due to the fact that her poor brain had to digest all those information at once, Gohan mused. 

~*~

After school Gohan quickly said goodbye to Erasa, who had kept insisting of coming with him to his jet to the very end, and the others and immediately left the building. He jogged down a street at normal pace, the whole time being aware of the presence behind him. He sighed and ran around a corner, just to levitate up to the building's roof. He watched from above how Videl also turned around the corner and stopped dead in her tracks with a dumbfounded look on her face. With his enhanced hearing he could hear her mutter something about 'something's not right – he's keeping something from me' and shook his head. This girl could truly become a problem for him, since she seemed to be fixated on finding out, what exactly his secrets were. 

He had waited on the roof until Videl had given up and then had called Kintoun. The ride back to Capsule Corporation was completely uneventful, if he excluded the poor bird that he had almost killed because the cloud had flown too fast, and so the dome shaped building soon came into view. He jumped from the cloud in the backyard, only to be immediately tackled down by three whirlwinds the second he had set his feet on the ground. He landed with a thud and felt the air leave his lungs, mostly due to the fact that member three of the Trio From Hell had jumped on his stomach. "Hey Jenny, Goten, Trunks…" he mumbled, while he was peeling the three kids off him one by one. 

"Hey brother!" – "How was school?" – "Did you get into any trouble?" – "Do you have much homework?" – "Have you made friends already?" – "Are they nice?"

Gohan grabbed his head, already feeling a headache coming. Please, Dende, no more questions, he pleaded. 

The teenage guardian of earth had seemed to hear him, because only a second later the backdoor was opened and Bulma stepped outside. "Kids! Kids! Please, leave Gohan be. You can ask him all you want later, but now let him breathe! Why don't you go and play a bit?"

A chorus of 'okays' answered, and then they were gone. 

Son Gohan laughed lightly. "Thanks, Bulma. I think you just saved my life."

"Don't mention it. But now let's go inside. I made you a small snack and then you can tell me about your first day in school." The boy groaned again at the prospect, but Bulma only laughed. 

In the kitchen Bulma placed a plate with some sandwiches in front of him and sat down on the other side of the table. The boy just wanted to dig into the food, when Bulma pulled the plate away. Gohan threw her a pleading look, asking her to give him the plate back, but she only shook her head. "I'll first give you the food, when you tell me about school."

Gohan looked at her, at the plate, back at her, again at the plate and in the end had no other choice but to nod. Bulma smirked victoriously and gave him his food back, allowing him to eat one sandwich, before he started. "I think the day turned out to be not all that bad. Despite the fact that Mr. Satan's daughter is in my class, most of the others already call me a nerd because of my test results, that I shocked all of them, when I told them that I lived in the Western Capitol, that I jumped about ten feet high to catch a baseball in PE, broke almost one of my classmate's hands, when I threw said baseball at him and shocked my class once again, when another baseball hit me in the face and I didn't even have a scratch. Videl, that's Mr. Satan's daughter, is highly suspicious of me and even tried to follow me to find out how I get to school and back home every day. Oh, and did I already mention that I again prevented a crime this morning and that I'm known as Golden Haired Warrior in the whole city? Well, yeah, that was my day…" Gohan quickly finished, before he shoved the rest of the sandwiches into his mouth. "I think we need to do something about the last thing… I think one of the reasons that Videl became suspicious of me was that I wore the same clothes as the Golden Haired Warrior."

Bulma seemed to think for a few seconds, before her face lit up with a smile. "Don't worry about that, Gohan. I think I already have an idea. Why don't you go upstairs and do your homework and after that play a bit with the kids. I'll come and get you, when I'm finished."

"Okay, Bulma, thanks!" He grabbed his bag and left the kitchen. He wanted to finish his homework as soon as possible, so that he could use the rest of his free time to spend some time with the Trio From Hell – and probably keep them from doing anything stupid that could end up in a disaster. He had always thought that it was already bad with having two untamable Saiyajinkids in the house, but ever since Jenny had learned to control her strength the boys had actually let her play and train with them. And with her having quickly caught up to their strength during her training with Vegeta, the formerly Duo From Hell had become the Trio From Hell. Sure, Jenny and Trunks still had their small quarrels and arguments, but now Jenny knew how to defend herself, and if it had to be with the help of her fists, though he still hadn't found out who of the three the strongest was, since it seemed to him that usually when someone was watching them or sparring with them, they seemed to hold back – he just wished he knew how much. 

Son Gohan let his bag fall next to his desk and took out the books he needed for his homework. He opened them and began with the math problems that he had already solved four years ago…

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So, Gohan's first school day… I know, most happenings and dialogues were taken either from the Manga or from the show. I just changed them so that they would fit into my story line!

Hope you like it, but please leave a small review, okay? You'd make me really happy with them! J

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	13. Part II: Saiyaman

**A/N:** Okay, I could start with a really long apology, but I already apologized in all my other stories and if you still don't know why I didn't update sooner just take a look at my profile, okay? Right now I just want to thank you for staying put to this story and for reviewing it and I want you to enjoy this chapter!

**Part II**

**Chapter 12: Saiyaman**

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Gohan was standing in front of a full-length mirror, regarding the new outfit Bulma had made for him for fighting crime, surrounded by the scientist and the three kids. He turned to his left, to his right, tugged at the red cape accompanying the whole outfit, flexed his fingers in the white gloves, the whole time being under the surveillance of four pairs of eyes, and, in the end, gave his mirror image an approving nod. "That should work."

All in all the disguise he from now on would wear to fight crime consisted of a black fighting suit, much like the one of the Saiyajin armor, a green upper part of a gi, white golden tipped boots, the already mentioned red cape and white gloves, and an orange helmet with a black visor. Not just that his face was only partly visible, to be precise his mouth and chin, but the actual new development of Bulma was that this outfit behaved like a capsule and was, with one small push of a button, quickly stored away in the watch at the Saiyajin's wrist.

"You look so cool, Gohan!" Goten exclaimed, hopping excitedly from one leg to the other. "I also want to have one like this!"

Gohan smiled and put a hand on his younger brother's head, ruffling through his hair. "Maybe when you're older, Goten."

"Hey bro! Do you already have an idea how to call yourself? I mean, you can't be the Golden Haired Warrior anymore and you can't be Gohan, 'cause that would be stupid, so you need a new name!" Jenny stated. 

"Mmh…" A thoughtful look appeared on Gohan's face and he pensively rubbed his chin. "You're right. I haven't thought about this one, yet, but I think I'll have to do it."

"How 'bout Saiyaman?" his little brother suggested grinning. "The angel of justice that never forgives evil. The great Saiya—Ouch!" Goten rubbed the back of his head, where Trunks had hit him. "Why did you do this?"

"Because you are stupid. The world isn't a comic and besides Gohan would never use a dumb name like this," the older boy told him. 

"The name isn't stupid," the other boy argued back and then turned to his brother. "Please Gohan, say that this name isn't stupid and that you'll be the great Saiyaman."

The teenager looked at the boy and sighed, if almost inaudible. Trunks was right, this name _was stupid, but how could he disappoint his brother? He needed a name anyway and no one would recognize him beside his family and friends. And mentors. And certain gods… Ah, well, if it was to make Goten happy then so be it. He smiled and ruffled through the black mane that was his brother's hair. "Okay squirt, from now on I'll be Saiyaman."_

"Yay!" This shout of delight echoed through a large part of the building, followed by a, "See Trunks, Gohan doesn't think that the name is dumb!"

~*~

The next morning when Gohan left the house he didn't call Kintoun like he did the first day. No, it was time to test his new alter-ego, so he pushed the button at his watch and the disguise appeared. He just wanted to take off into the sky, when a voice stopped him. "Hey bro! You forgot your lunch!"

He turned around and saw Jenny waving a capsule at him. Smiling gratefully he took it and put it into his bag. If he had forgotten his lunch, he was sure that for one he would most likely eat all food available in the cafeteria, no matter how bad its reputation was, and he would certainly gain much of unneeded attention, if he did this. "Thanks sis! What would I do without you?" He slowly ascended and waved one last time at his sister. "Bye and don't cause too much trouble while I'm gone!"

Jenny also stretched her arm into the air and waved after her disappearing brother. "Don't worry, I won't! Have fun! Bye!" But he didn't hear her anymore, because all that was left of him was a tiny spot at the horizon.

Gohan shot through the clouds, clearly enjoying the wind in his face and the landscape zipping past him. He had to dodge some birds and even had to avoid two airplanes until now, but all in all he couldn't feel better. The sun was shining, it was warm with a pleasantly fresh breeze. The first day at school already went bad and he was quite sure that it couldn't get worse – it could only get better. This and he wouldn't have to worry anymore about being discovered by helping people. Maybe the appearance of a new savior would also avert Videl's suspicions from him to another poor soul. 

Being that deep in thoughts he almost flew past the school, but stopped just in time to land on the roof. He carefully looked around to make sure that no one was there and then put with a quick push on a button the disguise back into the capsule, leaving just Gohan in his normal school attire – black pants, white shirt and black vest. Looking at his watch a smile spread on his lips. He was early and that meant that he could either sleep longer from that day on or spend some more time with the twins and Trunks before he had to leave for school. 

Still smiling he opened the door and descended the stairs that led from the roof into the hallways of the Orange Star High. For he was still very early there weren't many students yet. Without meeting anyone he knew he got some of his books out of his locker and went to his classroom, where he also was the first one. Sitting down in the chair that he, or rather Erasa had chosen for him yesterday, he waited for other students to arrive. 

It didn't take long however and slowly, one after one or in small groups, his classmates filed in, and, happily chattering, sat down in their chairs. While he was looking through the rows, he tried to remember the names he had heard the previous day and was pleased that he remembered most of them. But his attention from this task was diverted, when he could feel a to the other people in the class comparable large ki coming inside. Gohan turned his head to the door and was immediately met with the same gaze that had been following him the whole previous day. He oppressed the urge to wince sharply and only returned the gaze, hoping that she would finally leave him be. 

Unfortunately she didn't do this and so their eyes remained locked until she was practically standing in front of him. She opened her mouth to say something, but this time luck was on his side and at exactly the same moment their teacher entered the room and told the class to sit down and be silent. 

Videl groaned inwardly as she was forced to sit down by her teacher, but shot Gohan one last glare before she took out her book and opened it. She had just wanted to confront him about his disappearing act the other day, before she was so disturbingly interrupted. He _was keeping something from them. She was so sure of that. Why else would he disappear from one second to another? Why else would he stare at her without breaking the eye contact if not to prove that he wasn't hiding anything? So there just had to be something and she was bent on finding out what it was. Son Gohan may be good at keeping things from others, but she, Videl Satan, would be the exception. She would find out _who_ the mysterious new boy in her class really was. _

So the day went on, Videl giving Gohan suspicious glares and the Saiyajin either trying to ignore or counter them. He could almost feel her frustration, what let a small victorious smirk appear on his face. He swore he heard her mutter, "Arrogant Bastard." under her breath. These two words however left a sting. Did he really make this impression on her, the impression of an arrogant bastard? And if she thought of him like this, then what were the others thinking? The same? Or maybe even worse…?

His train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted, when Videl's watched started to beep and his ears heard someone talking, surrounded by static. "Two criminals spotted in Landsell Town. They're on Route 81 and heading towards the mountains," a male voice said. 

Gohan curiously looked up, when Videl jumped out of her chair and darted down the stairs. The teacher wished her good luck and then she was gone. Still a bit confused he turned to Erasa. "Why did Videl just leave?"

"Oh," he blond said as if it wasn't something that unusual, "Videl's just gone to help the police. You must know she's pretty strong."

"What?" Gohan couldn't help but ask, though he already knew that the girl wasn't weak. 

"Don't underestimate her," Sharpener threw in. "She's stronger than me. Heck, she could even give her dad a challenge."

"Mmh," Gohan thoughtfully turned his gaze back to the schoolbooks, though his mind was somewhere else. She's strong, he thought. But there are still people out there who are stronger and I also don't think that she's bullet-proof. But if I leave now, they'll think that I'm following her. "May I go to the bathrooms, please?" Gohan knew that this probably wasn't the smartest move, but he just jumped up and the words left his mouth. His teacher gave him just a quite dumbfounded nod, before he also left the classroom in a hurry. Running down the hallway he went past the bathrooms to the stairs to the roof. Once being out of the building he shot into the sky, but not before pushing the button at the watch, which would decapsulize the disguise. 

He was just about to cross the borders of the city, when one thought hit him. He didn't know where the Route 81 was! Scolding himself for his thoughtlessness he sat down on the roof of a building and waited impatiently for Videl's ki to spike up, so that he would be able to locate her. 

~*~

At the same time on Route 81 an odd pair was fleeing in a car from the police that they had already left far behind, mostly thanks to the help of a rocket launcher. With the police cars gone, they thought that they could drive without interruption, but had to find out that they were wrong when they spotted the black haired girl in front of a yellow helicopter in the middle of the street, and had to stop their car. 

"Party pooper," the larger of the two said, as he got out of the car, "Get out of the way, girl."

"Give up and come with me," Videl told them, presenting two handcuffs in her hands. "Otherwise you might get hurt."

"Did you hear that?" the large one asked the smaller one.

"Big brother, I saw her on TV once. She's Satan's daughter," the smaller one informed his brother. 

"Hehe," 'Big Brother' cracked with his knuckles. "Satan's daughter, hn? Shall I show her my fighting skills?"

"Be careful. I heard that she's pretty strong."

"Pah, no one is stronger than me. Not even Satan himself!" he said, while walking up to Videl. 

Videl's lips curled up into a smirk and she dropped the handcuffs. "Moron."

"You're pretty cute," the large robber complimented her, before he lunged at her. But Videl was too fast and jumped up before he was able to grab her and hit him at the chin with her foot. His body bent backwards and he fell to his knees, wiping the blood from his mouth. "That was quite a kick."

His fist shot forward, but Videl easily managed to duck before it connected with her fist. She thanked him with a quick uppercut that sent him sprawling on the floor. He got up again and Videl resumed her attacks, giving him no chance of defending himself.

None of them noticed the figure floating above them. Gohan watched the whole exchange with mild surprise. Videl _was_ strong, stronger than he had expected her to be according to her ki. The bigger one was again on the floor and Gohan was really asking himself if he should interfere or if he should let Videl handle this. She seemed to have things under control. 

But exactly at this moment he noticed how the smaller one pulled out a gun and directed it at Videl. Faster than for a normal human's eye to see he was on the ground and hit the gun out of the robber's hand. The gun dropped to the ground, where he picked it up and crashed it with his hand. 

"Oh no! What are you?" the smaller one asked, his whole body shaking. Videl just had a surprised and curious look on her face. 

"You'll find out soon enough," Gohan responded coolly. 

"I ask one more time: Who are you?"

"Okay, I'll tell you. I am Saiyaman," he told the thief, his arms still crossed over his chest. Turning his head to Videl, he said, "He resisted in vain. You can arrest him now, Videl."

The girl's eyes widened slightly, as she bowed down to pick up the cuffs. He knew her name! How could he know that? And this voice… It took a few seconds to register, but in the end it finally dawned on her and the confused look on her face was replaced by a satisfied smirk. Too engaged in her own thoughts, she looked up startled when she heard something explode – the thug had thrown a smoke bomb at _Saiyaman and was now driving away. Her eyes wandered around, trying to find the new so-called superhero and eventually rested on his form _floating_ in the sky! She gaped at the sight. "Wha--?"_

Gohan only shook his head, as he watched the robber trying to escape, before he went after him. The fleeing man didn't seem to notice his pursuer, because he was already laughing as if he had won. The Saiyajin however quickly destroyed this illusion, as he landed next to him in the car and tapped on his shoulder. As soon as the robber turned his head and spotted the teenager, he was already knocked out. Sighing, Gohan stopped the car and picked the man up by his collar, bringing him back to where Videl had already cuffed the other one and was now waiting for him. "Here's the other one."

"You can leave him here. The police will take care of them," the girl told him. She had quickly gotten over the initial shock over his ability to fly and was now more curious than ever. "So, you seem to be pretty strong, but your identity is a secret, hn?"

"Uh, that's correct," Gohan answered somewhat uneasily. She was again looking at him like that. 

"So, Gohan, how did you get out of school?" Videl knew it was risky, but if her assumptions were right…

"That was easy. I said I was going to the bathrooms." The very second those two sentences left his mouth, Gohan already wanted to smack himself. How could he be so stupid? He had just given away his _new_ secret identity to also not just anyone, but to the girl who had been hell-bent on finding out what he was hiding.

The smirk on her face widened. "So I was right! You're really Gohan!"

"Yes, it's me…" the Saiyajin admitted in defeat.

Some minutes later both Videl and Gohan were sitting in her jet copter. Gohan had taken off his helmet and mentally prepared himself to answer her questions without giving too much away. But until now none of them had said anything and the silence was getting uncomfortable. That was until Videl finally decided to break the silence. 

"So Gohan, why do you wear such a strange costume?"

"Well, you know… I… uhm… I didn't want anyone to know who I am. I don't like publicity…" Just look some years back, he mused silently, when I let someone else take the credit for the defeat of a monster called Cell.

"But you aren't the Golden Haired Warrior, are you?" Videl wanted to know.

"No! I'm not!"

"Really?"

"Of course."

"When you say so…" 

Gohan sighed inwardly, though it sounded as if the girl still didn't believe him completely. But as long as she was satisfied with his answers he was glad. But there was still one more thing… "Videl, I don't want anyone to find out my secret."

"Well, in that case you have to compete in the Tenkaichi Budokai next month."

"The Budokai?"

"Yes, the Budokai. I'm sure you've heard of it. The winner is crowned as the World Champion. My father was the most recent champion and before him was a mysterious man named Goku. You know him, do you? He's your father right?"

"That's right," Gohan admitted. Damn it! The girl was smart! He slowly started to ask himself how long it would be possible for him to keep his other secrets from her. 

"See, and this is the reason why you have to compete. It will be fun, when the children of former champions participate," she said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. 

"But I don't want to. Besides, I'm not that strong," he tried to talk his way out of it, but Videl had other plans. 

"If you don't go, everyone will know that Son Gohan is Saiyaman. So, what do you say?"

Gohan sighed for what seemed the xth time that day. "Okay, I'll go."

"Then it's settled," Videl said and just at the same moment stopped the copter above the school building's roof. Before Gohan got out of the copter however, she stopped him one last time. "Oh, and before I forget. You have to teach me how to fly."

"But…"

"Think about it, _Saiyaman."_

"Okay, okay… I teach you how to fly…" he gave in. "Uhm, when do you want to start?"

"How about I come over to your house tomorrow after school?"

The teenager grimaced inwardly. That would be the worst idea. How should he explain that he lived at Capsule Corporation with Bulma Briefs as his legal guardian? And what about the kids – and Vegeta? No, somewhere else would be better… But where…? Her place? No, he wasn't too keen on meeting Mr. Satan again. The desert where he always trained with Piccolo? No, too hot for her. Then there was only one more place he knew. It would provide the perfect circumstances, but how long has it been? Was he ready to go back to that region? Well, he didn't need to go near… and he would be distracted. There really was no other place, so… 

Gohan had made his decision, though it was a hard one. "Videl… This… is not a good idea… But… But I know another place. It's in the mountains and no one would disturb us there. There is a grassy plain in the 439 Mountains Area. I used to train there a lot and I know this region… So, what do you say?"

Videl looked at him thoughtfully, but in the end nodded. "Okay Gohan. Tomorrow after school. 439 Mountain Area. I'll be there and I hope you are, too." 

"Don't worry, Videl, I'll be there." After having said this, Gohan got out of the copter and landed gracefully on the roof. He turned around and watched Videl steering her copter away, but he knew that he would see her again in class in a few minutes, though he was sure that none of them would utter a word about what had just happened. And then, the next day, he would teach her how to fly. Great Gohan, he scolded himself, just look at what mess you got yourself into. You'll never hear the end of it when Vegeta finds out.

He had been wrong this morning – this day went even worse than the last one.

************************************************************************************

Next chapter: "Flying 101" What will happen in that infamous flying lesson?

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi  



	14. Part II: Flying 101

**A/N:    I don't think it makes even sense anymore to say I'm sorry. Over a month since the last update of this story and it wasn't even this story's turn to be updated. But here it is and I hope that I will find time to update this and The Treasure of Power soon… But I want to thank you that you haven't abandoned me yet and now enjoy!**

**Part II**

**Chapter 13: Flying 101**

"I'm home!" Gohan called out first thing after he set a foot into the Capsule Corporation main building. He bent down to untie his shoelaces, before placing them neatly next to the other shoes on a carpet on the corridor. He knitted his brows in confusion when there was no answer. Normally when he would come home from somewhere he would be greeted by at least on member of the household, the most usual ones being the kids. But that day only silence greeted him. He shrugged, thinking that maybe Vegeta had dragged them out to train somewhere and that Bulma was in the lab together with her father and too lazy to feel for their kis he proceeded his way towards the kitchen, where he presumed Mrs. Briefs to be, only to be confronted with an empty room. Sighing he dropped his bag there and turned around. There was one more room, next to the kitchen and the gravity room, of which he didn't want to visit the latter right now, because he could imagine to do better things at the moment than to spar with Vegeta in case he _was_ there, and that would be the living room. 

And indeed, without even having to concentrate he could feel the kis of the three kids inside, and if that wouldn't have given away their whereabouts, their loud voices would have done even just that. The door was standing open and it seemed that they were again having one of their arguments. Contemplating about just going inside and interrupt their argument or standing outside and listen to it, curiosity got the best of him and he decided to eavesdrop. If it became too bad he could still intervene before they literally were at each others' throats. He lowered his ki just enough so that they wouldn't be able to feel it and stood next to the door, straining his neck just enough that he could see them on the couch and on the floor in front of the TV. From what he could see there was one of those daily soaps on, but the kids didn't seem to pay much attention to it – at least not anymore. 

"I tell ya! There must be something special about it! Why else would they do it all the time?" Jenny argued.

"But I've never seen mom and dad doing it!" Trunks disagreed. "And what about Gohan?"

"Gohan can't do it, because he doesn't have a girlfriend!" the girl shot back. "And besides, all those people seem to like it."

What the hell are they talking about? Gohan wanted to know and took one step closer to the door.

"Maybe they're just pretending to like it so that they wouldn't hurt the other, 'cos I could think of better things than sticking my tongue into someone else's mouth. You hafta agree with me on that."

Gohan's mouth dropped open at what Trunks had just said. They were talking about _kissing_! And not just about the harmless peck on the cheek or on the lips but about _French kisses! Okay, Bulma had warned him that the day would come that they would start talking about this, but they were seven and eight years old for Dende's sake! Much too young to talk about a topic like this!_

"Well…"

Jenny's hesitant answer was cut short, when Goten, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly decided it was time to add his two cents. "Why don't you try it?"

"Why should we try it?" the girl asked. "Why don't you try it? You were the one to pop the question after all." 

"Yeah, right!" Vegeta's son agreed quickly and then, doing an impersonation of the younger son of Goku he continued, "I wonder why all those couples kiss all the time. Do you have an idea?"

The teenager gaped at his younger brother. Those words out of the mouth of his innocent little brother. When had it come that far? But upon thinking about it a bit more he came to the conclusion that this question was indeed innocent. An innocent and curious question out of the mouth of an innocent and curious child. He couldn't possibly know the true meaning of a kiss like this. 

"But… I can't. Jenny's my sister and I can't kiss my own sister like this and well, you and I, we are both boys and Vegeta once said that boys don't kiss boys…" Goten tried to reason with them. "So the only way to find out is when you kiss."

Trunks and Jenny stared at each other, both having their arms crossed over their chests and a similar scowl on their faces. Gohan silently prayed to Dende that they would quickly dismiss this suggestion, but was heavily disappointed by the young guardian, when both children loosened their stances and sighed, obviously admitting defeat to the black haired boy's idea. 

"Okay, I'm in," Jenny said. "But don't think that this experiment will change something between us, boxer-boy, because I still don't like you."

The boy snorted in response. "Who am I to think something like that? Just to let you know, I don't like you either."

"Good, now that this is settled, let's get over with it."

Gohan held his breath when he saw how his sister and the boy he thought of as another brother closed the distance between them, leaned closer and pressed their lips on the other's. But it didn't stop at that. Both Trunks and Jenny parted their lips slightly and slid their tongues into the other's mouth. He so desperately wanted to do something, but he was frozen to the spot as he watched his sister and Vegeta's (!) son sharing their first kiss, so he was more than relieved when they suddenly pulled away, both of them having disgusted looks on their faces. Trunks pretended to choke and Jenny frantically rubbed at her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt. 

"That was just… yuck!" Trunks exclaimed.

"I think for the first time in my life I do really agree with you," Jenny said.

Gohan sighed. Now that this was over, he could finally move again and decided that now would be a good time to make his presence known. "Hey kids! What are you doing?" Three faces turned to him, two of them showing more shock than the first, which were also tinted with a deep red color. At least I can be sure now that they won't do something like that again, Gohan mused silently. 

"We? Nothing… Just watching TV… How was your day?" Jenny quickly tried to divert the attention from them to her brother. "We will still train tomorrow, right?"

"Sure," Gohan answered, but then one thing hit him. "I mean, I'm sorry, but I can't. A girl of my class asked me to train her and we wanted to meet tomorrow."

"Gohan has a date!" Goten quipped. 

"No!" his older brother answered vehemently and a small blush was now also to be seen on his face. "It's just… This girl found out about me being Saiyaman today and she blackmails me into giving her flying lessons…"

"Hey Gohan, you're early," Bulma, who was suddenly standing in the door, stated. 

"Gohan has a date!" Goten repeated again and raced past Bulma out of the door, when his brother gave him a sharp look, followed by the other two children. 

"So, the second day of school is over and Gohan already met a girl… That's interesting." Bulma's eyes held a strange gleam. 

"It's not like that," the teenager growled and plopped down on the couch. Bulma sat down on the armchair that faced him and waited for an explanation. "You remember, the girl I told you about yesterday, Videl Satan? Well, she found out today that I was Saiyaman and is now blackmailing me into teaching her how to fly tomorrow and going to the Budokai that is taking place in one month."

"I see… Will she come over tomorrow or will you go to her place?"

The teenage Saiyajin shook his head. "No, I told her to meet me on the grassy plain in the 439 Mountain Area. It was the only place I could think of where no one would disturb us."

"Gohan…" Bulma said worriedly. 

"It's okay, Bulma… The plain is a few miles from… you know." He stretched his limbs and got up from the couch with a smile on his face, of which Bulma couldn't tell if it was faked or not. "So, there's still some homework to do… You call me, when dinner is ready, won't you?"

"Of course Gohan. By the way… the Budokai… I think you should let the others know about it. Maybe they want to compete as well. It would be like in old times."

Gohan nodded. "You're right. I'll ask them when I'm finished with my homework."

Bulma watched with a concerned smile how Gohan left the living room. She didn't know what to think of his decision of training the girl at this place. But there was a small spark of hope. Maybe after all those years the boy would finally get around and come to terms with the death of both of his parents. He pulled off a good show of showing a brave face everywhere he got, but Bulma knew that it was really just what it was – a show. A façade to convince himself and the people around him that he's okay when he in reality wasn't. 

~*~

Gohan was relieved when school ended the following day. This day nothing had gone wrong and he hoped that it would stay that way for the rest of the day. Now that Videl thought she knew what he was keeping from her, she was much friendlier in his presence and didn't stare at him anymore as if she wanted to burn two holes right through him. She could actually be – nice – if it weren't for the whole 'blackmail-thing'. 

Another thing that added to his good mood was the fact that he wouldn't be the only one going to the Tenkaichi Budokai. As soon as Vegeta had heard of it, he had announced that he would come, too, convinced that he had caught up to the younger Saiyajin in the last several years. But not only Vegeta decided to compete, but also Krillin and his wife Juuhachigou, Piccolo and especially the kids, who were absolutely thrilled about it. So at least Gohan wouldn't be the only one with outstanding strength and abilities and so the Tenkaichi Budokai promised to become a rather interesting event this year. 

Son Gohan landed on the grassy plain on which he hadn't set a foot in almost eight years and the first thing he did was taking in his surroundings. Nothing had changed at all. It almost seemed to him as if time had stood still in this region for the past years. This fact didn't make it easier for him to be there and he suddenly doubted his decision of taking this area as training place for Videl. But he couldn't go back anymore, for he could already hear the sounds of the girl's jet-copter. He should've arrived here much earlier, but the closer he got the more he slowed down. He had also pointedly taking a detour as not to fly over the one place he never wanted to go to, let alone look at anymore. This was his past and he had to let the past behind him…

He turned to look at the sky and soon saw a small yellow spot coming towards him. He didn't move from the spot he was standing and move his eyes from the copter until it practically landed directly in front of him and Videl jumped out of it, dressed as usual in her large T and shorts. 

"Well, Son Gohan, here I am and now teach me how to fly." Straight to the point. This girl was really determined, Gohan noticed. This could work for her advantage. Her ki was high enough and the determination could just help her to focus on the task at hand. 

"Okay," Gohan motioned for her to sit down and did the same. "The art of bukuu, or in other words how to fly is actually pretty simple. It's just ki control…"

"Ki control?" Videl asked confused. "What exactly is ki?"

"Uhm, you don't know what ki is?" Gohan was dumbfounded. When she didn't know what ki was, it would make the whole thing a lot more difficult. "Maybe your family calls it something else, for example power or energy. It's practically your life energy."

"My dad usually calls it a trick."

"Well, it seems that you really don't know anything about ki… This will prolong your training but I'm positive that you'll be able to control it."

"And how do I do this?"

"Uhm, first you must relax and focus your mind. Try to think of nothing and let the energy in your body flow free," Gohan explained. He settled into a more comfortable position as he watched Videl closing her eyes in concentration. Her brows furrowed and he could soon notice her tense muscles and light sweat drops on her forehead. "Don't be so tense. You can't force your ki out with strength alone. The most important thing is that you are relaxed and focused. Just let it come to you. Breathe calmly and evenly. Here, hold your hands like this." He helped her holding her hands like a bowl in front of her. "And now inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…" He could now see that the furrows on her forehead disappeared and how the stiffness in her body lessened. He nodded to himself approving. This way she would be able to manage it today. 

Hours passed and Gohan himself had started to meditate to pass the time, when he suddenly felt a difference in Videl's ki. He opened his eyes and saw at once the small blue ball between the palms of her hands. "Congratulations… You did it."

Videl was staring in wonder at the energy ball that was floating so easily between her palms, its blue light reflecting in her blue eyes. "Wow." She looked up at Gohan and due to the sudden loss of concentration the ball disappeared again. "Can I now learn how to fly?"

"Hey, hey," Gohan laughed lightly. "You just managed to control a small part of your ki, but to fly it still takes more. We should continue this lesson tomorrow if you want. It doesn't make any sense to continue now, besides it's already getting dark." He looked at the sky and immediately a frown appeared on his face. Yes it was dark, though not only because of the sinking sun but also and more importantly because of the black clouds looming threateningly above them. He also noticed now for the first time that it had gotten remarkably colder over the last few hours and that the wind seemed to have gotten stronger, much stronger. Thunder rumbled in a dangerously close distance and only a second or two later they could see a lighting coming down. It would only be a matter of time until it started to rain.

"This doesn't look good," Videl commented, rubbing her bare arms. 

"No it doesn't," Gohan agreed. "You should really leave now." 

Another thunder, followed by another lightning. This time even closer. The wind picked up more speed so that even the stronger trees started to bend. The first raindrops began to fall. 

Gohan cursed under his breath. He should've noticed the change in the weather earlier. Now it should be too late for Videl to fly the whole way back home through the storm. No matter how good she was, the storm would catch up with her and he didn't want to know what would happen then. But now they were out in the open, willing targets to be hit by a lightning. They had to get away from that plain, but where to?

As if reading his mind, Videl suddenly shouted over the wind, "I don't think my copter would make it all the way home in this storm, but I've seen a house on my way here. It's just a few miles away. We should be able to make it there with the copter." As soon as the words had left her mouth, she had already opened the door to the pilot's seat. She got inside, closed her door and opened the door on the passenger's side. "Gohan, come on!"

The raindrops became more and harder, but Gohan only stared at the open door. He was like paralyzed. Paralyzed with inexplicable fear and pain. His whole body trembled. He didn't need to go there. He would be able to make it through the storm unscathed. But he couldn't let Videl alone. He felt in a way responsible for her out here. He had already failed too many people he cared about and wouldn't fail another one just because he couldn't control his emotions!

Another roaring thunder directly above them, followed by another desperate "Gohan!" was all he needed to be pulled out of the catatonic state. Without looking back he ran to the open door, got inside and pulled it shut behind him, closing his eyes in a hopeless attempt to keep his body calm, as the copter rose into the sky and towards the house he had sworn to never come back again. 

************************************************************************************

Evil me ends this chapter with a cliffhanger… I won't say anything concerning the next chapter, but as I said above, I hope that it won't take as long as this time to update this story…

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	15. Part II: Haunted mind

**A/N:**    Well, well, well, here it is! Have fun!

**Part II**

**Chapter 14: Haunted mind**

Videl worriedly glanced at the boy sitting at her side, while she was trying to hold the copter on course, the actual task being a lot more difficult than she was used to due to the incredibly strong wind seemingly coming from all sides. But she was not only worried about the jolts going through the copter, but also about Gohan. Something had changed, all of sudden and without forewarning. His whole demeanor was different from just a few minutes ago. His face was incredible pale, his hands tightly clenched into fists and his eyes closed. She couldn't tell what had triggered this change, if it was the storm or something else, but it was scaring her in some way. Gohan had always made a calm and composed impression on her. He had been indifferent and brave at the same time, when someone confronted him about something – even if it was her – and never backed off. She had thought that she knew him, but she had been wrong. Even after finding out about him being Saiyaman and being able to fly, he still was a mystery. 

Son Gohan, what are you still keeping from me?

Son Gohan wasn't aware of the eyes boring right through him. He wasn't aware of the jolts the copter made nor did he notice the rain patter hard against the copter's windows. He was too engaged in his own thoughts to notice anything around him. He was terrified, a feeling he hadn't had for ten years. The last time he had had this kind of feeling had been, when the Saiyajins had arrived on earth and Piccolo had to give his life to save him as a result of this. After that he hadn't been terrified once. Not when they had been on Namek fighting Frieza, not when the Jinzoningen were after his father, not even when he had been fighting Cell. He had been scared, but had never been close enough to be downright terrified so that your whole body refuses to work, not like it was now. 

Damn it. He had left for good, so why was he now forced to go back and face everything he had so successfully left behind? But it was his own fault, he scolded himself. _He had wanted to come to this place to train Videl. _He_ hadn't noticed the storm coming up… _

"Gohan!" he was roughly pulled out of his thoughts and opened his eyes. Videl looked at him with blazing blue eyes, pearls of sweat rolling down her cheeks and her hands tightly clasped around the joystick. "Hold on tightly. We're going to land."

He turned his head to look out of the window and indeed there it was, standing on a clearing in the middle of the woods and looking as peaceful as ever. He felt his heart pounding hard against his chest. Panic rose again in his body and he desperately wanted to get out of this copter and leave this place. But he could not. As much as he wanted, he couldn't. The girl next to him was keeping him in place, alone with being there. He didn't know how long the storm would last and he at least knew how to get along in this kind of weather and he knew the woods and their dangers. He wasn't sure that Videl knew about those things, so he stayed. 

Videl managed to land the copter as softly as possible and immediately tore her door open after she had turned off the engine. "Gohan! Come! I don't want my copter to get any damage so I need to capsulize it. But you have to get out."

Nodding numbly, Gohan opened his door and stepped outside. He barely noticed the sound of the copter being capsulized and hardly felt the pressure of the hand on his arm. He looked up and stared into Videl's eyes yet again. He didn't hear her, but her mouth moved and he felt a tug at his arm. Just reluctantly he moved from the spot until they were standing on the threshold of what had once been his home. The rain was still hitting down on them and they were close to being completely drenched, so Videl knocked at the door. First lightly and then, when no one answered harder so that, in the end, it was more hitting the door than knocking at it. She yelled, but he couldn't hear her words. Didn't she know that the house was deserted? He shook his head. Of course she didn't. How could she? In the rain it was impossible to see the exact state of the house. Gently pushing her aside, he put his hand on the doorknob, but the door didn't open. Right, Bulma had locked it before they left so many years ago. He tightened his grip and pushed harder, but not hard enough to break it off its hinges. The door swung open and Videl just looked at him, though he couldn't tell if her look was an approving or disapproving one, before she hurried inside. Taking one last deep breath, he followed her, closing the door behind him.

~*~

Bulma and her mother were in the kitchen preparing the last things for dinner for the whole family consisting of three humans and five Saiyajins as it was nearing dinner time. Bulma worriedly glanced out of the window, noticing the darkening sky and then took a look at the watch. It was already getting late and there was still no sign of Gohan. He had told her this morning that he would definitely be back for dinner – and she knew that a Saiyajin never skipped a meal if the reason wasn't _very important – but they would have dinner in just a few minutes and it was really strange that the oldest Son-boy wasn't home yet. _

Grabbing a few plates to bring them into the dining room, she left the kitchen and placed them on the table, where the others were already sitting at. She rubbed her hands in her pants and again looked out of the window. "Does anyone of you know where Gohan is?" she queried the four Saiyajins.

"Still in the mountains and his ki hasn't moved away from them," Vegeta informed her curtly, but what he didn't tell her was that the boy's ki _had_ in fact moved and was now at exact the same place where he had once lived. He also didn't tell her about the weird flickering in his ki, which he was feeling for some minutes now. If he told her now, she would only become frantic and he didn't need to be present when that happened.

"Well, if Gohan isn't here for dinner, then there's more for us," Trunks exclaimed with a huge smile on his face at the prospect of having now more food for himself.

Bulma only sighed and left the dining room again. In the kitchen her mother filled some bowls and was humming to a song that was being played in the radio, which came to an end, only to be replaced by the news. The two women continued their work, only listening with an half ear to what the news speaker was saying, when Bulma suddenly noticed the words '439 Mountain Area'. She immediately stopped what she was doing and listened carefully.

"… There's large thunderstorm in the 439 Mountain Area, one of the most dangerous we had in the last year. It will subside sometime during the night but until then we recommend everyone living in this area to stay inside their houses and to keep their windows and doors closed. This is…"

Bulma jerked around, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was her mother. "Don't worry dear. Gohan is a big boy and he grew up in this region. I'm sure that he and the girl found shelter and are waiting for the storm to pass."

"I know mom," Bulma whispered. She was right, of course, but Bulma only knew of one shelter in this region that wasn't somewhere in the forest…

~*~

It was dark inside. Not too dark, but for Videl it was still hard to see exactly where they were. She walked along the small hallway they were standing in and brushed past a small counter, whirling up dust. She had to sneeze – a sound disturbing the silence that had engulfed them after Gohan had closed the door. Just distantly the sound of rain and wind was to be heard, along with thunder. She pulled out a small box for capsules out of her pocket and exchanged the one of the copter with another one. She pushed the button and a second later held a flashlight in her hand. She switched it on and let the beam of light wander around the hallway. She frowned lightly. "That's strange. This house seems to be deserted. There hasn't been anyone here in years."

But Gohan, who didn't have the slightest problems to see anything, didn't listen to her. He was back. He was really back. It was still everything like he remembered. In front of him the stairs that would lead to the bedrooms, the door to the kitchen on the right and the door to the living room on the left. He had it in front of his eyes. The day everything began. He had been hurrying back and forth between kitchen and living room to set up everything and his mother came down the stairs, earlier than expected. Everyone had been so happy…

He suddenly had to blink, when Videl directed the flashlight at him. "Okay, Gohan… I don't know how much time we have to spend here until the storm is over, but I think we should get acquainted with our surroundings, don't you think?" When she received only a blank stare, she gave up and walked through the door on the left, to the living room. 

Here it was a bit lighter, thanks to the windows and Videl could see most things without flashlight. Leaving Gohan in the doorway, she walked around the room, searching the shelves and walls for something to catch her interest. It didn't take long, however, for her to find something. It was a picture at the wall. After wiping off the dust, she studied it closely. Three people. Two adults and one kid. One of the adults was an astonishing large man that let the black haired woman, the other adult, in front of him look incredible tiny and fragile. His overly large palm was resting on her shoulder and her hands were resting on the shoulders of the also black haired boy. From what she could see it had been a sunny day and yet this picture held some kind of gloom. The happiness of the family – she assumed it was a family – was only a façade. There was no real spark in their eyes. Their smiles seemed fake. A sense of loss suddenly overcame her. Something, or rather someone was missing on this picture. It was not complete.

"Gohan, you should look at—" She turned around to face the door, where just a minute ago the teenager had been standing, only to find him gone. She hurriedly left the living room – though not wanting to admit it, she didn't like at all the prospect of suddenly being all alone in this strange and also somehow creepy house – searching the room across the hallway without success before darting up the stairs. She brushed past two doors, only catching glimpses of what was inside those rooms, but not really noticing it, and stepped through a third one. Gohan was there, standing in the middle of the room. 

Again Videl took a closer look at her surroundings. This room was different. Smaller for one and it also looked a lot like a children's room. In the beam of the flashlight she could see some stuffed animals on a shelf, some books on another. In front of a window stood a desk. A thick layer of dust was on it, just like on the rest. She walked past Gohan, who still didn't seem to have noticed her presence in the room – he still had a blank and faraway look on his face – to the desk an pulled open one of the drawers, curiosity getting the best of her. Inside she found a notebook. She blew off the dust and opened it somewhere in the middle. The first thing she noticed were the calculations done on this page, calculations they had only done last year in school, and the second thing were doodles. She brought the light closer. One of those doodles she recognized as one giant dragon. She leafed further until she came across a list that caught her interest: _Things a big brother should do. _Going through the list, she couldn't help but smile. This was really cute. But the last one wiped her smile away. _Do everything dad would have done with them._

When a lightning suddenly lit up the room, she dropped the book to the floor. It's okay, Videl, she told herself. It's just the thunderstorm. She just wanted to pick the notebook up, when she noticed that, again, she was alone in this room. Shaking her head and wondering about how Gohan always managed to sneak away like that, she left the book where it was lying and left the room. Maybe she had only been too deep in thoughts to notice him leaving the room. After she had left the room, another lightning illuminated the room and showed the reading on the inside of the notebook's cover: _Son Gohan._

She found the teenager in question just another door down the corridor. He stood in the doorframe and only stared inside, obviously being once again or still lost in his own world. This worried her deeply. How could this house have this kind of effect on him? While she stopped behind him, she could get a good look into the other room. From what she could see it was almost empty, except of a few shelves – and a baby's changing table. Tears threatened to spring into her eyes. What kind of tragedy had taken places in these walls? Everything looked as if it hadn't been touched in years. And still there were so many things that indicated that someone had lived here once. But why hadn't they taken all those things with them, when they had moved away. _If_ they had moved. _If_ not something else had happened. Images of a happy family appeared in front of her eyes. A small boy playing in the front yard with his father, while the mother was standing in the kitchen preparing dinner. Something _must_ have happened. Otherwise she couldn't imagine why someone would abandon this kind of life.

Videl suddenly felt bad for invading the privacy of… she didn't know what it was, but she still felt bad about it. Maybe they should just leave. Had the storm already calmed down? Would her copter be able again to fly in those conditions? She didn't know and – honestly – didn't care at that moment. She only didn't want to disturb the peace in this house anymore and frankly, she was scared. 

She none too gently grabbed Gohan's upper arm, forcing him to turn around to her. "Gohan, I think we should go." She looked up into a pair of black haunted eyes. They were wide and she could have sworn that she saw tears brimming in his eyes. But she didn't have any time to take a closer look, because the teenager had already pushed her out of the way and was already on his way downstairs. She stood there for a few seconds, more confused than scared now. What the hell was wrong with him? She quickly shook her head. Just one way to find out. Follow him!

Gohan hurried down the stairs. He had to get out! Inside this house, these rooms, he was suffocating. Not really thinking about where he was going, he nearly flew down the stairs and immediately turned left. He rushed through the kitchen, out of the backdoor and stopped, when cool rain hit his face. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying desperately to banish the pictures that were in his mind. Everything had seemed so real. The screams of his mother, her pale form lying on her bed, the sheets drenched with sweat and… Oh god, the blood! It had been everywhere! 

Taking another deep breath, he opened his eyes. First now he realized where he was. His eyes rested on the two grey objects in the close distance. Still shell shocked by the memories that had emerged after looking into his mother's – his parents' – old bedroom, he didn't feel his feet moving, nor did he notice the rain that was will pouring down on him, and stopped directly in front of two tombstones. He had never wanted to come back and yet, now that he was there, he couldn't leave again. Was this really the same place he had left so many years ago? Was this really the place his parents have been buried? No, not buried, he corrected himself with a grim smile. There were no bodies to be buried. This was the reason why it had seemed as complete nonsense to him to come back to this place. He couldn't visit his parents' graves, because they weren't there. The gravestones were telling lies. There was no Son Goku and no Son ChiChi lying down there. They were gone. Gone and they would never come back. Never… 

Truly never...

At that moment the realization finally sank in, after almost eight years, he finally came to terms with his parents' death. They were gone and that was final. No Dragonballs and no wishes could bring them back. He finally understood that. He had a new life now. The twins were growing up quickly and he was making friends his own age. He had needed that. He had needed to be confronted with those happenings again. He was older now; he understood what had happened, though he still had no idea why. But at least no one knew the answer to that question. His parents' were gone, but some day they would meet again in the afterlife. He understood that now and finally let go. They were dead, but they still lived on in his memories and in the stories he and Bulma told and would still tell the kids. He accepted that and for the first time after that fateful day years ago, he allowed himself to cry.

Videl found him like this. On her way outside, she had grabbed an umbrella – an old one, holes eaten in by moths – and had stood in the rain behind him for quite some time, before she finally found the courage to go up to him, holding the umbrella above both of them. Her eyes rested on the gravestones and after having read the inscription she finally understood everything and at the same time nothing at all. The questions she had moments ago faded to be replaced by new ones. Son Goku and Son ChiChi. Son Gohan. Son. She didn't know how or why, but it was obvious that his parents were lying in those graves, six feet below the ground. According to the inscriptions it had only happened a few years ago. She hadn't known that Gohan was an orphan. She also couldn't remember him telling anyone. Was this the reason why he didn't want her to come to his place to train? Did he live at an orphanage? Didn't he want her or anyone else's pity? Yet again she noticed how little she knew of him. And it made her sad. She didn't know what had happened in this house, but it must have been horrible for him. Did he have anyone he could talk to about this? What about his sibling? Siblings? In the notebook he had been talking about _them. Two or maybe even three? What happened to them? Where were they?_

She carefully looked up and her eyes met his. His face was wet, as was the rest of him, but his eyes were red and bloodshot. She gently put a hand on his forearm and mumbled softly, "Let's get inside. You're getting cold." She was relieved, when he nodded.

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Hope ya liked it!

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	16. Part II: HIStory

**A/N:    Well, here I am, back with another chapter that you'll hopefully like. My boyfriend is on a trip this weekend with his soccer team and so I'm all on my own, because my parents are also on vacation on a sunny island in Spain. So, after having enjoyed the beautiful weather outside (sun and round about 80°F), I'll now spend some time writing, only for you! By the way, thanks a lot for your reviews! I'm glad that there are still some people out there who read this story.**

            Oh, and yes, I borrowed the title for this chapter – it's taken from Michael Jackson's Best Of album HIStory. So, it doesn't belong to me and I don't claim any rights for it!

**Part II**

**Chapter 15: HIStory**

Son Gohan sighed, as he opened the door of a closet. He didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Videl had seen him like this _and_ yet again found out about one of his secrets. She would ask many question as soon as he was back downstairs, he was sure of that. Fortunately the thunderstorm itself had subsided quickly, but it was still pouring outside and still too stormy for the copter to start, so they would have no other choice but to stay here until the storm was truly over. And knowing this kind of weather, he knew that it could take long, maybe even the whole night.

Both of them were completely drained, not only because of the quick run from the copter to the house, but mostly due to his small trip outside during the storm. The old umbrella surely didn't do a good job protecting Videl from the rain, seeing as she had gotten as wet as he, but he could live with it. Being a Saiyajin did have its advantages after all, one of them being resistant against any kinds of illnesses. But Videl was only human and she could and eventually would catch a nasty flu if she kept on her clothes any longer. Not even the fire he had lit in the chimney would protect her from that. So he had gone upstairs and was now standing in front of his parents' old closet, hoping to find any of his mother's clothes that might fit her and maybe even some of his father's old stuff, only not to raise any more suspicions as to why he wouldn't get ill.

Gohan looked through the dresses his mother had always worn, until he finally found something that should not only fit Videl but maybe also be kind of her style. He had found it in the back of the closet and he was sure that he had never seen his mother wearing this before. It had some resemblance to a gi, blue pants, but wearing something that looked a bit like the typical Japanese dresses over it and matching boots. He held the unfolded clothes in front of him and nodded approving. That should be her size. 

He put them down on the chair next to him and then turned back to the closet, only this time to another section, the one of his father. There he found several orange gis, but he wasn't ready yet to wear one of these. No, he was looking for other clothes and he _knew_ that his father had possessed other clothes than that. A small smile lit up his face, when he finally found what he had been looking for. A pair of faded jeans and a simple white T-shirt. He wasn't sure if he had developed a similar physique as his father had in the last years, he couldn't imagine that his shoulders should now be as broad as his father's, but indeed, after having changed into them, he had to find out that the clothes fitted perfectly. It was a strange feeling, wearing those clothes. They didn't belong to him and yet they were like a second skin. He took a look into the full lengths mirror in the room and ran a hand through his still damp hair. The boy he had seen until this very morning was gone, replaced by a young man. Things had changed over the last years, he had changed and he hadn't even noticed it. He had grown up.

"Gohan?"

His head jerked around. Yeah, right. He had almost forgotten Videl. Grabbing the clothes he had chosen for her, he hurried downstairs into the living room, where he found her sitting in front of the chimney, her clothes clinging closely at her body. A small blush crept on his face as he could see her usually hidden curves under the wet fabric and he slightly lowered his gaze to the ground. "I brought you some dry clothes. They should fit you. Uhm, I can turn around or leave the room, while you're getting dressed."

"Uhm, turning around should be enough," the girl said flustered, but not because of his suggestion, more because of Gohan himself. Her eyes followed him, as he turned around and she had to shake her head to clear her mind of thoughts that she would have never thought she could have about him. But the way he came into the living room had this effect on her. His face lit up by the fire, shadows playing on the muscular arms, how well those clothes fitted him and how differently he suddenly looked. Actually handsome – most girls in their class would most likely start drooling now – and somehow cool. This was not the nerd Gohan or the dork Saiyaman, no, this was a different person. Today she had seen another side of Gohan, a side that no one had seen before. 

"Videl, are you okay?"

She tore her gaze away from, what she had only now noticed, his ass – a tight ass she had to admit - to look at the clothes he had given her. Shaking her head once again, she finally changed into them, immediately feeling a lot better with dry clothes on her body. "You can turn around again." Videl watched, how the teenager slowly turned around and sat down on the floor across of her. And then they sat there in silence, an uncomfortable one, she thought grimly. She had so many questions, there were so many things that still confused her about him. But she didn't dare to open her mouth to speak. Her own hands were somehow far more interesting that anything else in the room and especially a lot more interesting than the boy in front of her. She didn't want to stare, she didn't want to be impolite, but she wanted to know. Thankfully, they weight of asking those questions was taken from her shoulders.

"I guess you have a few questions, don't you?" She nodded, still unable to speak. "Okay, then let's see. Yes, those two graves out there belong to my parents. My father died when I was eleven and my mother not even one year later. Both deaths came as a shock and somehow unexpected."

"How did they die?" Videl suddenly heard herself asking.

Gohan looked at her and she immediately felt bad for asking this question, but he answered nonetheless. "Cell. Cell killed my father."

"But, I know this might sound stupid, but didn't somehow all persons that were killed by Cell come back to life after my dad defeated him?"

"This is…" complicated, he wanted to say, but how could he tell her about the Dragonballs and his father's decision to stay dead without revealing too much? He sighed. "I don't know. It's just the way it is. However, before my father died, my mother got pregnant with twins. She didn't survive the birth."

"But the babies… I mean, they did survive, didn't they?"

Gohan nodded at her, a small smile playing again on his lips. "Yes, they did. And two little devils they've become."

"I see." She returned the smile. "I guess it isn't easy raising them."

"No it isn't. But I'm not alone. After my mother's death, good friends of my parents took us in. They have a son who is only one year older than the twins. He is the third member of the Trio From Hell. The friends of my parents, and I mean all friends, have become our family."

Videl nodded understanding. So her question if he was living in an orphanage was answered. He was lucky that his parents had friends like that, who were willing and able to take care of three more kids. If something like that had happened to her, she wouldn't have been that lucky. 

Silence fell again over the room, the only sounds being the rain on the outside and the fire crackling in the chimney. Gohan had his head turned away from her as he was staring in the flames. Different emotions were passing on his face as memories resurfaced again, and without her asking a question, he started to talk again. "I haven't been here since the funeral of my mother. I had left this house and this region behind. I thought for good. I never wanted to come back here. I wasn't ready for the pain and the memories that I knew would eventually come back to haunt me. But now I'm here and I'm fine… finally. I needed that. I needed to come back to be confronted with all those memories so that I could finally get over my parents' death. This had once been my home, and only now I know how much I've missed this home. All those years I not only forbade myself to come here, but also forbade the twins to do this. How wrong I've been doing it. They deserve to know where they were born, they deserve to know where the graves of their parents are. And now I'm finally ready to show them. Thank you, Videl, for bringing me here."

"You don't need to thank me." Videl grabbed his hand and smiled at him. Sure, most of his answers had been rather vague, but at least she now knew a lot more about Son Gohan than before. Somehow this made her life suddenly much more interesting and being kind of the reason for him to get over his parents' demise filled her with a bit of pride. She had helped a lot of people before, but never like this. And she was glad, because she had the feeling that after this night, this talk, she had finally found someone she would dare to call a friend – and maybe, maybe Gohan was feeling the same way, not only because he had trusted her with a part of his story, but also because he needed one as badly as she did.

Dawn broke over the land, the sun lighting the land so that it almost seemed as if the storm had never taken place. The only evidences for the previous night were some uprooted trees and animals that now dared to come out of their holes in the ground. The light crept through the mist and through the windows of the abandoned house in the mountain area. 

Son Gohan stood in the open door, watching the breathtaking sunrise. It had been years since he had last seen the dawn like this. In the city it was different, for one you can't see the stars in the city like you do in the countryside, but no sunrise in the city can be compared to the one in the mountains. How he had missed this. He had to take the kids here soon, maybe camp outside or maybe first just showing them this house and the woods surrounding it. He was sure that he would have a hard time getting them back into the city after they had seen where he had once lived.

A cracking sound of the wooden floor caught his attention and he turned around. Videl stood there in the hallway, already dressed again in the now dry clothes she had worn the day before. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, obviously still being pretty tired. "Good morning," she mumbled.

"Good morning Videl. Did you sleep well?" She had fallen asleep sometime after the talk, but Gohan had stayed awake until after midnight, only reliving old memories, mostly happy ones and he had come to the conclusion that though his childhood hadn't been an easy one, he had been happy. He had had the most caring parents and friends he could have wished for, even if they had not always shown it. And now, after his parents were gone, he still had his friends and two wonderful siblings. There was so much he should be thankful for, even after he had lost so much, but until that night before he hadn't seen it. It was really stupid.

"Gohan? You still in there?"

"What? Oh, yeah." He gave her a lopsided grin, the one his whole family was famous for, and scratched the back of his head. "So, I don't think that we'll find anything eatable here and the storm is over. It's still quiet early and we could still make it to school, of course after we had breakfast somewhere."

"School? Are you completely insane? The only thing I want now is my bed, because sleeping on the hard floor isn't what I would call relaxing. No, I'm flying home now and sleep the rest of the day and you, Son Gohan, should do the same thing. You seem to have slept even less than I have."

"You may be right," Gohan said and couldn't oppress a small yawn. Videl was right. Going to school right now wouldn't be a good idea and also Bulma and the kids might be worried. Better go home now.

~*~

When Gohan landed in front of the Capsule Coporation main building the sun was already up. He had accompanied Videl the most part of the way home, only to make sure that she really wasn't too tired to fly her copter until she had kicked him out eventually, telling him to go home, that she would get home safely and that they would see each other in school the next day. He had stared after her after that until she had disappeared completely to his eyes before taking course to the Western Capitol. This last night had certainly been full of surprises and one of the most important ones was that he thought he had found a true friend in Videl. 

As usual he went through his routine as soon as he got through the door – announcing his presence to the occupants and taking off his shoes. He didn't get to finish the latter however, because as soon as his presence was known, he was thrown to the floor by three whirlwinds and bombarded with question of which he didn't understand one due to the fact that everyone was talking at once. 

"Kids, get off of him!" a sharp female voice commanded and not for the first time in his life Gohan was grateful to see Bulma's face, as the kids let go of him and he was able to get up.

"Thanks Bulma," he said grinning and kicked off his last shoe, placing them neatly on the floor. 

"Son Gohan!" He winced. "Where the hell have you been last night?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that… The storm kinda surprised us and we spent the whole night in the mountains. I'm sorry if you were worried about us," he said, also directed at the kids, "but I couldn't leave her there all alone and it would have been too dangerous to either fly with her copter or for me to fly her home."

"You spent…"

"The whole night…"

"In the mountains?" The three children stared at him in awe. 

"Well, not really in the mountains but in the area… But how about I tell you later about it. I also wanted to take you on a small fieldtrip this afternoon. Well, what do you think?" Gohan winked at them.

"Cool!" they exclaimed in unison.

 "Well, why don't you already prepare some things for a picnic? I'll come and join you in a few." The kids could only nod and rushed off. 

Bulma in the meantime looked worriedly at her protégé. "Gohan, tell me, where did you and Videl stay over night?" she asked, after the kids were gone.

The teenager sighed. "We stayed at our old house. Videl had seen it on her way to our training place and it was her first suggestion and the only available shelter. But don't worry, Bulma. I'm fine." Finally.

Bulma carefully studied the face of the boy – no, young man – in front of her and for the first time in years, ever since that dreadful tragedy had happened, she could see that he truly meant what he said. Something must have happened there and whatever it was, it had helped him a great deal. He looked happier, more carefree than he had looked in a long time, a very long time. She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "I believe you, Gohan... Now, I don't think you should let the kids wait any longer. I'm sure they expect some horror stories." The laugh that erupted from his throat came directly from his heart and this confirmed her suspicions even more. Gohan was on his best way to be healed and she also suspected that this girl, Videl, didn't play an insignificant role in his change.

~*~

"Hey kids! There it is!" Gohan shouted over the wind and pointed to a house on a clearing in the middle of the woods. The four of them landed on the front lawn and Gohan opened the front door. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come inside!"

The three young Saiyajins stared in awe at their surroundings. Being in this house was kind of creepy and they felt a shiver running down their spines. Now in the light of day Gohan could see that the layers of dust were even thicker than suspected and in about each corner he could see spider webs. One thing was sure, if he ever planned on returning to this house, he needed everyone he could get to clean it. 

"You and Videl really stayed here last night?" Jenny exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, we did."

"So you just broke into this house?" Trunks looked at him disapprovingly, much to Gohan's amazement. With Vegeta as father it was a wonder that Trunks hadn't congratulated him to breaking into a house. Well, okay, maybe his and Bulma's influence on the kids did some good.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Trunks, but I didn't break into this house. I'll tell you why. Come on, follow me." Gohan went up the stairs with the kids at his tail and walked into the room at the end of the corridor. On the floor he saw the notebook, picked it up and with a smile, put it back into the drawer, while the children were still standing in the doorframe. "This was once my room."

"You lived here?" Vegeta's son asked surprised.

Gohan only nodded and walked out of the room, again followed by the now even more curious children. He stopped in the doorframe to the room next to his. "And this was the room of my, our," he corrected while looking at the twins, "parents. And the room next to this one should have been yours."

"Does that mean we also lived here, bro?" Goten wanted to know.

"You lived here, too, for a few days until we moved to CC. But now I want to show you one more thing. It's outside."

Gohan stepped out of the kitchen into the warm afternoon sun. The air was incredible fresh, the exact opposite to the air of the city. He took a deep breath and motioned for the kids to come with him. "Cool! Graves!" Goten announced, Trunks' influence having rubbed off on him.

"Are those the graves of Mom and Dad?" the girl asked, almost a bit shyly. 

"Yes, they are," Gohan told her. "But Mom and Dad aren't in there. They are in the Other World on a planet where only the most popular fighters of the whole universe are allowed to go to. And I'm sure that they are looking down on us now and then to make sure that we are okay."

"Cool," the kids said yet again.

~*~

Gohan didn't know how right he was with his assumption, because at exactly the same time the dead fighter Son Goku was looking down at his children with a satisfied and proud smile on his face. He turned from the lake through which he could see them to his wife and said, "ChiChi, I think our son is finally ready."

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Dun, dun, dun… Does that count as a cliffhanger? I don't know… Well, it's slowly starting to get interesting, I promise! You only have to be patient and wait for me to post the next chapter!

Oh, and Vindali, you will get to know in time, how it could be with the different dates of birth, so stop bugging me *grins*. I think I finally have gotten a possible explanation for this…

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	17. Part II: Three little Super Saiyajins

**A/N:**                Okay, I tried really hard to write this chapter as fast as possible and this is the outcome!

For the ones of you who are also reading "The Treasure of Power": I'm also working on a new chapter for this story, but I can't tell, when I'll be able to post it! I just wanted to let you know.

**Part II**

**Chapter 16: Three little Super Saiyajins**

It was Saturday. Gohan had never suspected that those three words would delight him that much in the future, but now they in fact did. Saturday meant no school, no school meant no homework and no homework meant more time that he didn't need to use for school. During the last five days this time had been scarce. Like already mentioned there was school, then the homework, and even though it was a piece of cake for him he still needed to do it and that meant using up some of the time he'd rather like to spend otherwise. Oh, and not to forget, Videl. They had met once again during the previous week after the incident in the mountain area and continued her training. And he had to admit, she had improved drastically. After having repeated what they had done the first time for a few minutes, they started with the real flying lessons and Videl seemed to be a natural – she had been able to fly by the end of the day. They now only needed to work at her coordination, sudden changes of direction and the likes. But that shouldn't be a problem and after that, he would call their lessons as officially finished, because there wasn't more that he could teach her. The only thing she could do from then on was practicing her style and not more. He wasn't needed to do that and so he hoped that he could then finally concentrate again on his training and the training of the kids. 

Speaking of the kids… Gohan looked at the clock in the kitchen, showing him that it was close to ten o'clock in the morning. He had promised to train with them from ten to lunch, and then he had wanted to meet with Videl again, hoping that her mood was better than the last time when she'd left. He couldn't explain why her mood had suddenly changed, he couldn't remember having said or done anything to insult her. The only thing that he had told her was that it would be better for her to cut her hair short and when she had asked if he would like that better, he had only answered that short hair wouldn't bother her as much as long hair in a fight. This was no reason to be angry at him, wasn't it? Well, he would never understand women. Maybe he should ask Bulma, when he saw her.

Gulping down the last remains of his toast with a glass of water, he quickly spread out his senses and found out that the kids were already in the gravity room with – he cringed – Vegeta, obviously waiting for him. Not that he didn't like training with Vegeta, with him he could go full out after all, but when he wanted to train with the kids, having Vegeta around wasn't that good. He would only turn the gravity too high so that the kids wouldn't be able to do anything anymore and would be forced to leave and then he would have to face him all alone and could forget his training with the kids. Well, he would have to make the best out of it. 

Gohan arrived at the gravity room only two minutes later and entered the code that would shut down the gravity and enable normal people to step into the training facilities without being mashed. The three kids were standing in front of Vegeta, all for of them looking like they had trained already a bit – too bad Gohan couldn't tell how much, because Vegeta had asked Bulma to build this gravity room to only let the normal ki-levels reach the outside so that others wouldn't know how far 'advanced' he already was and could use it as surprise-effect in a fight. She and Gohan found it rather ridiculous, but they didn't feel like arguing with Vegeta about it. 

Vegeta looked up, when he heard him entering the room and Gohan thought for a moment that Vegeta's face had somehow lost a bit of color and that he looked kind of surprised, but dismissed this thought quickly, when the prince's back straightened and he crossed the arms over his chest. "There you are, brat," he said in an annoyed voice. "Take the brats and train somewhere else. You'll only disturb me here." After having said that, he stumped away to a small room in the back, where drinks and snacks were stored, muttering something about 'life being unfair' or something like that. 

The teenager just shrugged and went over to the kids. "Okay, you heard him. He doesn't want us here and I'm also not too keen on training with him today, so why don't we pack some lunch and fly to the mountain area to train? I wanted to train there with Videl this afternoon anyway." 

The kids happily agreed and were out of the door before he could even blink twice. He shook his head in amusement. Someday one of those overenthusiastic and hyperactive kids would be the death of him, he was sure of that. But they were still young and he had always wanted them to be as much like normal kids their age as possible. As long as possible. Those almost eight years of peace had made him somehow edgy. The longest time without anyone to fight for the fate of the earth had been four years for him and those were the first four years of his life and so it was only natural that he was becoming somehow overly-sensitive concerning new evils to fight. Or maybe he was just being paranoid. Vegeta didn't seem to feel like this and he had spent many more years fighting than he probably ever would. But still, Gohan had the strange feeling that something was about to happen soon – the time-span of eight years was simply too long for him. 

He followed the kids outside and when he passed the control panel something struck him as odd. The last gravity that had been used in the room was 100G, too much for the kids to properly walk, let alone train in. Well, maybe this had been the gravity before the kids came into the room. Yeah, that must be it. Vegeta had trained under 100G and then the kids came in and the gravity was shut off. He shook his head once again with a smile on his face. Yep, he _was_ becoming paranoid. Seeing strange and suspicious things when there weren't any – a clear sign for losing his sanity. 

~*~

Out in the mountains, Gohan and the kids started with their training. First the usual warm-ups, stretching their muscles and then they started with some light sparring. Gohan watched the three children fighting from the sidelines, giving them advices about how they could improve some attacks or pointed out, when one of them let his guard down. At the same time he desperately tried to find out, who of them was the strongest. Desperately, because he felt that all three of them were on exactly the same level. None of their kis was higher or lower than the ones of the others and that occurred to him as highly suspicious. All of them being on the same level, especially with Trunks being one year older, was simply impossible. That must mean that his former suspicions had been true and that the kids were indeed holding back in their training. He truly wondered, now more than ever, of how much they were really capable. Just one way to find out.

"Hey!" he called out to them, stopping them in mid-attack. "I think I've seen enough. Now, why don't you attack me? I want to see what you've got!"

The three Saiyajins looked at each other and then again at Gohan. "You really want us to fight you?" Jenny asked, just to make sure that they had understood right.

"Yes. The three of you against me. Don't tell me you're scared of me?" the teenager taunted, something he had picked up from both Piccolo and Vegeta. He wanted to fight them, he wanted them to show their true strength, meaning he wouldn't hold back – of course without turning Super Saiyajin, since that would be extremely unfair. He looked at the children and thought for a moment that they were smirking at each other knowingly and he suddenly suspected that they had planned something and that he was in for a surprise – what kind of surprise, he didn't know and he also didn't have time to think about it anymore, because three bundles of energy suddenly lunged at him.

Trunks came from the left, Jenny from the right and Goten attacked in the middle. Gohan had barely time to build up a defense. He hadn't expected them to come at him that fast and yet, after having gotten over the sudden shock, he managed to block their attacks. He smiled. The kids were good, far better than he'd suspected. They were incredible fast, a lot faster than he had been at their age, agiler and also stronger. But still, though he was already amazed by their abilities, he was sure that they still didn't show him all. 

Jenny managed to land a hit at his jaw and Gohan flew a few feet back, stopping in midair. He concentrated his ki and powered up, his muscles bulged and grow, but he didn't turn into a Super Saiyajin. It was time for a counter attack. Rushing forward, he was the one to land blows, though when landing the hit, he always lowered his strength. He knew that the kids should be able to take it, Vegeta had already done worse to them and he himself had been on the receiving end of harder blows when he had been even younger than the kids, but he didn't want to be the target of Bulma's anger, when she found out that he had been _too hard_ on them. 

He noticed that the kids adjusted quickly to the sudden change of events and he slowly started to wonder, what other surprises they still had in store for him. He didn't need to wait long, however, for the kids broke apart from him only a few minutes later. They appeared to be out of breath and they were sweating heavily. Gohan wished he could hear what the Trio from Hell was talking about, but they were too quiet, even for his sensitive ears. He saw them nodding at each other and before he could do or say something, he had to shield his eyes, because he was suddenly surrounded by glaring golden light. 

His mouth opened in shock, but no sound came out of it, when the light had subsided and he had opened his eyes again. That couldn't be… No way… But his eyes didn't betray him. In front of him were in fact floating three little Super Saiyajins. 

The kids rushed forward, but Gohan was able to stop them with a loud, "Wait!" 

They halted directly in front of him and Jenny looked at Trunks and Goten with a smug expression on her face. "See? I told you he would react like this! Just like your dad did this morning, boxer-boy."

Just like… So he hadn't imagined things, when he thought that Vegeta had seemed kind of weird. But the kids… They were still so young, so… "How?" he barely managed to ask, the thoughts in his mind being on a rollercoaster. 

The three of them shrugged. "We dunno," Goten explained. "It just happened."

Just happened?! He made it sound like a child's play, while he himself had to train so hard to achieve this level and his father even had to lose his best friend to do so. "Uhm, and who of you was the first to turn Super Saiyajin?" The three children looked at each other and suddenly, Jenny crossed her arms to point at Trunks and Goten at her sides, but unfortunately, both boys were pointing at her. "Jenny?" The one of them who had started to train much later than the boys, the one whom he didn't want to be a fighter… Jenny was the first of them to achieve the level of the legendary. Oh god… He had to sit down for a moment, choosing the nearest rock to do so. 

"Bro? Are you okay? You don't look that well…" Goten asked worriedly, as he and the other two landed next to him.

"Don't worry, I'm okay. You've just surprised me a bit." That was the understatement of the century. He was shocked. Having something to eat now would be good. Eating usually helps getting over shocks. "Uhm, why don't we stop with our training for today and have lunch instead. I'm starving and I'm sure you guys are too."

"Lunch? Sounds good," Trunks agreed. The twins nodded and so they quickly went to the place, where they had stored the food capsules.

It was some time after lunch, all four Saiyajins were completely stuffed, when they heard the sounds of a copter coming closer. Gohan groaned inwardly. With all the trouble going on, he had completely forgotten about Videl. "Okay guys, Videl will be here in a few minutes. I don't want you to do anything that might show her that you are stronger than average kids, that includes no turning Super Saiyajin or talking about blowing up things. Oh, and please don't mention Cell or any other big bad that had tried to destroy earth, okay? And I repeat, especially not Cell, understood?"

"Okay, big bro, you can count on us!" Jenny told him smiling. He smiled back, if a bit unsurely. He knew that Jenny could keep her mouth shut and so could Trunks, if they wanted, but Goten was a whole different matter. Though living with Vegeta and Bulma under the same roof, he had maintained the typical innocence their father had been known for and it happened quite often that he let things slip that were supposed to be a secret. 

Gohan had been right. Only a couple of minutes later, Videl landed right in front of them, but as she got out of the copter, he was shocked for the second time that day. Videl, well, had changed. She had, he didn't know nor understand why, especially since she had been so angry, when she had left the last time, cut her hair. It was short, only a tad bit longer than his. I will never understand woman, he thought exasperated. 

"Gohan? Is that your girlfriend?" Oh yeah, dear little Goten… He _had_ known that his beloved little brother would say something to embarrass him. Gohan wanted to say something, to contradict what his brother had said, but Videl beat him to it.

"Girlfriend? I'm no one's girlfriend," she stated, with her arms crossed over her chest. 

"Hi Videl," Gohan greeted her, hoping to avoid this awkward subject. "Uhm, may I introduce you to the Trio from Hell?"

She raised an eyebrow. "So, this is the infamous Trio from Hell?"

The teenager nodded. "Yes, those are the twins Goten and Jenny," the twins waved at her, "and this is Trunks. We were training here this morning."

"Training?"

"Yeah," Jenny said excitedly, "because we're gonna enter the Budokai, too."

"I see…Well then, Son Gohan. When you're already warm, I guess we can start right now. By the end of the day, I want to be able to fly at least ten times better than the last time."

Gohan sweatdropped. "As you wish." He would never understand that girl and her mood swings. 

When the sun started to set, Videl was finally satisfied with the outcome of her training and decided to call it an end. The weeks left until the Tenkaichi Budokai took place she wanted to train alone, much to Gohan's relief, for now he also could finally concentrate on his training. This day he had learned something. If he didn't start training harder again soon, it would only be a matter of time until the kids surpassed him and as much as it would make him proud, he didn't want that. He had achieved his true strength only through one occurrence and remembering it was always painful, for that day he had lost his father. Because of that he wanted to honor this strength. 

So, together with school and training the hours blended into days and days into weeks. None of the fighters really noticed how the time passed, for all but one participant were training incredibly hard – the one not training was Mr. Satan, the world champion himself, claiming that he would win even without training – until the day of the Tenkaichi Budokai finally arrived…

************************************************************************************

Next chapter: …dun, dun, dun… I won't tell! *grins*

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	18. Part II: Expect the unexpected Part I

**A/N:                Sorry?**** Hehe, it took again a bit longer… Yeah… I don't think sorry will be enough… But I also have to say that it was incredible hard to write this chapter… I can only try to bring the next chapter out sooner, but readers of my other stories are breathing down my neck and I haven't updated them in a much longer time than this story… Hope you understand…**

**Part II**

**Chapter 17: Expect the unexpected (Part I)**

It was a throughout busy afternoon at Capsule Corporation. A huge copter, probably about as large as a small house, was standing on the front lawn and people were getting in and out of it or just staying outside, hands in their pockets and obviously waiting for someone or something to happen. Gohan watched this whole scene with a small smile playing on his lips from his window. It was almost like in old times. It had been really a long time since he had last seen all of his friends at one place, but now, for the Tenkaichi Budokai, they all got together again. His smile wavered a bit. Almost all of them. The one person that had been the reason for most of them to get to know each other was missing and with him another person that he was missing dearly. His parents. 

"GOHAN!" a chorus of three voices echoed through the corridor and as soon as he turned around, the three kids were standing in the door to his room.

"Everything is ready! We can go!" Goten announced excitedly. 

"Great." He smiled at the kids, silently wondering what his father would say, if he saw Goten, an exact carbon copy of himself. He picked up his duffle bag, followed the children outside, where everyone was slowly getting in the copter, and sat down on empty seats. 

He was the last one to enter and sat down on the only seat left in the front right next to Muten Roshi. Jenny, Goten and Trunks were right behind him, whispering excitedly behind their hands about what they would do, if, no, when they have won the tournament. On his left hand side were Krillin, Juuhachigou and their daughter Marron and behind them was Yamcha, who was sharing a bench with Gyuu Mao. Bulma and Vegeta were sitting in the two pilot seats, though the only person flying the copter would be Bulma, since Vegeta only sat there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Okay guys, is everyone ready?" Bulma called over her shoulder and upon hearing murmurs of agreement and a loud 'yeah' of the kids, she started the engine. "Well then. Tenkaichi Budokai, here we come!"

During the flight Gohan talked with the old turtle master next to him, tried to calm the kids or conversed with Krillin, Yamcha or his grandfather. However, most of the time he was looking out of the window down at the passing landscape. He was suddenly starting to doubt his decision to go to the tournament. The other participants would be nothing compared to him and his friends. Even if they held back, what he hoped they would, their outstanding strength would not go by unnoticed. This kind of attention was the last thing he needed and wanted. At least he was going to compete as Saiyaman, so Son Gohan was free of attention, but what about the others? Especially the other Saiyajins or those of them who had already been present at the Cell Games, which would be almost everyone. People might recognize them and this would happen more likely, when one of them transformed. One Golden Haired Warrior was enough and it would be highly suspicious if Vegeta or one of the kids turned Super Saiyajin. This could also lead to new suspicions from Videl's side. She was not stupid – he knew that by now – and it would be easy for her to connect the Golden Haired Warrior to him. 

With the speed they were flying at, it would now only be a matter of time until they arrived, so he had to make the suggestion now. "Uhm, by the way… Vegeta, Goten, Trunks and Jenny… Let's not turn Super Saiyajin, okay?"

"Why?" Vegeta asked rather roughly, for the first time since they had left Capsule Corporation saying something.

"Don't you understand? Even in your normal form people might recognize you because you were at the Cell Games," Bulma explained.

"Yeah," the teenager agreed. "This and the fact that we are already much stronger than the rest of the competitors as we are and it will already be hard enough not to draw all the attention towards us."

"It doesn't matter anyway. I'll still win the tournament."

"We're okay with it, too," Trunks piped up, after having exchanged quick glances with the other two members of the Trio from Hell and Gohan somehow doubted that they would stay true to their word. Nevertheless, he had to hope. 

Gohan had been right. Barely half an hour later Bulma safely landed the copter in front of the hotel they would be staying at during the tournament, only earning a few angry glares from passing drivers, who had to swerve their cars as not to collide with the sudden obstacle on the street. However, none of the copter's passengers seemed to notice, for they all got out of it, chatting happily with each other – except of Vegeta of course – and entered the hotel. After Bulma had put the copter back into its capsule, she followed the group up to the reception desk, where she received the keys to the booked rooms. 

"Okay everyone, all rooms are double rooms, so you have to pair up," she told them. 

"I'll stay with Gohan!" Goten announced and at once edged closer to his big brother. Jenny and Trunks only looked at each other in disgust, catching on the meaning of this. They were sure that Vegeta would not share a room with anyone but Bulma and it was quite clear that Muten Roshi and Gyuu Mao would room together, since they already knew each other for a very long time. They knew that Juuhachigou was quite protective of Marron, so they would not take separate rooms and Krillin and Yamcha knew all too well what could happen to them, if they shared a room with one of the kids, since both of them had already been on the receiving end of several of their pranks. Therefore, with mother and daughter taking one and the two old friends taking another room, they were the only ones left. 

"I'm not gonna share a room with him!" – "I'm not gonna share a room with her!"

Bulma only smiled at them, seeing this as a good opportunity that maybe they could work out their differences, or maybe they would just tear the hotel room apart in one of their arguments. She winced inwardly at this thought, hoping against hope that this would not happen, but her smile never wavered. "Ah, don't worry. Gohan and Goten will be directly next to you, so I don't think that it will be that bad. You will survive."

The kids sighed, surrendering to Bulma and accepting their inevitable fate with a pout on their faces. Sulking they followed everyone up to the third floor, where their rooms were and went to their room to settle in. Gohan and Goten joined them after a short time and the teenager helped them unpacking their bags. Jenny and Trunks did not speak a word to each other the whole time and it would stay that way the whole evening.

After the long flight and due to the fact that it was already evening, the gang went to have dinner in the hotel's restaurant and if it hadn't been for the fact that the owner himself was quite rich, he would have been put out of business by the Saiyajins, who managed to eat almost all the food available, just leaving enough for the other guests to satisfy their stomachs. After dinner, Bulma suggested that all of them should go to their rooms, saying that they would need the sleep and that they had to get up early the next morning. The tournament itself should start at 10 o'clock, but the competitors needed to sign up until 9 o'clock, so they needed to be there in time. So the fighters and their friends said goodnight to each other and went to their rooms, Trunks and Jenny still on non-speaking term.

~*~

Whirled up dust was everywhere around her. Her eyes were burning, but she did not bother to protect them from the fine grains of sand, for they were fixated on a person about a hundred yards in front of her. But it was not just any person. Someone behind her shouted that she should hurry up, but she did not listen. In the middle of the sandstorm, in the eye of it, he was surrounded by brilliant flashes of light. Thunder was rolling in the distance. The monster was just standing a few feet away from him, seemingly undisturbed by what was happening. 

Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Come on! It's too dangerous!" the voice that had already called out to her, yelled. 

She let herself be pulled away, with the image of the person engulfed in a bright golden glow, having a victorious smirk on his lips, burned in her mind. She had a bad feeling in her stomach, her mind still numbed by what had happened beforehand. What the monster had done to him. What _he had done to them. It was all like in a very bad dream, like in a nightmare._

"What is he doing? He'll get killed!" the voice asked.

Another, also familiar voice answered. "This is the first time he has fought for the behalf of others. He's going to sacrifice himself…"

"Jenny! Jenny! Wake up!" 

The girl woke up to someone calling out to her and shaking her. She wearily opened her eyes, only to see Trunks hovering above her in the sudden light of a lightning with a worried expression on his face. Rain was hitting against the window and again she could hear a thundering sound, only that this time it was real. "Trunks, what's up? Why did you wake me?"

"I should ask you what's up. The storm woke me up and then I saw you tossing and turning. You were also crying in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare?" Trunks wanted to sound annoyed, but somehow felt more concerned about what might have disturbed her in her sleep. Even though they were fighting most of the time, she was still something like a sister – she was family – and his mother and grandparents always told him that your own family is the most important and precious thing in the world. However, right now he only hoped that she had not noticed the worried edge in his voice.

Jenny quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and indeed, they were wet. Then it suddenly came back to her. She grabbed Trunks' arm and looked at him with wide eyes. "Your dad, Vegeta… He… he's gonna die! He'll kill himself! There was a monster. He fought it, but he was losing. And then… and then…"

"Jenny, calm down. It was only a nightmare. Maybe you should go to Gohan…" Trunks stopped in mid-sentence when Jenny vehemently shook her head. He understood that this was out of question. Her pride meant much to her, a trait she had already developed before her training with his father began, but which had only become stronger due to the training with the proud Prince. "Or, what about…" He could not believe that he was really going to suggest this. This would also be a blow to her pride, though maybe not as big a blow as when she was going to Gohan. But proposing this also hurt his pride, since he would openly admit that he at least cared for his _sister. "I mean, usually, when you have a bad dream, you like to crawl into someone's bed, don't you?" _

Jenny lowered her head, embarrassed. This was one of the things Trunks always made fun of and right now, she was not in the mood to argue with him. Not after this dream. Everything felt so real, as if she were really there. And it scared her. More than anything before. 

"Well, how about… I sleep with you in your bed tonight and keep you company? No one needs to know about this and…" Jenny looked up at him and he immediately stopped. "I know. Bad idea… I should just go…"

"No…" She could not believe that she was really going to say this. But she did not want to sleep alone this night. She did not want to have this nightmare again and maybe with someone being there, it would stay away. "I mean… Would you… Please? Stay with me?" 

She pulled the blanket away and, taking this as an invitation, Trunks gave her a small grin and crawled under the cover next to her. There they laid down, awkwardly at first, for none of them knew what to do. Trunks noticed that Jenny was shaking, though he did not quite know if she was cold or if it was because of the dream, and pulled the blanket up to their chins. He then carefully lifted his hand under the blanket and began to stroke her arm and strangely enough, he soon felt Jenny relax and she closed her eyes. It did not take long for her to fell asleep and Trunks followed just a short time later, wondering what he had just done.

~*~

The next morning, someone knocking at the door woke up Trunks and Jenny. The sheets were discarded somewhere at the foot of the bed and both kids were entangled in each other's limbs. The knocking became louder and they now could hear Gohan's voice calling their names. The two Saiyajins sleepily wiped their eyes and first after a few seconds noticed the position they were in. Both blushing a deep red, they scrambled away from each other, Trunks unfortunately falling out of the bed while doing so. 

"Jenny? Trunks? Are you okay?" Gohan's voice asked.

The children looked at each other and immediately came to a silent agreement. No word of what had happened the previous night would reach the world beyond those four walls. "Yeah, everything's okay!" Trunks answered, as he got up again. He quickly walked over to the door and opened it. "Morning, Gohan… How late is it?"

"Morning squirts," Gohan said, as he pushed himself past Trunks into the room. He could have sworn that he had heard something, but he only found Jenny sitting on her bed with her legs dangling down. After having made sure that really everything was all right, he turned back to the kids. "To answer your question: It's already too late. We slept in, all of us. The storm last night caused a power failure in the hotel and so the alarm clocks were all set to zero. We barely have time to get washed up and then we have to leave for the stadium." When he saw the shocked and questioning looks on their faces, he gave them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We'll have breakfast as soon as we've signed up."

~*~

"What are you talking about? Children's division?" Trunks asked exasperated, as he, Goten and Jenny stood in front of the registration desk to sign up. 

After having been woken up by the shocking news of being late, all of them barely needed fifteen minutes to get ready and five more minutes to get to the stadium. They had been just in time, only a few minutes to nine when they arrived there. At the entrance, they had already met Piccolo, who had signed up shortly before and only asked Gohan, if he really wanted to participate wearing _that, meaning his Saiyaman outfit. The teenager was just explaining to his mentor that he would not be recognized like this, when they all heard Trunks' outraged voice. _

"Hey, what's going on here?" Gohan asked, as he stopped next to them.

"They don't want us to fight adults," the black-haired girl pouted. 

"Everyone under fifteen has to fight in a tournament for children," her brother complained. 

"Is this true?" Gohan inquired. 

"I'm sorry, but it is," the small man at the registration desk told him. "This rule does already exist for some years. Young miss Satan had been the champion as long as she fought there. So, what is it now? There are also other people waiting. Do you want to sign up, or not?"

"I think we don't have another choice," the girl concluded. The two boys nodded gravely and told the small man their names. 

After them, it was Gohan's turn, who had to tell him his name three times, before he finally put it down right. One after another, the fighters signed up and when everyone's name was on the list, they went through the gate that led on the compound of the stadium.

The kids' eyes went wide, as they saw what was behind the gates. The whole compound was huge! There were so many people, all coming from different countries, booths where you could get food and do other things… Oh yeah, and did they already mention the food? So many different kinds of smells were penetrating their nostrils that they could not help but nearly drool. They could do so many things, while they were not fighting. It was like a huge fair. 

"It's like a circus," Piccolo suddenly grumbled, while taking in everything around him. 

"Yeah," Bulma agreed. "I can't remember the Budokai ever being this big. It sure has lost a lot of its charm."

Gohan only nodded in agreement. Though he had never been to the Tenkaichi Budokai before, his father had told him about the three times he had competed and what he was seeing right now surely did not correspond with his father's tales. Everything seemed too fancy. When, only twenty years before, it had been to find out who was the best fighter in the world, the fights were now standing in the background and making money was the most important thing. He really wondered what his father would say, if he saw, what the Budokai had– 

He stopped dead in his tracks. This- this ki! Could- could it be?

He turned around to look at Piccolo and Vegeta, who also had stopped and were now having stunned looks on their faces. "You feel it, too, don't you?" he barely managed to ask. His mouth suddenly felt too dry to speak. This just could not be true. But they only nodded. 

"Feel what?" Bulma wanted to know. She did not like being left in the dark, especially when she could not quite place the looks on the others' faces. "Guys, what's going on? What do you feel?"

Jenny, Goten and Trunks looked at each other, not understanding what this was all about. Sure, they had felt it, too, but they were at a tournament so it was not out of the ordinary, wasn't it? "I don't feel anything special," the girl said, "except for that incredible large ki that has appeared out of nowhere."

"And that is moving in our direction right now," Trunks added. 

Bulma looked from the kids to Gohan, to the kids and back to the teenager. He was pale and his hands were shaking ever so lightly. She wished he would not wear the sunglasses right now so that she could see what was going on in his eyes, the whole time pondering what the kids' words meant. An incredible large ki… out of nowhere… Either there was a new threat or… According to Gohan's reaction and the knowing smirk Vegeta was now giving her, it meant another thing. "Gohan…"

"It's… it's…"

"Hehe! Yahoo!" a cheerful voice suddenly called out, causing everyone to turn around. 

"Dad…" the teenager breathed, the lump in his throat suddenly getting even bigger. He was really there! He was back! And with him... "Mom?"

"Hello everybody!" ChiChi greeted them smiling, as she stepped forward from behind her husband. She tried to sound casual, but it was easier said than done. She had known that they would be back for about one month, ever since the day that her son had found the way back home, but still, seeing all of her old friends, and most of all, her kids again, makes it hard to stay calm. Oh god, she could not believe how much they have all grown. The last time she had seen her children, Gohan had still been a boy and the twins just born. ChiChi did not even want to think about how hard it would be to leave again in one day. 

"You're back," Bulma mumbled, tears streaming down her face. 

"We are, but unfortunately only for twenty-four hours," Goku told her somewhat regretfully. He, too, had been more than happy, when the Kaioushin had allowed him and his wife to return to earth, even if it was just for one day. He desperately wanted to see in person what had become of Gohan and he needed to meet the twins, his son and his daughter. "We were allowed to come back for the tournament but have to go back tomorrow."

Most of the faces fell at this declaration, but no one tried to show his disappointment. Krillin walked up to his old friend and clasped his hand in a strong grip. "It doesn't matter how long you are here. It's just good to see you again, Goku. It will be like in old times."

Goku smiled at him and returned the tight grip. "It will."

"Who are those people, Gohan?" a nearly terrified Goten, who was hiding behind his brother's leg, asked. 

"Do you know them?" Jenny, who had inched even closer to Vegeta since the appearance of those two strangers and was now also almost hiding behind him, wanted to know.

Suddenly, from one moment to another, as if he had just now realized that the two persons in front of them were not an illusion, a huge grin appeared on Gohan's face. He gently pushed Goten in front of him and took Jenny's hand, pulling her to stand at his side. He crouched down in front of them and smiled. "They are our parents."

The twins' eyes went wide. "But," Goten sputtered. "Aren't they dead?"

"We never said we weren't," Goku told them. While Gohan had been talking to the kids, he and ChiChi had used the time to go to them. 

Gohan got up again and was now standing directly in front of his father. It was kind of strange seeing him from this perspective, since he was used to looking up to him, but now the difference in height was almost reduced to zero. "Dad, I'm glad you're here."

His father smiled and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "You've grown up, my son. You've done a great job in the last years. Until one month ago we weren't sure if you were ready to see us again, but after what happened at our old house during the storm and the day after, we knew you were. I'm proud of you."

"You, you know of this?" 

Gohan never received an answer, because the next moment, his crying mother was clinging to his neck, mumbling incoherent things like 'my baby all grown up'. Father and son only exchanged another smile, before Goku left his son to take care of his mother and turned to the kids. 

"So, and you must be Jenny and Goten, right?"

Jenny threw a small glance at Vegeta, not knowing how to react or if she could really trust this strange man in front of her. Even though Goten and this man looked exactly alike and Gohan had said that this was their father, there was still some mistrust. The Prince of all Saiyajins caught her glance and, with a small nod of his head, gave her the confirmation she needed to let herself trust this man. 

The girl crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Yes, we are."

"And you are really our father?" Goten finally managed to open his mouth.

"I am. And the woman who is trying to crush your brother is your mother… But now, come on, you two…" And with that, Goku pulled the twins into a nearly bone-crushing hug. His twins. If he had known beforehand what would happen, he would have never decided to stay dead. Then he would have been able to see his children grow up and maybe he would have been able to save ChiChi. However, he can't turn back time, he can't changed what has happened, so seeing them now was enough.  

They were strong – they did not even try to hide their ki – but how strong exactly he did not know, yet. After he had watched Gohan taking the kids to their old house, he had dedicated all of his time to training and not once looked down to earth again, because he had known that he would see them again in not even one month. He surely was in for a surprise during this tournament. 

But really only for one?

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Next chapter? Mmh, most likely the children's division, I think… 

Oh, and thank you for your reviews… Please leave more! *grins* 

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	19. Part II: Expect the unexpected Part II

**A/N:    Okay, it had again been a very, very, very long time for me to update. But much has happened to me in the last few months. First of all I had school and had to study so much that I barely had time for something else. And then, one month ago, my boyfriend unexpectedly broke up with me and I've been a mess. Still am, kind of, but I'm slowly getting back to my old life. So, without boyfriend, maybe I'll have more time to write, but I can't promise you anything. But I'm really grateful that you're still standing behind me!**

**Whatever, here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**

**Part II**

**Chapter 18: Expect the unexpected (Part II)**

After many hugs and way too many kisses for Jenny's liking, the group, with now two more members, made its way through the crowd to the stadium. Jenny was walking behind the group, chewing on her last sandwich and the whole time secretly eyeing the two people she had never met before. She would have called them strangers, but were they really strangers? Gohan had said that they were their parents and Vegeta had confirmed that it was true. Even Goten had taken an immediate liking to their _father and was now sitting on his shoulders, listening closely to what the adults were talking about. _

Somehow she had imagined her _dad_ to be different. According to what Gohan had told them about the battles they fought, about his power, she had expected him to be at least a bit like Vegeta, but what she could see now only disproved her assumption. This man acted like an overgrown child, fooling around with Goten and joking with his friends. If it were not for the fact that she could actually sense the power emanating from him, even through the lowered ki, she would have never thought that this man was a fighter and on top of that the probably strongest being in the whole universe. Jenny could now finally understand why she could sometimes hear some jealousy in her mentor's voice, when he was talking about the warrior he called Kakarotto. Vegeta might have been drilled in the art of war and fighting since he knew how to walk, but compared to the raw and once unleashed, unstoppable power that she could now feel cursing though the other fighter's veins it was nothing. She was quite sure that she never wanted to be on his bad side, when this power was released.  

And then there was their _mother_. She seemed to be the exact opposite of her husband. For a human she was strong, but still nothing compared to any of the other fighters. Over the course of the last half an hour or so she had collected some words that might describe her best: pretty emotional, strict, caring, loud, talkative, moody and the last word that had entered her mind only a few minutes ago was _scary_, when she had whacked Gohan with a frying pan that had disappeared seemingly out of nowhere. Jenny was also sure that she did not want to be on the receiving end of one of those blows. She was truly grateful that Bulma was not like this – well, most of the time. Bulma's and Vegeta's yelling contests were known all over the compound. 

"So, what do you think?"

Jenny turned her attention to the young boy walking next to her. She shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, they sure seem to be nice, but it's weird. They're my parents and all, but I don't know them. I'm still not sure if I can trust them."

"Well, Goten doesn't seem to have your problems," Trunks replied. "But that's Goten for ya."

Jenny didn't answer, she didn't need to, and instead turned her attention back to her brother. She would never understand how he could trust people that easily. But Gohan was almost the same. They only seemed to see the good in people. She did not. However, maybe this was because of the fact that she spent a lot more time with Vegeta than they did. The Prince was a realist and taught her not to trust strangers until they proved to you that they were worthy of your trust.

~*~

"All the children who will compete in the youth division please follow me!" a monk called out. 

After the fighters had parted ways with the non-fighters at the great gate to the real stadium and had gotten dressed in their gis, they had gone to a large yard where the other competitors were assembled and waited for the preliminary rounds to start. They had even met the old referee from the previous Tenkaichi Budokais and talked to him for a couple of minutes, where they also found out that he did not believe in Satan's victory over Cell and that he believed that it was them who defeated the android.  

"Kids, I think that's your call," Goku told them good-heartedly. "Hopefully this will be over soon so that we can see your fights. Good luck."

The three young Saiyajins smiled at the others and then went to the other kids that had gathered around the monk. 

After they were gone, Goku turned to his oldest, who obviously craned his neck in search for someone. "Are you looking for someone, son?"

"What?" Gohan looked at his father, hoping that the small blush was not too apparent on his face. He did not even know why he blushed. He was only looking for Videl, a friend. So there was no reason for him to blush. It was not as if he was hiding something. Everyone had friends, so why was he blushing when he also had one who was not a part of the group he had known for years? When he noticed that his father was starting to look at him incredulously, his hand flew to the back of his head and he let out a nervous laugh. "A friend, who also wanted to compete and who in fact convinced me to participate." Suddenly he felt Videl's ki not far away and looked around again. "Ah! Found ya! Sorry dad, but I'll be back in a few, okay?"

"Okay," Goku said grinning and watched Gohan fight his way to the crowd until he stopped in front of a girl. His grin became even wider. So the friend Gohan was talking about was really this Videl, he thought. Goku may have been naïve in his childhood and maybe also still be naïve now, but he was not as innocent as he had been when he first met ChiChi, so he knew pretty well what to make out of his son's behavior and his involuntary blushing. He almost could not wait to tell ChiChi that their oldest was about to find himself a pretty girlfriend. Even if this girl was a Satan, Gohan could not help it if he was indeed falling from her. And she seemed to be a nice girl, if full of life, according to what he had seen from the afterlife. 

"At least he has taken an interest in one of the stronger women on this planet, even if she's the weakling's brat," Goku heard a snort from his left. 

The younger Saiyajin only nodded and finally asked the other question that had been plaguing him ever since he had met the kids. "Tell me Vegeta, I'm curious. Who is the strongest among the kids?"

"Let me be honest with you, Kakarotto. I have no idea. But I think it's either my brat or the girl. They have taken a liking in hiding their strength during their training with me and Gohan. We'll have to wait for the outcomes of the children's division to be sure. Just let me tell you one more thing: If you haven't watched their training from the afterlife you'll be in for a surprise," Vegeta said. "Look, it's starting. The weakling is here."

Goku looked up from the Prince and saw Mr. Satan walking up to what looked like a large machine or something like that. Finally, the voice of one of the referees was ringing through the speakers. "Okay everyone, we will now begin with the preliminary matches. There are 194 participants; however, only 16 are allowed to compete. Mr. Satan as the defending champion is automatically included, so only 15 of you will move on. A punching machine will be used to judge you. The 15 strongest will move on."

"A punching machine? What's that?" Krillin asked no one in particular. 

"Mr. Satan here will demonstrate the machine. Here you go!"

The defender of earth raised his arms with a loud yell, "How can anyone ever defeat me?"

"What a jerk," Krillin muttered, though he and his friends seemed to be the only ones who did not applaud. 

They all watched how Satan threw off his cape and got into a fighting stance. Strange noises emitted from his throat before he hit the machine with a deafening cry. 

"He did it! 137! He got 137 points!" the referee shouted out, trying to get through the applause of the other competitors. "Mr. Satan is great!"

The champion raised his fist one last time, before he retreated to his rooms. "Everyone try your hardest! This year I'm looking forward for a real challenge!"

So slowly, one by one, the fighters went to the machine and hit it hard. It took a short while before it was the turn of one of the Z-Fighters. "Hey, Juuhachigou," Krillin whispered to his wife, "don't use all of your strength or you'll break it."

"I know," she only answered, went up to the machine and knocked it _lightly._

"What? 774 points?" the referee shouted exasperated. "Sorry, I think it's broken. Let me take a look at it."

While the referee and a monk tried to repair the machine, Krillin hissed to his wife, "I told you to hold back."

"Shut up! It's harder to hold back any more." When the referee finally announced that the machine was repaired, the android really tried her hardest to not punch so hard and instead just gave it a small tap, which resulted in 203 points. After her, all of the Z-Fighters scored far higher than the average. Krillin got himself 193 points, Goku 188 and Piccolo 210 points. 

"Uhm, I think we're having some problems with this machine," the referee said dumbfounded. "Let's bring a new one."

"Wait a second," a voice called from behind and the referee saw a short man with a strange hairstyle walk up to the machine. "Let me take care of this." Vegeta pulled his fist lightly back and punched the machine into oblivion. 

"Impossible…" the referee panted. 

"Oops," Gohan only said, as he and Videl watched the display from a bit farther behind. 

"Gohan? Aren't you shocked? This guy just destroyed the machine!" the girl asked exasperated. "And all those people scored higher than my father!"

"Hey Gohan!" Goku greeted him, as he walked up to his son. "We are now going to check out the kids' fights. Pass the preliminary quickly, okay?"

"Sure," Gohan answered and watched his makeshift family leave. 

"You know them?" Videl questioned, not knowing if she was getting more confused or furious with this boy and his secrets. 

"Uhm, well, yeah… In fact the guy in orange was my dad."

"But didn't you tell me he was dead?"

"He is. Didn't you see the halo above his head?"

~*~

As Goku and his friends were walking to the ring, where the youth division was about to be held, he suddenly spotted something out of the corner of his eyes. He stopped and spread his ki to the direction where he thought he had seen it. "Impossible," he mumbled almost inaudible. "Guys, go ahead, will ya? I'll be coming in a few." A chorus of okays came from the group and Goku watched them leave, before he followed the kis he had just felt. It did not take long for him to find the persons he had been looking for. 

"Hello Goku," the shorter one of the two greeted him with a friendly smile. 

"Kaioushin, Kibito," the Saiyajin acknowledged them with an unfamiliar serious expression on his face. "It's unexpected to meet you here and I take it you're not only here to compete in the tournament."

Kibito only nodded grimly, while the Kaioushin spoke, "You're right. We are not here to compete in the tournament, though it would have been fun under different circumstances. No, the reason why we are here is nothing to make fun of. Babidi is on earth and we think he's planning to use the energy of the fighters here to resurrect Buu."

"So you didn't allow me to return to earth for this day to meet my family. I'm here because you want me to help." Goku was getting angry. He did not like being the pawn of higher beings to fulfill their deeds. He had come here to have fun, meet his son and get to know the twins. 

"Yes, we might need your help, Son Goku. But this doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the tournament and the presence of your family until the fight starts," the Kaioushin tried to calm him, sensing his thoughts. "But we also know the strength of our opponent. Babidi is a strong magician, as you know, and with Darbura at his side, he is almost impossible to beat. You and your friends might be our only hope to stop the resurrection."

"ChiChi won't like this…" the warrior muttered with a bitter grin on his face. 

"I'm sure she won't and because of this I don't want you to tell anyone about this, yet. As I already told you, we might need the help of you and your friends, but it could also be that we might not need it. You must understand that I am truly sorry to pull you into this, but you and your friends really might be the universe's only hope if Kibito and I fail. Until we know for sure, I'd like you to not waste any more thoughts on this matter and enjoy this day. You have not seen your family and friends for over seven years, so try to make the best out of this day," the higher god tried to reason with him and then added in a low tone, "I know that I've already messed up enough with their lives."

This last sentence was not for Goku to hear, but with his sensitive ears he did, and wondered what those words might mean. Were there still other things that the Kaioushin was keeping from him? It almost sounded like it, but he could not fathom what exactly. There was only one other time, when the higher god had said something similar to this and this was when ChiChi died. Was he somehow involved in her death? Was he the reason why his children had to grow up without their real parents? He suddenly heard the Kaioushin sigh next to him and looked at him accusingly. 

"Son Goku," he said again in a calming voice, "after this is over there are other matters that I wish to discuss with you and if you wish, with your wife. For now let me just say that you are right with one thing. And I'm deeply sorry about this. But please, before you judge me, let me tell you the whole story. But not now."

"Okay," Goku agreed somewhat reluctantly. As warrior he understood the importance of the whole Majin Buu affair, so he had to put personal issues aside for the moment being. "If you are alright with it, I will now go to my family and try to enjoy the time with them."

"Of course. If we need your help, we will come to you. Until then, good luck in the tournament." Goku nodded at the two of them and left without turning back. 

When Son Goku arrived at the stands, where the others were watching the ring he wiped the frown from his face and replaced it with his typical grin. The Kaioushin was right. Until they did not know for sure what was going on, there was no need to tell the others about the possibly approaching danger. "Hey, did I miss something?"

"Not really," Krillin told him. "Both Satan and the referee holding annoying speeches and two fights, where the losers started to cry and surrendered, when they got hit. But look, I think it's Jenny's turn now…" 

And indeed, the small black haired girl was entering the ring with a boy who was about two heads larger than she was. "And now, we have the youngest and also only female fighter in the youth division, Jenny, who is seven years old, and the oldest fighter, Ethus, who is fifteen years old! And even though both the difference in age and height are immense between the two fighters, I'm curious who will win, because Jenny's father Son Goku once won the Tenkaichi Budokai himself!"

"Why do we even watch this?" Vegeta muttered. "The only interesting fights will be between the brats."

~*~

Somewhere else on the stands, three women were also cheering on the kids. "Come on, Ethus! Don't show any mercy on that brat!" the boy's mother shouted and then added in a lower tone, so that only those directly next to her could hear it, "Too bad he can't show off his skill against a little girl like this one. It would be better for her to give just up. I don't want my son to be disqualified because this girl started to cry."

Unfortunately for that woman, the mother of the girl and a woman, who had come to love this girl like a daughter over the past few years, sat directly next to her and were able to hear all of her rambling. Both looked at each other and then stood up, shouting into the ring, "Jenny! Kick his ugly butt quickly!"

~*~

Jenny, having miraculously heard that, only smiled up to them and waved, before she got into a fighting stance. This boy had already insulted her and the boys in the waiting room and now she wanted to show him not to mess with her. 

"Ready, girl?" he sneered. 

"To fight you? Always." After having said that, her right fist lashed out, hitting him square in the jaw. He stumbled a few feet backwards and hit the ground, hard. Jenny looked at her fist. If this small punch sent him reeling like this, then how much did she have to hold back? Shrugging, she walked up to him and turned him on his back. "Hey? What's up? Tired already?"

Ethus, still conscious, stared at her wide-eyed, before quickly getting up again and trying to return the hit. Jenny, however, did not even budge. Instead, she grabbed his fist and crushed it in her hand. Screaming out, the boy went down on his knees, cradling his now broken hand, after Jenny had let him go. But the girl was not finished with him, yet. She kicked him, sending him flying a few more feet to the border of the ring, where he remained lying, though it seemed that he was still conscious and severely injured. He groaned and moved a bit, but Jenny was faster and had him already picked up at the collar. 

She grinned. "I told you not to mess with me." She moved a hand at his chest and, with an ever so tiny shockwave, threw him against a wall on the outside of the ring. 

At once two monks appeared with a stretcher, while the audience was just staring at the scene. "He's out!" the referee shouted, being the first one to come out of the stupor. "That means Jenny wins this fight. But please, wait a second," he told them, as a monk came up to him with a piece of paper. "Oh, it seems that the other judges made a decision. Son Jenny is herewith disqualified for the junior division, due to the use of unnecessary violence and display of extraordinary cruelness."

"What?" the girl protested. "But I beat him, fair and square! It's not my fault that he is a weakling!"

The blond referee said, put the micro aside and knelt down in front of the girl. "I know, but this isn't my decision. I think you fought well and for me, you are the winner of this fight. But the others, well, how should I say it, well, they haven't seen what I have seen in my younger years, as your father and his friends have still participated and they don't know of your abilities. I'm truly sorry. Maybe you should now go to them, maybe they'll be able to cheer you up."

Jenny sighed in defeat and smiled up at this man. She liked him already. "Okay… Thank you!"

The referee looked after the girl until she stopped in front of the monks, who were carrying the stretcher. He watched her fumbling in a pocket of her gi, until she pulled out something tiny, which she was giving one of the monks. He smiled, as he recognized this as one of those magic beans that healed wounds. He nodded at them to give it to the boy, who, after swallowing it, was abruptly getting up from the stretcher and flexed his muscles, as if he had never been beaten up. The referee smiled, as the girl left. Her fighting style might be a bit out of ordinary, but she had a good heart. Suddenly he noticed everyone staring at him, so he raised the micro to his mouth. "Well, as it seems Ethus is back to full health, and with Jenny's disqualification I think it's only fair to say that he can continue the fights as the winner of this match!"

~*~

Ethus' mother now looked at the two women, who had cheered at the girl, with a smug look on her face. "I wonder who had raised that girl, so that she would be this cruel."

Bulma and ChiChi both ignored her, but Bulma knew the answer to that question. "Vegeta…" After this was over, she needed to talk to both of them. She could only hope that the fights of Trunks and Goten would differ from Jenny's. 

~*~

"Disqualified," Jenny muttered, as she slurped into the waiting room and sat down next to Goten and Trunks. 

"Hey, but you gave him a senzu, so that's something, isn't it?" Goten tried to cheer her up.

"Yeah, but that won't change the opinions of the judges. But don't worry Jenny. When this idiot somehow manages to win the next fight, I'll be his opponent and I swear, I'll be careful to not get myself disqualified."

"Me too," Goten piped up.

"Okay, I wish you good luck then, and be really careful. I'll go to the others and see what they're up to."

~*~

Goku stared thoughtfully at the ring, where the next match was already being held, but he did not watch it. He was thinking about his daughter. He could clearly recognize his own and Gohan's fighting styles in hers, but there was one that was much more apparent, and that was Vegeta's. When he had watched the training sessions, he had not noticed just exactly how much influence Vegeta had on his daughter. But not only her fighting style was much like the Prince's, also the attitude while she was fighting. There was only one time, when he had seen Gohan showing some kind of cruelty during a fight, but then his opponent had been Cell and he had just mastered the transformation to the second level, but Jenny was not out of control like Gohan had been. She had known what she was doing. And she had enjoyed it. 

But he trusted Vegeta, and most of all he trusted Bulma and Gohan to make sure that his daughter did not become cold hearted and cruel. So maybe this boy had just truly pissed her off. Saiyajins tend to overreact a bit, when pissed off, so maybe this was the case. He would have to ask Gohan about it, when they had a few minutes alone. 

However, he could not shake off the feeling that had settled in his stomach, when he had seen the look Vegeta had given her during the fight. Goku had never seen Vegeta's face displaying that much pride for something. At this moment, one thought had entered his mind. 

Jenny was not his daughter, had never been. 

She was Vegeta's. 

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Not much to say, except that I hope you liked it and that I would be even happier, if you left your reviews!

Oh yeah, the title of the next chapter will probably be: "Even more surprises…"

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	20. Part II: Even more surprises

**A/N: **First of all, thank again for the reviews you've left for the previous chapter! They still help me keep going!!! Especially since I need to get on with this story. There is still so much about to happen and we're only at chapter 19 in the second part… Imagine that the story will have five parts and the second part isn't even close to be finished!

But now, on with the story! Have fun!

**Part II**

**Chapter 19: Even more surprises…**

Just like everyone had suspected, the following fights after Jenny versus Ethus were more than boring. Both Trunks and Goten made their fights short, especially when Trunks was finally facing Ethus. The Saiyajin had just grabbed the older boy by his belt, carried his struggling and kicking opponent to the edge of the ring and dropped him on the grass. This was his way of showing him that he should not mess with him and his family. Goten's first opponent hat been the brute's younger brother, Ikose and Goten unintentionally helped him to make a fool out of himself by blocking the hardest punches and kicks thrown at him as if they were nothing and in the end knocked him out with a light punch to the fourteen years' old jaw.

The rest of the fights were rather unexciting for the Z-Fighters. Some of the youngsters showed talent, but never would one of them to be able to rival the strength and skills of Krillin, Tenshinhan or even Yamcha. Some of them even started crying without having been hit and surrendered. As everyone who knew them had expected, Goten and Trunks kept winning their fights and were to fight each other in the finals. At the beginning of the finals, both boys were standing in the ring with the referee in the middle of them.

"Well, at last it's time to determine the winner! Who will win? Goten or Trunks? They've gotten this far as a result of their overwhelming strength and skill! I also heard that they are good friends!"

Just at the same time, Gohan and Videl came up to the Z-Fighters with Jenny in the tow. Jenny had been waiting for them after having been disqualified and thanks to the quick replacement of the punching machine, they were able to make it to the finals of the junior division in time. "Did we miss something?" the oldest Son son asked. 

"Low class fights, but this one should prove interesting," Vegeta answered. 

Son Goku nodded in agreement. "I can't wait to see what the boys can do."

"Well dad," Gohan chuckled, "I think you'll be in for some surprises."

After the boys had bowed to each other, the fight began. The beginning was fast but looked rather harmless, at least for those, who knew how the two kids were usually fighting. Because of the large smiles on both faces one could assume that this fight was nothing more than a child's play, though in reality every human participant, be it a child or an adult, would long be dead due to the sheer strength that was behind the blows. While most of the Z-Fighters were still able to follow the exact movements, with their eyes or through the ki the boys emitted, the normal spectators were at a complete loss, because the only thing they were able to see was a blur zigzagging across the ring. 

The pauses between the attacks were brief and it did not take long for Goten and Trunks to take the fight into the air. The spectators gasped, not believing their eyes, after all, Mr. Satan had told the world repeatedly after the defeat of Cell that this whole flying business had just been a cheap trick. And now there were two kids right in front of them flying in the air with no strings attached. 

Videl was neither able to close her mouth again nor avert her eyes from the duo in the air. Of course had she known that they could fly, but never before had she seen anyone, her own father included, moving with that kind of speed. Her trained eye barely picked up moves now and then and her mind could not comprehend how someone could move, let alone react that fast. She managed to remove her eyes from the fight and looked at Gohan and his family and friends. They all seemed to be able to fully follow the fight, according to the concentrated looks on their faces. At this moment it dawned on her: if only one of them was nearly half as strong as the kids out there, her father could give him the belt without a fight. The formerly World Champion would never stand a chance and again one question appeared in her mind: '_Son Gohan, what exactly are you still hiding from me?'_

In the end, after the fight became more ferocious with every single attack, both kids broke the promise they had given Son Gohan on the way to the Budokai. At first it was Goten who turned Super Saiyajin, after Trunks had held him in a bear hug, which he could not break without transforming. Not even a minute later, Trunks did the same, as he found himself in a similar win or lose situation. Goten had launched a full body attack from high in the sky and Trunks had only been able to avoid being hit by turning Super and hitting his friend with a ki-ball, which sent him out of the ring, earning Trunks the title. Goten was pouting after that and accused Trunks of cheating, but after Trunks had promised him three toys, Goten's mood had lightened considerably. 

"Both can turn into Super Saiyajins?" Goku asked amazed. "Wow, they're still so young! Gohan, do you remember how much training and taunting it took for you to transform?"

"Yeah, I remember, dad. But it's not only Trunks and Goten who are able to do that. Jenny is, too. They even say that she was the first to do so," Gohan told him proudly. 

"I must admit, I was surprised, when they suddenly turned into the Legendary in the middle of my training session," Vegeta said. "But they're good. They have a lot of potential, Jenny especially."

Again, for the second time in less than an hour, Son Goku again had this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, a feeling that he had not known before. For the first time in his life he, of whom everyone thought that he was incapable of those feelings, was jealous. Jealous of what Vegeta had. Jealous that he had been able to see Jenny's first steps in person, jealous that he was her mentor, jealous that she trusted him more than her own father, jealous that she looked up to the man who had sworn to kill her own father. But this was not just about Jenny. It was also about Goten and Gohan. Everything, or a large part, of what they had achieved or still will achieve that day will be because of Vegeta's training. Now he finally knew what Vegeta had felt the whole time, as Son Goku had achieved something that was actually meant for him as Prince. Goku now regretted more than ever his decision to stay dead after the whole affair with Cell. If he had known beforehand that things would turn out like this, he would have asked to come back. He wanted to be the one to teach them everything they needed to know. He wanted to be the one they trusted. _He wanted to be their father!_

~*~

Down in the waiting room for the fighters, the Kaioushin felt the inner turmoil of the fighter and sighed deeply. Things _would_ have been different, if he had not messed up. He did not know what would have been different, but he was sure that, with ChiChi still being alive, the children – the child, it would only have been Goten, he reminded himself - would not have seen someone else as his father. _'I'm__ so sorry, Son Goku. I wish I could make things the way they were supposed to be, but that's impossible.'_

_~*~_

Videl had a queasy feeling in her stomach. Trunks now had to fight against her father and this would be her father's downfall. From the few encounters she had with Trunks she could safely say that the boy was not someone to hold back when he had the chance to prove his strength against someone who was supposed to be stronger than him and in addition still held the title as World Champion. She did not want to look. She wanted to go to her father and tell him to throw that match, though it was just one part of the prize the boy would get. 

Gohan, somehow sensing his friend's distress, put a calming hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. "Don't worry, Videl. Trunks will know how far he can go."

"Yeah," Jenny added. "Trunks will sense that your father is not as strong as he always claims to be and hold back."

Her brother's shot daggers at her. He had not meant to say it that blunt that Mr. Satan was a weakling, but Videl at least smiled now. He had to give his friend more credit, he decided. 

"Well, at least I know finally get to see the face of my father, when someone kicks his ass, a small boy nonetheless. Maybe this helps shrinking his ego a bit," Videl now openly laughed. 

~*~

Mr. Satan did not know what to do. He had seen the two children fight. He had seen what they could do. He had seen the resemblance between the black-haired child and the man at the Cell Games. Both kids had transformed into those golden haired fighters from the Cell Games. And he now had to face one of them. What could he do? What could he do to come as winner out of this match? It was impossible, he knew, but he could not lose his reputation, at least not by losing to a small child!

"Mr. Satan? They are waiting for you," one of the monks told him.

"I'll be down in a minute!" he yelled and once again looked out of the window at the small boy, who was still standing in the middle of the ring. A child, a small boy! That was it! Would his fans expect him to pound on a small boy? No, surely not! He could make it look like he was letting this child win! That was it! He'll lose to the boy, won't lose his reputation and gain the admiration from the spectators!

Taking a deep breath and putting on his white cape with new confidence, he strode out of the room, down the stairs and into the ring. The referee already announced him.

"And now, after a tense battle, we will come to a funnier event. The victor of the youth division, Trunks, versus the World Champion, Mr. Satan!"

The spectators cheered, as Mr. Satan stepped into the ring and threw his cape into the grass. Trunks eyed him suspiciously. He could not believe that this weakling was supposed to be the World Champion. His ki was low, even lower than the one of Gohan's girlfriend. His eyes narrowed even more, when he saw the ridiculous warm-ups Mr. Satan did. Shrugging, he also proceeded to do some stretching, before the fight was about to start. 

"Hey, hey," the deep voice of Mr. Satan suddenly tore him out of his thoughts. "Don't be so serious about it, okay? This fight is just for fun."

"No way," Trunks answered, "I'm going full out."

"It looks like everything is ready! Please start the fight. Now!" the referee announced. 

_'Please, don't let him hit me too hard,' _Mr. Satan prayed, as he got into a stance. 

Trunks watched him going into something that resembled a defensive stance. _'At least he knows a bit about fighting. Maybe I shouldn't attack him too hard at first…' Lowering his ki a great deal, Trunks lunged at the World Champion, hitting him straight in the jaw. _

Mr. Satan felt as if his head was about to explode, when the small fist hit him. At first it all appeared to happen in slow motion and then suddenly in fast forward. His feet lifted from the ground and then the next he knew was a sharp pain in his back and the feeling of grass on his face and hands. He was out of the ring. Getting up struggling, he plastered a smile on his face. "You're really strong. You beat me!" he called out in a voice that could not be any more fake. 

The spectators soon came over the shock and quickly came to a conclusion. Their World Champion lost on purpose to give kid something to tell his friend. Who else could say that he had defeated Mr. Satan? So they cheered for him and praised him for his good nature.

~*~

"Well," Krillin rubbed his hands, "I think we can now also go down. Our fights should start soon."

"Yeah," his wife agreed.

"See? I told you he would hold back," a grinning Jenny told Videl. 

Videl incredulously looked at the small girl. This had been holding back? This hit had still sent her father reeling over half of the ring and into a wall. Sure, she had wanted someone to show her father that he was not unbeatable, but she thought that this could have been done with a lot less strength. 

"Okay, I think when you go down again, I'll go to Bulma!" the girl announced, but before she left, she jumped into the arms of an unsuspecting Vegeta, who, surprising the others without exceptions, did not drop her. "I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. And of course also for you, big bro!" she added quickly with a wink, before she jumped down again and raced towards the stands, where Bulma and the others were sitting.

Goku's eyes narrowed dangerously at this display. How could he have missed this obvious father-daughter thing between Vegeta and Jenny before?

He was slowly really looking forward to the fights to release some tension and he hoped one of his opponents would be Vegeta.  

Son Goku could not help but wanting to prove to the prince that he was still better than him - in more than one way.

************************************************************************************

Okay, a short chapter, but a chapter nonetheless. I decided to not describe the fight of the kids in detail, because this would just have been a boring repeat of what happened in the Manga and in the Anime. But I also felt free to change some other minor details, if you have noticed… Well, some changed couldn't be avoided with Jenny being part of that story and all *grins*

I also would be really delighted and more than happy to receive some reviews… I can promise you, this suspense in this second part is about to grow!

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	21. Part II: It begins

**A/N:**    Okay, new chappie, finally, if I may say so… But I'm slowly getting back into it… I hope to be able to say "Goodbye writer's block" soon!!!

            Thanks a lot for the reviews you've left! I appreciate every single one of them!

            And now, the story continues…

**Part II**

**Chapter 20: It begins…**

Jenny did not believe what she was seeing. What was her brother doing down there? Why did he turn into a Super Saiyajin, second level mind you, when he had so specially told them not to? His bandana lost and his sunglasses discarded after having been recognized by his schoolmates, Son Gohan was now facing this strange guy, Kibito Jenny thought was his name. The adult tournament had started out completely harmless, but had become weirder and more confusing with each passing fight. 

At first, when the referee had told the spectators of the pairings, there had been a collective gasp in the rows, where the Z-Fighters family and friends were sitting. Goku and Vegeta would face each other right off, in the sixth fight. Jenny, though knowing of the two Saiyajins' strained past, did not think much about it. She only wanted to see them fight.

The first fight, however, had been between Krillin and a huge fat man by the name of Punta, whose resemblance was much stronger to a genie in a bottle than to a martial artist. The fight had ended as fast as it had started. Punta had shown off a bit and then, disappointed by his opponent, Krillin had simply punched him in the stomach, slapped him couple of times and in the end kicked him out of the ring. He had his other hand in his pocket the whole time. 

This might have seemed strange to most, well 99% of the spectators, while the last one percent had expected as much. The second fight, however, had caught the Z-Fighters by surprise, be it the participants or family and friends who were just watching the tournament. It had been Piccolo's turn, who was going as Ma Junior in the tournament, and his opponent had been a fighter called Shin. Jenny would have thought this fight to become at least mildly interesting. There was something about the other fighter that she could not place and she could feel his power, though Piccolo was still a lot stronger. She had not doubted one second that the Namek would win, as well as the others, so they had been more than a bit surprised, when Piccolo had stepped out of the ring and surrendered before the fight had even begun.

Jenny did not think that the others in the stands had seen the look on Piccolo's face before he gave up, because they were sitting too far away for a normal human to make out every single detail, but she was sure that she had never seen this look before. He had been struggling. It had seemed like his mind wanted to fight and his body would not obey. Then the sudden look of understanding and resignation, as if he suddenly knew why he could not fight and also that he would have never won against this Shin.

When the next fighters had been announced, the spectators in the stands had been roaring. The opponents had been Videl and one Supopo Bitchi. A shiver had run down Jenny's spine, when Supopo Bitchi had entered the ring. This guy was odd. He felt off, but it was different than with Shin. With Shin this strangeness had somehow felt right, but this fighter just felt wrong. She could sense the power emanating from him, but at the same time this power was not his. Each fighter had his own ki, his own life energy connected to his body and to his soul. Supopo Bitchi, too, held a small part of this power in his body, but it was subdued by the incredible strong and dark power that seemed to be possessing him.

Jenny had not known how or why, but she had been completely sure that Videl would not haven been able to win this fight. And she had been right. 

If Jenny's fight against Ethus had been cruel, then the fight Videl versus Supopo Bitchi was simply monstrous and horrible. He had ruthlessly pounded on Videl, had miraculously recovered from all of her attacks, even the snapping of his neck which should have killed him and showed no mercy, not even when Videl was already lying on the ground, unable to move anymore. Like Videl, who had shown this skill somehow during mid-fight to save herself from falling out of the ring and to recover a bit, which had surprised the whole crowd in the stands and her father, Supopo Bitchi knew how to fly. 

Jenny had felt the distress in her big brother's ki. The more Videl had been hurt the more his ki rose. It had been right before the end, just shortly before Supopo Bitchi's attacks would have killed Videl, that Gohan had turned Super Saiyajin and this other guy, who gave off the same strange vibes as Supopo Bitchi, had told his _friend_ to back off. To end the fight, Supopo Bitchi had simply grabbed the by now unconscious Videl by her ankle and pulled her out of the ring. Gohan, now back to normal, had been immediately by her side and had brought her to the paramedics. Jenny had never seen her brother so angry and it even looked like he had threatened Supopo Bitchi. 

After this fight, the other fights had been delayed, for it would have been Gohan's turn now and he had gone with Videl. Jenny felt their father's ki suddenly disappear from near the ring and reappear on the other side of the earth. She had understood immediately. He had gone to Karin-sama to get some senzus. Just a few minutes later, he had reappeared and after Gohan had gotten Videl a senzu, the fights could continue. 

Jenny was ready to chew on her fingernails. If the previous fights had been any indication as to what was about to happen in the following ones, she could only hope that the world would still be in one piece after the Budokai. The fighter Gohan was now stepping in the ring with had a similar aura as Shin, though not nearly as powerful. He did not feel like he wanted any harm, but still Jenny had not been able to shake off this strange feeling that something bad was bound to happen. 

And again, her senses did not betray her. She had been wondering, still was actually, what they had been talking so long about, when her brother had suddenly turned into a Super Saiyajin. And there he was now, standing in the middle of the ring, his hair standing in golden spikes, blue sparks flashing around his body in addition to the golden aura. She could hear whispers on her left and on her right, talking about the Golden Haired Warrior and the Cell Games. 

Gohan would not have transformed without a very good reason, Jenny knew that, so that could only mean one thing: A new evil was afoot, if not already present. 

_Whirled up dust was everywhere around her._ This image suddenly appeared in front of her inner eye. What if the dream meant something? _She let herself be pulled away, with the image of the person engulfed in a bright golden glow, having a victorious smirk on his lips, burned in her mind._

She watched the ring, telling herself that it was only a nightmare. But the nagging bad feeling would not go away.

~*~

Son Goku could not deny that he had been happy when Vegeta had drawn the number that had chosen him as his first opponent. After everything he had observed and learned that day, he could not wait to show Vegeta that there was still something he was better at. Only once had Goku felt the Saiyajin in him that strong before and this had been after his first transformation to a Super Saiyajin. People had always known him as naturally good-hearted – no one had even suspected that another side of Goku existed, not even he. For the first time he did not want to win in a fight against Vegeta because he did not want to lose, but to wipe that smirk of Vegeta's face and to show him who was the number one among them. All thoughts of Buu had long been pushed into the far back of his mind; his jealousy of Vegeta's connection to his own kids having gotten the best of him.

When he and his friends had stepped to the gate to the ring he had sneaked a small glance at Vegeta and could not help but think that, five fights later, a third class warrior would triumph yet again over the Prince of all Saiyajins. 

But then everything had started to go wrong and the looming threat of Buu resurfaced again in his mind. The Kami-part of Piccolo recognizing the Kaioushin, forcing the Namek to surrender and Videl's dramatic defeat to Supopo Bitchi and Gohan's reaction to that had only been the beginning. This Supopo Bitchi was not supposed to be this strong, wasn't he? Kaiousama had once told him how Babidi possessed people with an evil streak to do his biddings. This possession gave them a boost of energy that was not their own and through their evil they were controlled. Could Supopo Bitchi and his companion Yam be possessed by Babidi? 

Unfortunately he had no more time to ponder this question, because Videl's condition left him no choice but to go to Karin's tower to get some senzus. Maybe they might need some more later…

After he had gotten back and Gohan had given Videl one of the three senzus that Karin had still left, Gohan was to fight Kibito. Goku did not know why, but he had a strange feeling about this fight and tensed up. The fact that his schoolmates had recognized Gohan would be the smallest of their problems. 

He had watched his son getting into a flawless fighting stance and waited for the first attack – but it never came. Instead Kibito was talking to Gohan, calling on him to transform. Goku had also noticed the strange pair, Yam and Supopo Bitchi, standing in one corner and whispering to each other. 

"Whatever happens now, do not intervene," the Kaioushin had suddenly said.

The reaction of the other Z-Fighters had been instantaneous, demanding what he was talking about and who he was. Before Piccolo could answer, Goku had told them that he was the Kaioushin, the god of the Kaious, including the Dai Kaiou. 

"I think that Yam and Supopo Bitchi will attack him," the Kaioushin had continued, ignoring the looks he had been receiving. "Don't worry, they won't kill him. They're just after his energy."

_We think he's planning to use the energy of the fighters here to resurrect Buu._ They were going to use Gohan's energy to resurrect Buu. Goku clenched his fists, knowing that he could not attack those two now. If he did, then they would never find out about Babidi's whereabouts. 

Right at that moment Gohan had transformed into the second level of the Super Saiyajin. After that, it all happened in slow motion. The spectators gasped, Goku recognized the look of dawning realization on Yam's face, Vegeta commented that Gohan was not even close to the level he was at when he had fought Cell and then the two servants of Babidi attacked, plunging a strange looking instrument into Gohan's side, absorbing his energy. Son Goku looked at the Kaioushin and noticed that he was holding Gohan with is own energy so that the Saiyajin could not move and defend himself. Krillin took a step towards the ring, but the Kaioushin told him to stay back. Not even Kibito did anything. 

Finally, after what seemed like long minutes, the golden glow around Gohan disappeared and his hair flickered back to black. Supopo Bitchi let go of him and he slumped to the ground, nearly unconscious. Then they took into the sky and fled. 

"Don't do anything yet," the Kaioushin ordered again. "Kibito will restore his energy. I, for my part, will now follow them. Goku, I already told you before that I'd really appreciate your help, but you don't need to." Without saying more, he also took off. 

Goku turned to look at his friends' confused and expecting faces. He sighed. No matter how he would look at it, he had no choice. "I'm going, too. The matter is truly serious."

"What about our fight?"

"I'm truly sorry, Vegeta," Goku told him, trying to keep the annoying edge out of his voice that would signalize that he hated the situation as much as the Prince. "Not now, but we'll face off later, when we have taken care of this."

"I'm going," Piccolo suddenly announced and followed the Kaioushin. 

Goku looked back to the ring, where Videl had appeared in the meantime and was kneeling next to Gohan. "I'm going to follow them, but I'll have to talk to ChiChi before I leave."

~*~

Jenny watched after the trails of energy Piccolo and Shin had left behind, her eyes wide with shock, before she turned back to the happenings in the ring. Gohan was still lying on the floor of the ring, unmoving, but now not just Videl was at his side, but also this Kibito. When she had seen what had happened down there, she so desperately wanted to step in and kick those two guys off her brother. But her body had been numbed by the shock that no one, simply no one, not even their own father or one of the others had done anything. She had never felt this helpless before. 

Suddenly also Goku and Vegeta took into the air, both of them flying towards them. Her father stopped in front of his wife, who was already standing there with her hands on her hips, though her face was still deadly pale from what she had just witnessed in the ring. 

"Son Goku! What is going on here?" 

"ChiChi," he said in calming voice. "Please listen and do what I say. Don't worry about Gohan, Kibito will restore his energy, but this situation is deadly serious." ChiChi wanted to say something, but Goku continued before she could open her mouth. "I'm sure you remember what I told you about Buu and the magician Babidi." She nodded, finally remembering where she had seen the two fighters Piccolo and her son had to face. "Good… Baba!" he called out.

Only a few seconds later, Uranai Baba, the small witch and sister of Muten Roshi, appeared, floating on her crystal orb. "What is it, Goku? Your time is not up yet."

"I want ChiChi to return to the afterlife." A collective _'What?' could be heard from his friends, but all he needed to say to make the witch understand was, "It's not safe here. Babidi is on earth." Goku turned again to his wife. "I'm truly sorry, Chi, but if something happens to you on earth and you die again…"_

"I'll cease to exist. I know…" ChiChi took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll go back. You, take care and watch out for Gohan. I'm sure he'll follow you as soon as he's up again."

Goku smiled at her and gave her a small kiss. "Of course. I'll see you later." He now only wanted to say goodbye to his daughter, since he did not want to expose Goten and Trunks, who were still waiting in their costume of Mighty Mask for the fights to continue. But his heart sank yet again, when he saw the exchange between Jenny and Vegeta.

"But I wanna go!" she yelled. 

"No, you won't. According to what I've heard it will be too dangerous for you kids out there. You're not strong enough," Vegeta argued. 

"What about Krillin?" Jenny pointed to the sky, where Krillin just shot past them in pursue of Piccolo and the Kaioushin. 

He harrumphed. "Baldy is too stupid to realize that he won't stand a chance against our new opponents."

"Those two guys weren't that strong. He could have taken both of them easily."

"Listen," Vegeta groaned. "I don't have time to argue. You'll stay here and do what the others tell you. You won't do anything rash or stupid. But I count on you to protect them, if something happens. Do you understand?"

Jenny crossed her arms over her chest and slumped back in her seat. She did not like this. She wanted to fight. If only Trunks and Goten would help her protest against this unfairness, but no, they were too busy hiding under that stupid costume so that they could fight the adults. They were much stronger than Krillin and could be a lot of help, she was sure of that. 

"Vegeta? We should go," Goku suddenly said. 

"Alright."

Before Goku followed Vegeta, he looked back at Jenny, wanting to say goodbye and to hug her properly, because he did not know, when he would see her again. He sighed almost inaudible, when he saw Jenny pointedly ignoring him and only muttered a "Goodbye" to her and the others, before he, too, disappeared.

Jenny somehow felt bad about ignoring Goku, the father she had never gotten the chance to really know, but something in her stubborn head told her that it was his fault that she was not allowed to follow. Vegeta was no one to hold her or the others back, neither in training nor in sparring matches, always encouraging her in his own way to keep going and do her best. This was one of the things she liked most about him, so it must have been Goku's presence that had let him act differently. Maybe to show him that he would not let Goku's children run head first into danger.

_Yes, that must be it,_ Jenny thought. But that would not hold her back. As soon as the opportune moment occured, she would be off. 

************************************************************************************

So??? What do you think? I didn't want to stretch the tournament that much, so I thought I could treat it in one chapter, otherwise I would only have bored you guys to death, I think…

And now, please be so nice and review!!! J

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	22. Part II: Corrupted hearts

**A/N: **FYI, since I'm pretty sure (at least I hope) that you are all familiar with the happenings after the Z-Fighters left the Budokai, I'll only give, just like I already did In the last chapter with the different fights, a short outline of what is going on. I don't want to go into detail, because I know out of experience that a story gets boring, when you only write down what the readers already know. I also want to go forward with this story, because, I promise, soon it will get interesting again.

Thanks for the reviews and have fun with this chapter.

**Chapter 21: Corrupted Hearts**

Gohan angrily tore the, thanks to Darbura's last attack, shredded green gi from his body and threw it away. This fight was taking too long. The Demon King was incredible strong, stronger than Gohan had imagined. Gohan knew that he had to end this fight fast, otherwise Babidi would gather enough energy to resurrect Buu and he would not allow that to happen. He had believed that he would not need to power up to his fullest to defeat him, not after the opponents they had had on the previous levels, but from now on, he had to go full out.

~*~

After the Z-Fighters had left the Budokai, Kibito had revived Gohan. He had been surprised how much energy he had to restore in the kid, but his face had betrayed none of his thoughts. Kibito had only told him to follow and then taken off into the sky, trusting the boy to follow him. Gohan had wanted to do just that, but had been stopped by Videl, who had insisted on coming with them. Gohan had agreed reluctantly, but not without making Videl promise to turn around if things got too rough. 

About at the same time, ChiChi had prepared to leave as well, only that she was going back to the afterlife, just like she had promised to her husband. She had not been able to keep the tears from falling, as she had said goodbye to her friends. No one knew when they would see each other again. Maybe, when this was over, she would be allowed to return to earth for the last hours she had still left, but maybe they would first meet again, when her friends died. ChiChi only hoped that this would be a long time from now. She had hugged every single one of them, even the old turtle hermit. After she had finally let go of her father, she had turned to Jenny, gathering her in an almost bone-crushing embrace. The girl had reluctantly returned the display of affection, still not knowing what she should think about this woman – her mother. When ChiChi had stepped back, she had to wipe the tears from her face. She had watched as Kibito zoomed past them, shortly followed by Gohan and Videl and it had broken her heart to know that she could not say goodbye to Gohan. ChiChi had also wished that she could say goodbye to Goten, but ever since the Junior Division had ended, he and Trunks had been undiscoverable. So, with a heavy heart, she had gone to the waiting Uranai Baba, waved to her friends and family one last time and had disappeared.

~*~

While they had been following Babidi's henchmen to where the magician was hiding, the Kaioushin had let Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and Krillin in on the happenings. Goku, who had known all of this already, had just nodded now and then, while his fellow fighters had listened to the high god apprehensively. Goku had noticed, however, that Vegeta had been becoming increasingly angry with the Kaioushin's comments. He could partly understand the older Saiyajin. According to what the Kaioushin had been telling them, he did not fully trust the strength of the Saiyajins and what they were capable of. This had been a blow to the prince's pride and Goku could vaguely sympathize with him, though he also understood the Kaioushin. 

This was one of Vegeta's annoying traits. He had the tendency to underestimate his enemies and feel too confident of himself. He always felt superior and that everyone was beneath him. This and he had made it no secret that he had a huge influence on his daughter's upbringing. Slowly Goku felt the jealousy returning, but he quickly pushed the feeling aside. It was of no use to think this now. The earth and the whole universe were in danger. He had to put his personal needs aside. _But__ don't you always have to do this? _a nagging voice in the back of his mind taunted him. _Did you not die to take Radditz with you? Did you not spend an entire year on a planet to train for the arrival of the Saiyajins, a year that you could have spent with your family? Did you not travel to Namek to fight Frieza as soon as you were well enough again after the fight against the Saiyajins? Did you not train three years for the arrival of the androids? Did you not sacrifice your life yet again in the fight against Cell? Did you not decide to stay dead because it would be the best for all? You could have watched your children grow. You could have been Jenny's father... Not Vegeta..._

Not that far behind them, Kibito had told Gohan and Videl the same the Kaioushin had been telling the others, but he had also urged them on to go faster, otherwise they would not be able to catch up with them. Videl had then admitted that she could not go any faster, that she was already going too fast and pushing her body beyond its limits. 

"Maybe you should go back," Gohan had said.

"That would probably be the best, I'd just get in the way," she had answered, smiling ruefully. "Too bad, though."

"Thanks. Go back to the Budokai and when you find my friends, tell them what's going on."

"Okay… So you were really the Golden Haired Warrior."

"Yeah," Gohan had admitted. "I only did not want anyone to find out."

"Seven years ago your friends were the ones who fought Cell, right? That's where your father was killed. And you were the boy with them," she had pried further.

"Yes…"

"So, I guess it wasn't my father who defeated Cell after all. It was one of your friends, wasn't it?"

"Uh, well…"

"Thought so. But don't worry, it doesn't bother me. I always thought it was weird that dad won. Now everything makes sense." She had smiled at him encouragingly. "Do your best Gohan. Beat that Babidi and save everyone, will ya?"

"I will." Gohan had smiled back and he and Kibito had power up to catch up with the others.

Videl, however, had stopped in midair. "Don't die, Gohan. If you come back safely, I'll go out with you." She had looked one more time at the two disappearing dots at the horizon and then made her way back to the Budokai.

Kibito and Gohan had caught up quickly to the others, just in time to see Babidi's henchman landing on a small valley in the desert that was surrounded by large rocks. They had used one of the rocks to hide, so that they could watch the happenings down in the valley. So they had quickly found out that Babidi was hiding his spaceship underground. The Kaioushin also had concluded that Babidi had known of their presence on earth and therefore hidden his ship in this desert. Piccolo had wanted to attack at once, out of fear that they might use the energy to revive Buu, but the Kaioushin had told them to wait a bit longer, since Babidi would not risk his ship by resurrecting Buu inside. 

Suddenly two beings had appeared in the entrance of the ship – a small one with dirty-yellow and wrinkled skin and another incredible large one whose skin was rose-colored. 

"Babidi and Darbura," Kibito had hissed.

Krillin had swallowed hard upon feeling Darbura's power level. "Maybe I should go back. This one's too big for me." The others had agreed and Krillin had just wanted to turn around, when an incredible cruel spectacle had taken place in the valley. From one moment to another, Supopo Bitchi had blown up like a balloon and exploded – this had been Babidi's doing. Yam, having watched this in horror, had wanted to flee, but one of Babidi's other henchmen had quickly taken care of him with a ki-ball. 

Their blood had frozen, when out of the blue everyone but Darbura had returned to the ship and the Demon Lord had launched an attack. Too surprised to do anything, they had watched how he had stopped in front of Kibito and had killed him without a second thought. Then, before the Kaioushin had the chance to warn them, Darbura spat at the Z-Fighters, hitting Krillin and Piccolo. Darbura's saliva was poisoned and it petrified everything it touched, as well as the two warriors. The Demon Lord had only let out one cruel laugh and advised them flee, because no one would be a match for Babidi, before he, too, had returned to the ship.

After the Kaioushin had told them that the only way to save their friends was to kill Darbura, Goku had come up with an easy solution. "Then we'll have to follow and kill him."

"Don't do this! This is exactly what he wants you to do!" the Kaioushin had warned them, but the three Saiyajins had paid his warnings no heed and had flown down to the entrance of the ship. The god had grudgingly followed them inside. They had let themselves fall until they reached the first level of the ship, where they had met Pipi, their first opponent. First when they had defeated him, they would be allowed to go one level further down. Down was also the only direction they could be going, because the entrance had closed behind them. Gohan's comment as how this was like a video game confused the Kaioushin. He did not understand how those Saiyajins could be so careless in this grave situation. His worries about this had only increased, as he had watched the game of rock-paper-scissor, which would decide whom of them was to fight first. 

Vegeta had won. He had planned to end this fight quickly and the fact that Babidi had the ability to transport them to wherever he liked did not change anything. Pipi had thought that fighting in an environment he was familiar with – the planet Zun where the gravity was ten times earth's gravity – would work to his advantage, but he had had no idea how wrong he had been. Vegeta, being used to much higher gravity, had given him a short shrift and killed him with one blow.

The lock to the second level had opened and the Z-Fighters and a stunned Kaioushin had jumped down. 

While the Z-Fighters had been waiting for the next fighter to appear, Vegeta had remarked that Buu probably would not be as strong as the Kaioushin had made him out to be. Exactly as Darbura, whose spit was, according to Vegeta, the only thing they had to look out for, because his movements and attacks had not been that impressive. Much to his dismay, Goku had been forced to agree. He guessed that Darbura at full strength would be about as strong as Cell and they all had improved since the Cell games. 

Their next opponent was going to be Yakon and it had been Goku's turn. Yakon had turned out to be an alien with retractable scythes above his claws that lives of light-energy. His favorite place was the Dark Abyss, the planet of darkness, where Babidi had transported them. Goku could have easily beaten him in the darkness by feeling his ki, but he had quickly found another weakness after the alien had _eaten_ the light of Goku after he had turned into a Super Saiyajin. The Saiyajin used this ravenousness and, by becoming a Super Saiyajin level two, fed Yakon so much light that he exploded. 

The way to level three had been freed. 

The defeat of Yakon had compelled Babidi to revert to drastic measures. It had been time for Darbura to fight. 

The Kaioushin had gasped in fear, as the Demon Lord had stepped through the door of the third level, but Gohan had been more than ready. When his father and Vegeta were right, he would be able to defeat Darbura. But, as he had stepped forward and had announced that it was now his turn to fight, Darbura had just gotten angry. How could this boy dare to mock him, thinking that he could defeat him all alone?

~*~

At the same time at the Tenkaichi Budokai, the judges were debating what to do now. Six of the fighters had left over an hour ago and not returned. Five were still left. Should they call off the tournament and maybe repeat it at another day? This would surely cost them a lot, because most of the spectators would want to have their money back. 

Suddenly, Mr. Satan got an idea, which he quickly told the judges. His proposal was a Battle Royal, an all-out battle where all five opponents would face each other at once and the last one standing would be the new – or old – champion. So it was decided and the five finalists were Mr. Satan, Juuhachigou, Jewel, Killer and Mighty Mask, aka Trunks and Goten, who had stolen this costume to do what they wanted to do from the very beginning – fighting adults. 

"You're truly brave," one of the judges told Satan. Upon the champion's confused face, he enlightened him, "The other four will probably gang up on you."

Mr. Satan's jaw nearly hit the floor. He had not thought about this. But what should he do now? He could not take his idea back and the referee was already announcing the decision. He could only hope that the other fighters feared him so much that they would not even dare to team up. Stepping into the ring with the four other fighters, he prepared himself to be attacked from all sides, but was quite surprised, when this did not happen. 

As soon as the referee had announced the beginning of the fight, Juuhachigou kicked Jewel, who had tried to hit on her, out of the ring, and Mighty Mask – Goten and Trunks – quickly took care of Killer, knowing that the only dangerous opponent was Juuhachigou. The latter noticed that something was off about this masked guy and therefore thought that she had to fight him first – she also knew that Satan would not pose a threat. Satan however, did not seem to notice that his two other opponents were fixated on each other, because he never saw them attack the other, as he himself lunged at Mighty Mask.

The exchange of kicks and blows was yet again too fast for the spectators to follow and soon they took the fight into the air. Goten and Trunks were having some problems with the coordination of their movements, because Trunks was sitting on Goten's shoulders. Juuhachigou used this momentum of confusion and hit them hard in the back, what sent them down into the ring. They quickly jumped out of the hole their impact on the ground had created and took again into the sky. 

"Goten, you should kick or something," Trunks berated his friend.

"But I can barely see," Goten whined. "But I have an idea. Let's change into a Super Saiyajin."

"You're right. No one will notice our changes as long as we're under this mask." No sooner said than done. They did not count, however, on the aura that would surround them after the transformation.

_Ah, now I understand_, Juuhachigou thought. He's _a Super Saiyajin. I know who you are, little boys._

"Let's use an energy attack, but not too strong," Goten suggested.

"Alright." Trunks moved his hands together and shot a ki-ball at Juuhachigou, who was barely able to dodge it. It flew into the distance and exploded as it hit the sea. The wave this detonation caused could still be seen over the stands of the stadium.

_That wasn't funny_, Juuhachigou stared at them. _This blast was very fast and strong. Those little shrimps are unbelievable. This is dangerous. I have to finish it fast._ "I'm going to win, Goten and Trunks!"

"She, she figured it out!" the boys yelled in unison. They barely had time to react, as Juuhachigou sent a Kienzan, a ki-attack that resembled a Frisbee, at them. In their panic to dodge this attack, Trunks flew up and Goten wanted to fly down, so the Kienzan cleanly separated their costume in the middle without harming any of the boys. They've been debunked and the referee, who had recognized them, already announced their disqualification. 

"Let's run away!" Trunks suggested and together they left the stadium.

"So this is where Goten and Trunks have been," Bulma said half angry, half amused, as she and the others watched the exposure of the two boys. "I knew they've been up to something." 

Muten Roshi admitted that he had known where the kids had been and Jenny thought something along the same lines. But as she saw that her brother and his best friend were leaving the stadium, she quickly got up. "Hey, where do they think they're going?! Without me!" Before anyone could react, she took off after them. 

Bulma groaned and sank back into her seat. "Those kids…"

~*~

"Hey! Wait for me!" Jenny just wanted to power up, when she saw the two boys stopping in midair. She also quickly saw the reason for this – Videl. She reached the boys at the same moment the older girl did and after a bit of prodding and prying, Videl proceeded to tell them everything Kibito had told her and Gohan. As she saw the reaction of the three kids, however, she did not know anymore if this had been the right thing to do. The kids were practically glowing with anticipation and excitement. 

"Come on!" Trunks urged them on. "I wanna see what's going on!"

"Right! If we wait any longer, the fun could be over when we get there!"

Jenny watched this exchange with mixed feelings. Of course did she share their excitement, but she also had to think about the dream she had. Everything that had happening in the dream slowly started to add up. Reluctantly, she agreed. "Okay, let's go. They're in this direction."

The three kids turned into Super Saiyajins and Videl could only watch how they disappeared. What had she done?

~*~

"Now only two finalists are left!" the referee yelled into the micro. "Mr. Satan and Juuhachigou!"

Satan was desperate. How could he ever beat her? She was also one of those freaks._ She'll kill me!_ Scared shitless, he got into a fighting stance and involuntarily flinched back, when she lunged at him. But instead of hitting him, she caught him in a light headlock. "Please, don't kill me! I'll do anything!"

"Shut up, or I really am going to kill you," Juuhachigou hissed into his ear. "Now listen, I will let you win this fight and keep your reputation, when you give me 20 million zeni."

"You want 20 million zeni?"

"When you win this match, you'll get 10 million, so you'll only lose 10 million. Or do you want me to knock you out now?"

"Okay, okay, I'll do it!"

"Alright. It was an honor doing business with you." 

Pretending that Satan had managed to shake her off, she landed with her back on the ground with a lout scream. Mr. Satan understood what she was doing, but could not help himself to boast a bit more. "Now I've figured out all of your tricks! You're pretty strong, but you picked the wrong guy to mess with. You did well, but I'm still the champion! Time to end it now!"

"Good, let's get over with this."

Mr. Satan attacked her. "Satan Miracle Ultra Megaton Punch!" His fist connected with her face, but she did not move at first. 

"Is this your strongest attack?" she asked dryly, being obviously bored. 

"Euh, yeah?"

Rolling her eyes, Juuhachigou acted as if the punch had fulfilled its desired effect and flew out of the ring. The crowd immediately cheered, as Mr. Satan raised his fist into the air. 

"I'll stop by tomorrow and if you don't have the money, I'll have to kill you," Juuhachigou said, as she walked past him. 

~*~

"What is the brat doing so long? He should have killed him already," Vegeta growled. "This is pissing me off."

Gohan finally powered up even more and sparks appeared around his body, as he lunged at Darbura. He now easily managed to dodge the saliva, as the Demon Lord spat at him, but he was not prepared for the sword that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He just barely caught the blade between the palms of his hands and broke it. 

"Damn it! I'm going to finish him off now! I've had enough!"

"Don't do that, Vegeta! This is Gohan's fight, not yours!" Goku told him. "He has noticed his mistake and now it should only be a matter of merely minutes. So no one will interfere!"

"What gives you the right to decide that? When I notice that the brat is wasting precious minutes in a fight that he could have won long ago, I'm not going to hesitate to show him how it's done properly," Vegeta snarled. "You have done the same mistake once, Kakarotto, and see where it got you."

"But you have the right to decide that…" Goku scowled. 

"At least I have been here the last years and I have seen what the boy can do and what the boy can't do. I, for example, knew that he would have been able to finish this Darbura much faster than this. Did you?"

Son Goku returned the challenging glare and felt the jealousy returning at full force. He tightly clenched his fists and had to use all of his self-control to not attack Vegeta right then and there. "When this is over," he said with gritted teeth, "it's just you and me. Then I will defeat you and show you just how much better I am, again."

Darbura stopped in mid-attack and looked at the two fighting Saiyajin. A sly smirk crept upon his face. _Lord Babidi, bring me back to the ship. I've found something good._

Suddenly the scenery around them changed again, from the desert they had fought in to the ship. "What the…?" Gohan cursed, as he found himself again in this environment and watched Darbura disappearing through the door. He landed, but did not power down. He was so confused that he did not even notice the glares his father and Vegeta were exchanging. "Why did he run away?"

"I fear he did not run away…" the Kaioushin said bemused. "He's planning something… And we can only wait and see, what exactly." He had a nagging suspicion in the back of his mind that, whatever it was that Darbura was planning, it was not good, not at all and could turn the tables completely.

They did not need to wait long however, because suddenly Vegeta grabbed his head in pain and doubled over. A huge power wave erupted from him and the next moment he was a Super Saiyajin level two. 

"Vegeta! Babidi is trying to control you through your evil. Try to clear your mind! Don't think!" the Kaioushin tried to talk at him. But it was of no use, the Prince of all Saiyajins was already in control of Babidi. 

In this chaos, neither the Kaioushin nor Gohan noticed that Goku had become unusual quiet. They did not notice how he rubbed his forehead as a creeping headache started to appear. Goku massaged his temples, trying to shut out the suddenly incredible loud noises in this room, as the headache started to become worse and worse. _This one's not so easy,_ he heard a slithering voice in his head saying. _Maybe I can trigger something that will help me gain control._ Goku fell to his knees and squeezed his eyes shut. Never before had he felt a pain like this. Never. It felt as if something inside of him wanted to break free, something that had been buried long ago. And he somehow knew that, as soon as he let go, the pain would be gone. 

Suddenly another voice appeared in his head, a voice that sounded surprisingly like his own. _Did you not decide to stay dead because it would be the best for all? You could have watched your children grow. You could have been Jenny's father... Not Vegeta..._

With a loud scream, he finally let go, all the emotions that had been building up over the day, as well as others that he did not even know existed inside of him flowed through his body. The energy around him exploded and he felt as free as he had never felt before. 

He got up and looked at Vegeta, who was smirking at him. He smirked back and both knew what the other wanted. 

None of them did notice the shocked and upset looks Gohan and the Kaioushin were giving them, nor the cruel laugh that was echoing through the ship.

It was time to settle some things.

************************************************************************************

Wow, this is probably one of the longest chapters I've written in a long time… But did you expect the outcome of this chapter? I told you it would become interesting… Stay tuned!

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	23. Part II: Enemies

**A/N: Yahoo! Here I am again! Sorry again that it took so long… a bit more than a month, ouch… But I have been on vacation for 10 days and since I don't have a notebook, it's hard for me to write… Otherwise I would have finished this chapter much sooner! I swear! But this one is yet again extra long, just for you!**

**Have fun!

* * *

**

**Part II**

**Chapter 22: Enemies**

"Dad What's going on?" Gohan asked confused.

He had a vague idea about what was going on, but he could not believe it, _did not want to believe it_. It was impossible – _it just had to be!_ His father simply could not be possessed by Babidi – according to the Kaioushin you needed at least some evil in your heart to become possessed. Gohan, however, had never - not once - noticed anything remotely evil in his father's heart. It was much easier to understand how Vegeta could be possessed, even though the Prince had changed a great deal in the last years. Vegeta had a dark past; he had wiped out whole planets without a second thought and killed with no remorse, while, though he had been fighting ever since he was a small boy and died twice, Goku had always kept his carefree nature. At least Gohan had always thought this to be true. Something must have happened after the second death that had changed his father, maybe just enough so that Babidi's magic worked…

Gohan was thinking hard, trying to put the different pieces together. When he looked closer at the happenings this day, while pushing his own feelings aside, he noticed a few strange things in his father's behavior. They were small, almost insignificant, but they were there. The short glances and glares directed at Vegeta the whole day, the sad and apologetic look on his face whenever someone mentioned something Gohan or the twins had done in the last seven years, mixed with sudden looks of understanding and – damn, why had he not noticed this before? – _jealousy!_

Now everything made sense. Just like Gohan had done it, his father was blaming himself for the fact that his children had to grow up without parents. Then, during the tournament, Goku had noticed how close his sons and especially his daughter were to his once arch nemesis. While Gohan regarded Vegeta as a mentor and friend, Goten and Jenny looked up to him just as they would look up to a father – Jenny doing this even more than her brother.

So that was it! That was the reason why Babidi could possess Son Goku. Spending the whole day watching the interactions between Vegeta and the children he had never met before, caused a spark of jealousy, which had grown bigger and more effulgent with each passing display of affection he had to watch and with each story that showed him what he had missed.

Evil does not equal evil. It seemed that Babidi did just need some impure thoughts and feelings to regain power over people and with this jealousy raging in him, his father had posed the ideal target.

"Dad? Vegeta?" Gohan asked again, hoping for a reaction of at least one of them, but neither reacted.

"Son Goku! Vegeta! You have to fight it!" the Kaioushin said, though it was more a hopeless plea than an order. _How could that happen?_ he asked himself. Of course had he known that Vegeta had been a liability – his chances to get possessed had been quite big with his past. But he could not understand how Babidi had been able to possess Goku. No matter whom he had talked to, everyone had assured him that, if someone was immune to Babidi's magic, it was Son Goku – _'No warrior heart could be purer,'_ they had said. How wrong they had been. The two strongest Saiyajins were under Babidi's control. The battle was lost. "You have to fight him."

"Shut up!" Vegeta roared. "You have no idea what this is about, so stay out of this. We have waited too long for this, haven't we, Kakarotto?"

"We have."

The look in his father's face sent a shiver down Gohan's spine. With the lips curled up in a cruel smirk and the symbol of the Majins seemingly tattooed on his forehead, he did not look anymore like the Son Goku everyone knew and loved – this Saiyajin in front of him was a complete different person.

* * *

On another level of the ship the magician Babidi was truly delighted. He was thinking along the same lines as the Kaioushin – two of the most powerful warriors he had ever seen were under his control. With them on his side, the resurrection of Buu would be a child's play. He was almost giddy with excitement, when he thought of the possibilities those two could bring.

But first and foremost he needed enough energy to revive Buu and what better place was there to gather the energy than a place where the strongest fighters of the world were assembled?

* * *

Suddenly, from one second to another, the four warriors found themselves in the middle of the Budokai ring. The last fight was just over and Satan was receiving the belt of the champion. The crowd stopped cheering the moment they appeared and instead just gaped at the four newcomers in the ring, clearly confused.

To those confused spectators also belonged the rest of the Z-Fighters. They were just on the way from their seats to meeting Juuhachigou at the entrance gate.

"What are they doing here?" Bulma wanted to know.

"I don't know," Muten Roshi answered. "They're with the guy they left with. Maybe they averted the threat and Goku brought them back."

"But the big guy is missing. And where are Krillin and Piccolo?"

Muten Roshi remained silent, staring at the ring deep in thoughts.

* * *

Down in the ring Satan suddenly recognized Goku and Vegeta, now that they were Super Saiyajins, from the Cell Games and swallowed hard. Hopefully they would not start to fight here. When he had recognized them, others would, too, and he was slowly running out of explanations for these tricks as he called them. Especially after this tournament. It would not take long for the crowd to put one and one together to find out that he was not the one who had defeated Cell.

Satan prayed to whoever was listening to him that they would not fight.

* * *

Goku and Vegeta still stared at each other, when they both heard Babidi's voice in their head, commanding them to fight against the other warriors. The two Saiyajins, however, did not want to hear any of it.

"There's only one person in this ring that I will fight," Goku said, his voice being firm and strong. He meant what he had said and no one could make him do otherwise.

"Kakarotto's right. I don't care about the others, as long as I can fight him."

The voice disappeared. It seemed that Babidi had given up for the moment being.

"You can't fight here," Gohan interjected. "There are too many lives at stake."

"Oh yes, we can fight here," Vegeta said menacingly. He extended his arm and opened his palm. A blue glow appeared in its center, developing into a large ki-ball. "Watch this."

With a flick of his wrist, the ki-ball flew at Goku at an amazing speed. The other Saiyajin deflected it easily and sent it flying directly into the crowd. A loud explosion could be heard all over the city and smoke rose up where the attack hit the stands. First when the smoke began to clear, you were able to see the true damage. The stands at one side of the ring were almost completely gone – this attack had cost hundreds of lives.

Panic arose among the rest of the spectators. They climbed over seats, pushed through the crowds, not caring if someone else fell because of them.

The rest of the Z-Fighters ignored the pandemonium around them – they were completely fixated on the happenings in the ring. None of them could comprehend that Goku had just willingly killed hundreds of people. Some of them, mostly Yamcha, had expected Vegeta to return to his old ways someday, but that Goku had repelled the ki-ball directly into the crowd and not into the sky, where no harm could be done, was simply too much.

None of them dared to say something, all thinking the same: _What had happened to them while they were gone?

* * *

_

"Dad…" Gohan muttered. He had expected anything, but not that his father would simply kill hundreds of people. His father, possessed or not, could just not do this. Not Son Goku, the one who had given his life willingly to clean up after his son's stupidity and had said at the same time with a smile on his face that he was proud of his son. Upon looking at his father, however, he reminded himself again that the person in front of him was not his father – and yet, he had to do something to stop him. He knew that he could not talk to Vegeta, but he was sure that somewhere inside of his father there must be something good that he could call upon. "Dad! You have to stop this! This is not you! You don't kill innocents. Look at me and remember how much you love this world, what you have done for it! Hell, dad! You stayed dead so that earth would be safe from attacks directed at you!"

"You don't see it, don't you, Gohan?" Son Goku asked him calmly. "This is exactly what all of this is about. I have given up everything for this world – my life, my family – but what do I get? Nothing! Most people don't even know the exact number of times I have saved their asses and if someone noticed that the world was about to end and we averted it, people like him," He pointed at Satan, who cringed under the accusing glare, "get the credit, though they haven't done anything. I'm tired of caring, tired of giving everything and get nothing in return, only to see that other people get what I'd have deserved."

The young hybrid's mind was running wild. The words of his father, did they really mean what he was thinking? "You- you let yourself get possessed on purpose?" When he saw the self-satisfied sneer on his father's face, he knew the answer and turned to Vegeta. "You, too, didn't you?"

As if proving that Gohan was right, Vegeta extended his hand to his side and destroyed another part of the stadium, barely missing the other Z-Fighters.

"Dad! Please listen to me! No matter why you've done it, you have to stop it… You…"

"You really don't understand, do you?" his father sounded slightly disappointed. "Today is my only chance to fight Vegeta and after this day is over, we might never get the chance to settle this." Ignoring any further protests his son might throw at him, Goku turned to Vegeta. "Let's fight. But somewhere else. Babidi! The ring is not big enough! Bring us somewhere with enough space!"

"Kakarotto is right. Hurry, we don't have all day!"

"You may not fight each other," the Kaioushin tried to stop them. "Babidi will use the energy both of you lose to revive Buu and when this happens, no one will be safe. Earth and the whole universe will be doomed, when this monster gets free."

"We don't care about Buu, do we, Kakarotto?" Goku agreed. "Buu is only secondary to our fight. We have waited long enough. We both have our reasons for this fight, though quite different ones, I assume."

The Kaioushin stepped between them. "Then you have to kill me first. You'll only get to fight over my dead body." The high god tensed, when both Goku and Vegeta pointed their palms at him without a moment's hesitation. Sighing, the Kaioushin stepped aside. He knew that getting himself killed would not help anyone. So it was only him and Gohan and their only chance in stopping this nightmare was to destroy Buu's sphere before they had enough energy.

Suddenly, without warning, Babidi transported them to a desert, but none of them seemed to be startled by this abrupt change of scenery.

"I will let you fight. Gohan, we have to find Babidi and the egg, so that we can fight Babidi and Darbura before the resurrection is completed."

_'What is he talking about?'_ Goku and Vegeta heard in their heads. _'You two have to stop them! Kill them!'_

"No!" Goku roared at the same time that Vegeta called out his refusal.

"We don't care what those two are doing as long as it doesn't interfere with our fight."

* * *

Taken aback, Babidi tried again. _'Do what I say!'_ Both fighters grabbed their heads, visibly fighting against him, but still would not obey. Babidi noticed that their wills were too strong to be taken completely, something that had never occurred before. Never had someone even dared to stand up to him. Those Saiyajins were truly something different. In the end, he simply gave up on them. Their fight should yield enough energy for the revival. Darbura should be able to put off the Kaioushin and the young Saiyajin long enough.

Darbura confirmed his thoughts. "Don't worry about it, Lord Babidi. Their only purpose is to steal energy. As long as I'm here, the Kaioushin won't be able to do anything. Wasn't that your desire? To see the Kaioushin die before your very eyes? I think it would be best to open the door and let them in. If they try to break in, they may awaken Buu before he's at full power."

Babidi agreed and opened the door to his ship that was in the ground, wherever the magician took them.

* * *

"The door opened!" Gohan said surprised.

"If his ship's broken, Babidi's in trouble," the Kaioushin told him. "Come on, Gohan. We can't lose any more time."

"Okay…" the young Saiyajin remorsefully looked back at his father and Vegeta, who were already ready to fight, before he followed the Kaioushin through the hole in the ground. When they arrived on the first level, they noticed that the second door was also opened, as were all the others on their way down, where Babidi and Darbura were already awaiting them.

"It that Buu's sphere?" he asked.

"Yes, it is," the Kaioushin confirmed his assumption.

"Killer of my father… I'm glad you could make it here," Babidi greeted them. "Even though I was a bit surprised when I heard that you were alive, though I could swear that I saw your body after Darbura had killed you and your friend."

"I came to defeat you and to stop the resurrection."

"Unfortunately it doesn't look good for you, for I have the Demon Lord Darbura on my side."

Ignoring this comment, the Kaioushin spoke to Gohan. "Let's hurry. While we're here, the damage of Goku and Vegeta is sent here." His gaze locked on the magician. "I'll kill Babidi."

* * *

On the surface, both Saiyajin had powered up to level two, facing each other with grim determination and ready to begin. Alone the power that radiated from them destroyed the ground, earth and rocks surrounding them. Both of them noticed that the other was stronger than Gohan had been during the Cell Games, but this only added fuel to what was about to be a fight about life or death.

After hesitating for only the split of a second to calculate the other's probable move, they charged. When they touched, the earth around them trembled, larger rocks crumbled to dust and thunder echoed in the mountains. They seemed to be going at it with full force, none of them gaining or giving an inch to the other.

Goku blocked a side-kick aimed at his head, caught Vegeta's fist directly after, as the Prince tried to hit his opponent in the abdomen and returned the attack, which Vegeta blocked just inches from his face. With their hands locked, they tried to kick at each other with their knees and feet. Vegeta managed to free himself from the lock, by clouting his enemy. Goku flinched at the small gash above his right eye, but immediately charged again. Vegeta crashed into the ground, forming a large crater around him. Just about a second after the impact, the smaller warrior jumped out of the crater and landed facing Goku, smirking with a split lip.

* * *

"Buu should be coming out of the sphere pretty soon after he achieves full power. It's better we move this to the surface," Babidi said.

"Alright, but no matter what, I'm going to stop Buu from being revived," the Kaioushin countered and in the next second the surroundings changed and they were again in a desert, but far away from the fight between the two Saiyajins.

"Do you think you can defeat that Earthling, Darbura?" Babidi wanted to know from his henchman.

Darbura smiled self-confidently. "Of course I can. We fought earlier today. I can take care of this trash."

Gohan clenched his fists, ready to continue the fight. The only bad thing was that he did not know about Darbura's physical condition. Had Babidi done something to restore his energy or was he, like Gohan, still worn out from the fight? He had no doubt that he would be able to finish Darbura off, he could have done it earlier, but the question was how long it would take. What he needed now was a boost of energy, a boost as during the Cell Games, when his anger exploded. But he could not get angry now. He was much too confused about this whole situation to get angry enough. And he suspected that the Kaioushin knew this, according to the desperate look on the high god's face. Hoping that it would gain him and the Kaioushin some confidence and that it would scare Babidi and Darbura, Gohan transformed into a Super Saiyajin.

Babidi laughed out menacingly. "That's the way it is, my dear Kaioushin. You can't stop us. I have much more magic in me than my father ever had and I have Darbura on my side." He had just finished the sentence, when a beeping noise came from Buu's egg. "No! It can't be! Not that quickly!"

"What is he talking about?" Gohan wanted to know, when the Kaioushin gasped.

"Fu- fu- full! He's at full power! Buu's at full power!" Babidi cried out in delight. "At least Buu's going to be resurrected!"

"This can't be happening!" the Kaioushin yelled. "How could Goku and Vegeta have lost that much energy in such a short amount of time?"

"I know," Gohan explained. "Both father and Vegeta are fighting at a level that surpasses the Super Saiyajin level by far. The damage they're causing to each other should be enormous."

"This is too much," the Kaioushin blamed himself. "I've made a huge mistake."

* * *

At the same time, somewhere in the air, the three kids stopped in mid-flight, as they noticed the huge energy. "What are those incredible huge kis?" Trunks wanted to know. "Our father's maybe?"

"I don't know," Goten said. "What do you think, sis?"

"You're both stupid," she told them. "One of those kis belongs definitely to Vegeta, even though it's much higher than it has ever been before."

"But, it seems that he's fighting. And if he's fighting your father, then something must be going on… Wanna go investigate?"

Goten and Jenny looked at each other, before they smiled at Trunks and took off into the direction of the kis.

* * *

The effort both Goku and Vegeta put into the fight was still as intense as it had been when they began. Several rocks and mountains around them had been vaporized in the meantime and the landscape had become unrecognizable.

When the fighters broke apart, their physical state became apparent. Both were sporting several bleeding wounds and bruises and though their were still fighting as hard as before, they were visibly exhausted. The clothes were tattered, bloody and overall in a poor condition.

Vegeta spit out some blood and smiled mockingly at Goku. "What's that? Is that all that you've got? Don't tell me you've been spending the last seven years in the afterlife not training. I know you better than that, Kakarotto. By doing his mojo, Babidi boosted both of us. So, either I have just finally surpassed you through sheer training or you're still holding back. Tell me, which one is it?"

They circled each other, but Goku remained silent, trying to fight the sudden surge of anger rising up in him. He knew the answer to that question, but did not want to reveal it, yet. Vegeta, however, was right. Ever since the beginning of the fight they had been evenly matched – Goku had not expected Vegeta to have gotten that much better and stronger. He had thought that he could first humiliate him by showing him that he was defeating him in the level he was now in and then, before he would move on to the kill, show him how much stronger he had really gotten. But it seemed as if he needed to change tactics.

"What's up, Kakarotto? Have you forgotten how to speak or did you just realize that you can't win this fight? Or maybe, if you're still holding back, you just need the proper inspiration to go full out. I assume this inspiration could be the reason why you let yourself get possessed in the first place. It's about what other people have and you don't – at least that's what you told your brat. I don't know, if he realized it, but I did. There's more to it. You could have just gotten your revenge on every single person on this planet, but no, you needed to settle it with me. Why? Because I'm the one who got what you desire most."

They stopped circling and Goku clenched and unclenched his fists. Vegeta was doing this on purpose – he wanted him to lose his head – and he was doing a good job, because Goku could feel his self-control slipping through his fingers with every single word that the Prince of all Saiyajins said.

"Tell me, _Goku,_ didn't it hurt to come back, fully expecting your family and friends welcome you with open arms only to find out that one of your blood distrusts you? I'm not talking about Gohan or Goten – the boy's too trusting for his own good – but about the girl, Jenny. It's only about her, isn't it? The other two brats immediately warmed up to you, but she kept her distance. How did it feel, when she looked at me, _me_, the killer and ruthless warrior, for advice? How does it feel to know that she trusts me more than anyone else? How does it feel to know that I was the first one who trained her, that I'm the one she looks up to and comes to, when she has problems, even problems that she cannot talk about with her older brother? Tell me, how do you feel now, when I tell you that I heard her first word and that it was directed at me. Do you want to know what she said? Do you?" Vegeta suddenly spat out a cruel and scornful laugh. "It was _Da-dy_. She really thought that I was her…"

Vegeta was abruptly interrupted, when he had to dodge an attack of his rival. Blinded with rage, Goku had just blindly thrown himself at the older Saiyajin and now found himself lying in the sand with his face down. He got up again, snarled and glared at Vegeta, who only returned this glare with a look of utterly satisfaction.

"Congratulations, Kakarotto. It has taken a long time, but you've finally found and embraced that Saiyajinside of yours. I knew it had to be buried somewhere, but that it would take one small girl to bring it to the surface…" He shook his head is if he did not believe this. "Whatever… But now, doesn't it feel great? Being free of any guilt and remorse, to be finally able to feel and relish the blood thirst? The power this gives you?"

"You're right," Goku admitted grinning insanely. "It's true. I have never felt this kind of freedom before. Getting myself possessed by Babidi was the best decision I have ever made." He raised his right fist and looked at it, watching the sparks surrounding it. "This thrill is incredible. I wanted this. I needed this. Only once before I've felt something similar, directly after my first transformation. I wanted to feel again like this, no regret to deal with, to be able to fight and kill without caring about the consequences. You're right, Vegeta, I'm jealous. This jealousy was just too strong and I desperately wanted to fight you. For once in my life, I wanted to be able to put my needs first, so I gave Babidi access to my mind, even though I could have shut him out easily. Drastic situations call for drastic measures, but you know what I'm talking about, don't you? You let yourself get possessed because you knew that you needed this additional boost of power Babidi would give you to defeat me."

"Exactly. Too bad I didn't know at that time what you were planning."

"True, too bad. Because now you have no chance against me." Goku got again into a fighting stance and the sneer on his face turned into a look of serious determination. "I promise you, Vegeta, I will use this newly gained freedom wisely to finally do what I should have done years ago – put an end to your existence."

* * *

Steam rose from Buu's egg and the Kaioushin edges away from hit, a look of horror gracing his face. "Gohan! We have to flee! It's too late now!"

Gohan looked at the high god in shock. "And what are we supposed to do then? We can't leave things like this!"

"Don't be silly! We can't beat Buu, not even you. There's no one who can. If we stay, we'll die for sure."

"But…" Gohan desperately looked from the Kaioushin to the egg and back to the Kaioushin. There must be something he could do. He was powered up as high as possible, he had to do at least something. "Let me at least try this!" Before the Kaioushin could respond, Gohan placed his hands at his right side and, while gathering blue energy between the palms of his hands, said the words that he had been taught so long ago. "Kame-hame-HA!"

The blue shockwave flew straight at the egg. Darbura managed just in time to safe himself and the magician, before it hit them. The wave hit its target with a loud detonation, which caused a small and short sandstorm. All of them had to shield their eyes, but the whirlwind subsided just in time for them to see Buu's sphere being thrown off its socket and rolling a few feet before stopping, unscathed. Gohan's attack had been in vain.

None of the four dared to move, as they watched the egg closely, waiting for something to happen.

The egg opened…

… but it was empty.

* * *

Oh, this tension! giggles Of course we all know what's going to happen, don't we? Did you like the small exchange between Goku and Vegeta? Oh, I'm so giddy about what's still happening in this part of the story… I can't wait to see for your reaction, when I'm finally getting to the end of it!

BTW, I also have again a small plot idea for the part after that, in addition to the ones I already have… I think the third part of this story will be the longest one… But for now, the second part is still not finished and will still take a couple of chapters…

Thanks a lot for the reviews of those who are still staying true to this story… I'm always happy to receive more! J

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	24. Part II: Buu

**A/N: Okay, I must admit, it's not this story's turn yet, but I have a truly terrible writer's block for "The Treasure of Power". I sat there in front of an empty page and just could not write. It's horrible, I mean, that story is slowly coming to an end and I know exactly what shall happen, but I can't put it into words! It's so frustrating… Anyways, this writer's block is good for this story, as you'll get this chapter sooner and maybe, if you're nice and leave plenty of reviews (btw, thanks for the last ones) I might even write the next chapter before I continue any other story. So, what say you?**

**Soooo… You probably already know most of this chapter, as it is largely only a retelling of the events with minor changes. But in about one chapter, I will be over with the retelling, because then, things will get interesting! So stay tuned!**

**Part II**

**Chapter 23: Buu**

Babidi's eyes were as wide as saucers, as he spotted the empty space between the two halves of the sphere. He could not believe that Buu was not in there. How could he not be in there? Had everything he had been working on for those last years been in vain? "That's wrong… That's impossible…," he spluttered. "That can't be… Why?"

The Kaioushin, however, slowly started to gain new hope. If Buu was really not awakened, then they still had a chance to defeat Babidi and his henchman Darbura once and for all. "We're lucky. Too bad, Babidi! It seems that Buu was destroyed by this attack. He had been sealed away for too long!"

"It's okay, Lord Babidi. You don't need Buu. You have me and even though they're not the perfect henchmen, there're still Vegeta and Goku. I can take care of those nuisances for you," Darbura reassured him.

Meanwhile, also the Kaioushin, who was now quite optimistic about beating their adversaries, was making plans, how they could take them out. "It looks like Vegeta and Goku are too evenly matched, so they'll probably fight for a while," he said, momentarily pushing aside the thought that the two fighters might very well kill each other as long as they're under Babidi's control. But he hoped that, by defeating the magician, Goku and Vegeta would come to their senses before they would do something drastic. "I'll take on Babidi, and when you defeat Darbura, there'll be no trace of Babidi's evil left! Come on, Gohan, show me what you can do! We're almost done!"

"You're wrong…" Gohan suddenly felt a change in the air. His senses were running wild. When he saw the confused look on the Kaioushin's face, he explained, "There's an incredible ki and it's still growing. That must be…" His head shot towards the sky, when he finally located the origin of the ki. There was a cloud directly over their heads and it seemed to be melting together into a solid form. 

"I… I don't believe it…" The Kaioushin's words faded away, as the transformation of the cloud was completed and a fat pink being, dressed in clothes that a stereotypical djinn would wear, along with a cape, appeared. All four witnesses of this scene stared in shock and surprise, as the being landed on the ground and grinned at them. It looked around and mumbled some unrecognizable words, whereas the three of them asked themselves, if that was really Buu, because it certainly did  not look dangerous. The forth, the Kaioushin, looked angry and scared at the same time. He confirmed everyone's thoughts. "It's Buu. I'll never forget that terrifying face…"

"So it's really him!" Babidi's eyes widened in delight. Everything had worked out just fine and now he could finally get his revenge. He hurried towards Buu, whereas the Kaioushin sighed in defeat.

"It's too late… we can't get away now…"

"You're probably right," Gohan agreed. "He's very strong, but I think that I might have a chance, if I unleash my full power."

~*~

At the same time, Goku and Vegeta were still fighting with full power, even though both were visibly exhausted and bore many bruises and gashes of which some were still bleeding. They were just preparing yet another attack, when they felt the same changes as Gohan and sensed the enormous ki. None of them doubted for a second what this might mean. Buu was back.

Vegeta let out a malicious laugh. "I wondered how strong Buu could be and I guessed right. Isn't that great? We've gotten too strong, Kakarotto, much too strong!"

"You're right, Vegeta. I never thought that the Kaioushin was truly powerful. As a matter of fact, I thought him to be pitiful compared to us."

"And this is why the Kaioushin is terrified of Buu, but he's nothing compared to us."

"I don't know about this," Goku said somewhat thoughtfully. "There's something weird about his ki. Whatever, if you are right, then Gohan will be able to take care of him. I, however, won't let Buu disturb our fight. I promised you something, Vegeta, and I fully intend to keep my promise."

"For once I have to agree with you." Vegeta got back into a fighting stance. "So, what are you waiting for? We don't have all day!"

~*~

After having hurried the first steps, Babidi now approached Buu carefully, followed by Darbura. "Hello Buu. I'm Babidi, son of Bibidi, your creator," he introduced himself. He knew that he had to choose his words carefully, since Buu was said to be a ruthless monster. "You've been sealed away for a long time. But now you're free. I freed you and therefore am your new master." But Buu ignores him completely and turns his back to his new master. "Hey! I'm talking to you! I'm your master, so look at me!" 

Suddenly Buu turned around and stuck out his tongue at Babidi, who fell backwards, startled by this unexpected behavior. He had honestly thought that Buu might attack him, but was somewhat glad that it was not so.

"Shit, he's just an idiot." Darbura scowled deeply.

"I don't know why, but it looks like I made a mistake… He's just a piece of garbage, with no brain and even less power."

Buu looked at them curiously and then started jumping around in front of Darbura, as if challenging him. Darbura, seeing this as his chance to get rid of this pest, smirked satisfied. "You want to fight me? You're truly an idiot."

From one moment to another, Buu's goofy grin was replaced by a wicked one, steam rose from small holes in his head and his left hand lashed out, jabbing the completely unprepared Demon Lord directly in the eyes. This all happened at an amazing speed. Darbura stumbled backwards in pain, blood running from his eyes. He never had a chance to react, when Buu kicked out and hurled Darbura into one of the nearby rocks.  

Gohan and the Kaioushin were simply speechless. Babidi, however, recovered quickly from his shook and squealed in glee. "That was spectacular! Buu, you're wonderful!" Buu was again grinning from one ear to another and clapped his hands like a toddler, who found something incredible funny. 

Gohan shook. He could not believe the drastic increase of Buu's ki. The monster was strong, too strong. He had to admit defeat. He could not defeat him, not even if he were at full power. 

~*~

"What was that?" Trunks suddenly stopped in mid-flight. Jenny and Goten did the same. They all had felt that huge ki that had appeared out of nowhere. "What is going on?"

"Which way should we go now?" the other boy wanted to know. "Do you maybe think that this ki is Buu?"

Jenny shivered and rubbed her arms. "I think so. It feels strange. Evil…"

"Then let's go there!" the oldest of the three suggested and upon Goten's exciting nodding, they took off into the new direction. Jenny had no other choice but to follow them, even though she had a really bad feeling about this. She felt, no, she somehow knew that this was going to end badly. She just could not shake off the dream anymore, not now that things were going to get truly dangerous. 

~*~

When ChiChi finally arrived back on the Dai Kaiou's planet, she was more worried than when she had left earth. There had been murmurs in the check-in station for souls and she could swear that the workers there and souls had been pointing at her while whispering behind her back. She had tried to ignore them on her way to the plane that would bring her to the god's planet, but she still caught some words like _fight, bad _and _possessed_. She did not know what she should make out of those glimpses and pieces of information, but now ChiChi was resolved on finding Kaiousama and making him talk to her about the happenings on earth. Her husband and her kids were still there, so she had a right to know what was going on and if they were in danger.

It was in times like this that she wished she could feel ki or at least fly, because it was hard to find one person on a planet that large. Fortunately the crisis on earth seemed to be so big that all people – gods – of distinction were assembled at the Dai Kaiou's palace. She fought her way through the crowd of fighters in front of the entrance until she was standing in front of the large wooden doors, where guards tried to fend off the curious fighters. ChiChi had thought that they would send her away as well, but when they spotted her, they opened the door, much to the dismay of the rest of the crowd. 

ChiChi stomped through the hallway, following one of the guards to the chamber, where the Dai Kaiou as well as the other four Kaious were sitting and discussing the events on earth. They looked up when she entered the room and Kaiousama winced, when he saw the angry look on her face. He had seen this look dozens of times already during the last years and knew exactly was this meant, though the other gods seemed to be clueless. They had no idea how much power this woman could have over the people around her.

"ChiChi," he greeted her with a nervous smile. "We've already expected you."

"Stop wasting your breath, Kaiousama! I want to know what is going on on earth! Tell me!" the dark haired woman almost yelled.

"ChiChi, dear, why don't you sit down first and then we'll tell you what's going on…" When she remained standing with her arms crossed over her chest, Kaiousama sighed. "Oh well… Okay, just a couple of minutes ago, Babidi, I'm sure you've heard of him already, was able to resurrect the terrible monster Buu. At the moment, Gohan and the Kaioushin are the only people who might be able to achieve something against him, but their chances to defeat Buu are slim to nonexistent."

"But what about Goku? And Vegeta? Is my Goku okay?" ChiChi was now getting extremely worried. She could not care less about Vegeta, but she did not want Goku to die, she did not want him to cease to exist!

Kaiousama nervously looked at his feet. He absolutely did not want to be the person to tell ChiChi this. "I can't really say that they're okay. They're fighting each other right now…"

"_What?_ Why are they fighting each other and not Buu? It's Vegeta's fault, right? He somehow persuaded my Goku to fight him!"

"To be honest, it's not Vegeta's fault. You see, Babidi has the ability to possess people with evil in their hearts. Now, before you say something," Kaiousama interrupted her, as she opened her mouth, "we all were surprised by this, but it seems that there was some part in Goku's heart that is, if not evil, at least impure. You must know that he's extremely jealous of Vegeta's connection to your children and this feeling was what enabled Babidi to possess him." He did not want to tell her more, this should be enough information now. The rest was Goku's tale to tell, if they ever got out of this alive. 

"What about… Vegeta?" Her voice was small and quivering, as if she did not want to believe what Kaiousama had just told her. 

"Also possessed. It was their energy that resurrected Buu."

Silence fell over the room. None of the gods dared to say something that might set this woman off and ChiChi was chewing on her lower lip, deep in thoughts, until her stance suddenly straightened and the resolved look reappeared on her face. "Let me talk to Goku."

"ChiChi, I don't…"

"Let me talk to him! I might be the one to beat some sense into his thick skull! I'm his wife, who else should be able to do it?!"

"She might be right," the Dai Kaiou said and the others nodded in agreement. 

Kaiousama sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Okay, put your hand on my shoulder. You may talk to him."

~*~

_'Son Goku! What do you think you're doing?'_ Distracted by suddenly hearing his wife's voice in his head, Son Goku did not see Vegeta lunging at him with his fist and was hit square in the face. He stumbled backwards and blood started to trickle out of his nose. 

"ChiChi?" he asked confused, much to Vegeta's bewilderment. Had he hurt a blood vessel in his head or why was he suddenly talking to himself?

_'Yes, it's me! So, are you going to answer me any time soon?'_

"Get out of my head, woman!" Goku said, now angrily. "I'm in the middle of a fight…"

_'I know that!' ChiChi yelled. 'And who do you think you are that you may call me woman? I do have a name, you know! But that's beside the point. Do you know that your oldest son is right now facing Buu and it doesn't look good for him and the Kaioushin, while you and your buddy Vegeta are fighting for fun?'_

"We're not fighting for fun!" Goku countered. "You are just like everyone else! You have no idea what this is about, not at all! This fight is about honor and pride!"

_'Honestly, Goku, you behave like a child! So our children like and trust Bulma and, as much as I hate to say it, Vegeta, but so what? Don't you think I have also noticed the relationship between them? At least I'm happy that they've found someone they could trust that much! You may not forget that the little ones grew up with just knowing them as their _parents_! But do I go out and take the first chance that I get to let myself be possessed? No!'_

Goku's head hurt. Not just due to the loud voice his wife was using, but also because something was starting to fight against the possession of Babidi. "Stop it!" he roared, grabbing his head. "I will finish this fight, no matter what it takes. I'm going to show Vegeta that I'm the better fighter."

_'Fine,'_ _ChiChi huffed. 'If you want to continue this fight, I don't mind, but only if you take care of Buu beforehand. If you don't, I'll keep talking until you do. And you know that this isn't an empty threat. So? Agreed?"_

Goku growled and lowered his gaze at Vegeta, before he mumbled, "Agreed."

"I'm waiting, Kakarotto. Have you finished with your small inner dialogue so that we can finally continue?" Vegeta asked, tapping his foot impatiently. 

"That was ChiChi. She wants us to fight Buu first and then continue our fight," Goku informs him with a deep scowl on his face. 

"And you're going to do what she says?"

"It's either that or she'll be annoying me the whole time so that I can't concentrate on our fight, so I have no choice, if I want to face you with everything I have and I think that you also wouldn't be satisfied if you defeated me only because I was unfocussed."

Vegeta snorted. "Fine, Kakarotto. We're putting this fight on hold. Give me a senzu, we both used up a lot of strength."

Goku only nodded at him and turned around to take one senzu bean for each of them out of his belt. He never even saw or felt Vegeta's attack coming. The Prince hit him with the side of his hand into the neck, knocking the other Saiyajin out cold. Vegeta bowed down and picked up the one senzu Goku had dropped. 

"Even you let your guard down, when you're tired," he said and ate the bean, immediately feeling his strength return. "You let yourself get possessed because of me, so I'm responsible for letting Buu loose. I'll take care of him and we continue this fight later. If I'm still alive," he added with a rueful smile. 

~*~

"You have to listen to me, Buu." Babidi was still trying to convince Buu that he was now his master, but so far, in vain. Buu just did not want to listen, but rather fooled around. He did not seem to grasp the seriousness of this situation. So, if being nice did not help, he had to use more threatening methods. "Do you think you can rebel against me? I read and understood my father's notes. Especially the spell that is used for imprisoning you in that sphere. I bet you don't want to go back in there." Buu seemed to have understood this, because his face suddenly grew somber and he bowed to the magician. "That's more like it."

In the meantime, Gohan and the Kaioushin were talking about possible tactics. Gohan suggested to kill Babidi, because Buu still appeared to be childlike and maybe easier to control without Babidi. The Kaioushin immediately refused, saying that if they killed Babidi they would have no chance to put Buu back into his egg. He loathed himself, because even he as high Kaioushin was completely powerless compared to Buu. He gave up. "There's no way to defeat Buu or escape. Neither of us will survive."

"What are you talking about?" Gohan demanded to know. "We have to get away. Come on!"

When he heard Babidi telling Buu to attack them, Gohan's aura flared up and he grabbed the Kaioushin's arm, pulling him away. He was quite confident of his speed, so his eyes went wide in shock, as Buu appeared in front of them after having given them a head start. He never had time to react as the monster's fist connected with his face and sent him flying at the ground, where the earth and stones cracked due to the impact. 

The Kaioushin tried to ward Buu off, but he had even less success as Gohan's attempt to escape. Buu did not even flinch and slapped the god with both hands, almost crashing his skull doing that. The Kaioushin vaguely felt another pain in his head, when he was already spiraling downwards. The crash into the ground sent another wave of agony through his body and he tried to get up, but Buu was too fast and literally sat down on his back. The Kaioushin screamed. 

Barely conscious, he just noticed the weight disappear from his back, as Gohan had gotten up again and kicked Buu off him. The monster, however, easily did some back flips and landed on his feet. The dent in his face that Gohan's kick had caused disappeared as if nothing had ever happened. Gohan became increasingly irritated. How could that attack not hurt him at all?

"You bother me. Go away," Buu spoke, the first words he had said since he got out of his egg. Gohan had already thought that he might not be able to speak. He powered up and was ready to attack, but was not prepared for the enormous ki ball Buu formed and threw at him. He tried to catch it, but there was too much power behind it and so the ball engulfed him. Unable to do anything, the true defeater of Cell was hurled away with the ball until it exploded. A limp Gohan fell and hit ground in some woods. His gi was heavily torn and blood was seeping out of several wounds. He did not move anymore. 

The Kaioushin had watched this with one eye swollen shut. Now it was truly over. Hazily he heard Babidi talking to Buu about killing him. The Kaioushin almost smiled. At least the pain would go away then.

Suddenly he heard a horror-stricken outcry and raised his head just enough to see a spear now penetrating Buu's chest and Darbura walking up to them. Did his only hope now lie in the hands of the Demon Lord?

~*~

Upon sensing the kis being very close and even being able to see some figures at the ground, Jenny, Trunks and Goten landed on a nearby rock in hiding. They immediately dropped our of Super Saiyajin, in case someone down there was able to sense ki. They checked out the people on the ground, wondering which one might be Buu, when Trunks suddenly spotted a statue that looked very much like Piccolo standing on a crag of the small mountain they were hiding on.

"Look at that!" he got the attention of the twins. They sneaked over to the statue to take a closer look at it. "It looks like Piccolo!"

"And see there! This one looks like Krillin!" Goten pointed to a smaller stature on the level underneath them. 

Suddenly an 'Oops' could be heard from Trunks and Jenny and Goten whirled around to see what had happened. Trunks had tapped the Piccolo statue and it had fallen over, breaking into several pieces. Jenny glimpsed over the edge and sighed with relief. They had not noticed them, yet. 

She took another look at the people down there and her heart missed a beat. Next to the small wrinkly guy and this Shin stood a fat pink being, the same monster she had seen in her dream. Jenny froze. She did not want to believe it, but all signs spoke for the fact that her dream was going to come true…

~*~

Buu was looking at the spear protruding from his chest with a frown, before he simply pulled it out and the wound closed again immediately. He threw the spear away and turned to look at his attacker, whose face was still overall bloody from the previous attack on his eyes. Suddenly, the frown changed into a wide insane grin. "I'm gonna eat you!"

Slightly shocked by Buu's actions, but not ready to give up yet, Darbura growled and lunged at the monster. Buu's grin only became wider, if possible and he bowed forward, shooting a white beam from the appendix on his head, which completely engulfed the Demon Lord. When the light was gone, all that was left of Darbura was a man-sized and Darbura-shaped cookie, which Buu devoured. 

~*~

The three kids turned away in disgust and saw that the Krillin statue was suddenly replaced by the real Krillin. The death of Darbura caused the reverse of the attack he had used on them and so the effect of the spit was gone. After having enquired what was going on and the kids filling him in, also mentioning that he had been a statue before, Krillin proceeded to tell them about Darbura's attack and that it had petrified him and Piccolo. 

Trunks suddenly went ghostly pale and the twins had sick looks upon their faces, when they realized the exact meaning of this. He quickly flew up to where he _broke_ Piccolo and saw bits and pieces of the Namek lying around. Now more green than pale in his face, he descended again to the others. "Let's keep this a secret, okay?"

Suddenly Jenny's eyes lit up and she smiled. "He's okay!"

The others followed her gaze and saw a complete and very much alive Piccolo standing on the cliff. The three Saiyajins had forgotten about his ability to regenerate. But when the Namek felt the strong ki, he immediately dropped flat to the ground, staring at the figures below. He concluded that the big ki must belong to Buu and was equally shocked and surprised that Babidi had actually achieved his goal. He saw the mortally wounded Kaioushin lying on the ground, Babidi and Buu standing next to him. A deep frown appeared on his face, when he could not feel Gohan's ki anymore and his wrath towards the magician became even bigger. He only wondered, why Goku and Vegeta were not down there fighting and why their kis were so far away. 

The kids and Krillin climbed up to him and also laid down on their stomachs. "Is that Buu?" Krillin wanted to know, as he spotted the pink monster.

"Probably…" Piccolo confirms.

"This isn't funny. This huge ki belongs to him, right?"

Piccolo remained silent, thinking it better to leave this question unanswered. He was pondering about their next moves. He could not let the Kaioushin down there, dying, but he was sure that going down would mean his death. Goten only confirmed this by telling about Buu's impalement and that it did not seem to have bothered him much, except of pissing him off. 

"But we have to do something…" Jenny mumbled. Maybe, if they did something now, then her dream would not come true. 

"We can't," Krillin said. "We would be no match for them. We can only wait here and pray that either Gohan, Goku or Vegeta or all of them together will be able to defeat him somehow."

Piccolo threw a side-glance at the human. He did not seem to have noticed Gohan's lack of ki, or he was in denial. Whatever it was, Piccolo did not want to say anything about Gohan, not yet, not in this situation. He knew that the kids would do something stupid, if they found out about their brother's death this way.

They all turned to look back at the happenings on the ground and Piccolo could hear Buu and Babidi talking about turning the Kaioushin into either candy or chocolate. He wanted to look away, but could not. Buu was advancing on the Kaioushin, but before he could reach him, a sudden detonation whirled up dust and destroyed a large part of the ground, where Babidi's ship had once been. 

When the dust cleared, they could not believe their eyes, for Vegeta was standing there with a superior smirk upon his face.


	25. Part II: The sacrifice

**A/N: No comment.**

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**Part II**

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**Chapter 24: The sacrifice**

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"Dad!" Trunks called out happily, as he noticed that it was his father, who had been behind this explosion and stepped now out of the cloud it had caused. Now everything was going to be okay! His father was here and he would take care of Buu! He was, after all, the strongest warrior in the universe, maybe closely followed by Gohan, Trunks thought in his childlike naivety. He, like most kids his age, thought his father to be the best in everything and having heard Vegeta gloat more than once about his strength did not help much in making him believe otherwise. Therefore Trunks did not understand, why Jenny was suddenly looking much paler than before. "Jenny? What's wrong with you?"

The girl in question looked at him, her black eyes wide with fear and her face indeed very pale. "Its… nothing…" she said quickly and looked away. She would not say what was worrying her. She knew Trunks – he would surely laugh at her. It was only a dream, after all, nothing to be worried about. Everything that had happened until now was just a coincident – wasn't it? She had to have faith in Vegeta. He would not do something as stupid as getting himself killed. _He would not!_ He would not… But somehow Jenny knew that she was just trying to convince herself that her dream would not come true. She still had the feeling that the dream meant something, but she did not know what to make out of it exactly. Hell, the very same monster out of her dream was out there, just a few yards away from her! So how could her dream not become true! But she would not, could not tell the others. She was just a child, no one would believe her anyway. 

Jenny was torn out of her thoughts, when Vegeta started to talk. She could not understand his words, but Piccolo's face suddenly showed anger and despair, so he must be able to understand, what was going on down there. Trunks seemed to think the same, because he suddenly asked, "What did dad say?"

But Piccolo did not answer him. He had just had his worst fears confirmed. Vegeta had just said that Buu had killed Gohan. When Gohan had been killed by this monster, would Vegeta be able to defeat him? He doubted it. Even if Vegeta had become stronger and maybe even if he had surpassed Gohan in strength, it would not be enough to kill Buu. 

* * *

"Vegeta! What the hell are you doing? I did not tell you to destroy my ship!" Babidi yelled, with his arms raised in the air out of anger. 

Vegeta, however, remained completely calm. "Is that fat oaf Buu? How dare you kill Gohan?"

"What does oaf mean?" Buu wanted to know. He looked at his master with a complete clueless expression on his face.

Babidi sighed, half in anger, half in defeat that Vegeta would not work for him anymore. "That means he doesn't like you."

When Buu's face had been lit up with a grin one second ago, it was now replaced with an angry scowl. He clenched his fists and steam rose up again from the openings in his head. "I'm mad! I'm going to kill you!"

Vegeta only smirked and got ready to fight. "I won't be going to hell by myself. You two will be my guides."

The Kaioushin raised his head as far as he could and stared at Vegeta as if he was insane. Did he have a death wish? Did he not know what had happened to Gohan? No one would be able to stop Buu, no one! The world was lost… But the Kaioushin was still impressed by the will of those warriors to do everything and to not give up, even if the situation was absolutely hopeless. It seemed as if they would rather go down fighting than go and hide.

The Saiyajin's energy flared up and blue sparks flashed around his body. He had once again surpassed the state of Super Saiyajin and was even stronger as Gohan, when the boy had been fighting Cell. The rising of his ki caused stones and dust rising in the air, so that it was once again hard to see him. The attack came sudden. One of Vegeta's legs lashed out and hit Buu in the face. While Buu's head was still jerking around, the Prince embedded his fist in the face. It went on like this. Vegeta was attacking non-stop and Buu did not do anything to defend himself or to fight back. 

This worried Babidi deeply. What was wrong with Buu that he did not do anything? Vegeta could not be that strong, could he? Buu had practically squashed that other earthling, so this one should not have a chance.

With one last powerful punch, Vegeta sent Buu flying. The monster landed on his feet and straightened his body. He seemed to be completely unaffected by this onslaught, for all dents and wounds that had been caused by the attacks disappeared instantly. But Vegeta was not finished yet. He extended his arm and shot a large ki-blast at him. It went directly through Buu's abdomen, leaving a large hole. 

Babidi again thought Buu defeated, was however once more surprised by Buu's ability to regenerate himself, as the hole closed up as fast as the other wounds had before. Now Buu was truly pissed off. As was Vegeta, when his attack did not show the desired effect. Why won't you die? he thought angrily. There must be a way to defeat him. In all their previous fights, they had first thought that their opponents were invincible and they had always been able to defeat them. But what was the key to Buu's defeat? How much power did he need to fulfill his task?

"That hurt a little," Buu growled, as he now prepared an attack. He folded his arms in front of his chest and started to gather a lot of energy in and around his body. Vegeta steeled himself, but was not ready for the true impact of the explosion that followed, when Buu released the energy with a deafening cry. The detonation destroyed everything in close proximity, also the hiding place of Krillin, Piccolo and the kids. They were all hurled around in the air, even Vegeta, who had only been standing merely a few feet away from the source of the explosion.

Babidi had barely managed to conjure a shield in front of him, which protected him and therefore left him unhurt. When the dust had cleared yet again, Buu was floating above a huge crater, grinning in victory. Fortunately, the other warriors were unhurt, as they got up again. Vegeta, however, was wounded badly. Blood was running from a large gash on his right arm, which he was holding, and seeping from several other injuries all over his body. He was hardly able to stand straight, let alone to continue the fight in his present state. And yet, he was impressed. Not only was Buu strong, he was also nearly invincible. "This asshole", he muttered and spat out some blood that had been gathering in his mouth.

* * *

"Even Vegeta couldn't do a thing," Piccolo said. Gohan's dead. The Kaioushin's ki had now also vanished completely. The world was lost. 

"Dad… Dad won't lose! Not to someone like Buu!" Trunks said – the despair was evident in his voice. He had seen what had happened and yet he could not believe it. Not his father. His father was the strongest warrior in the universe! He could not be defeated! But when Trunks saw the grim look in Piccolo's face, the trust he had had in his father's victory crumbled.

* * *

There has to be a way to defeat him! Vegeta thought angrily. He had to think of one! Every person and warrior does have a weak spot. For Saiyajins it was their tails, but what was it for Buu? He had seen him recover from the most severe wounds, so a normal attack won't work at all… What he needed was… 

His thoughts were disrupted, when Buu did something extraordinary strange. He grabbed a part of the flesh of his stomach and literally pulled it off, so that he was now holding a rubber like lump of flesh in his hands. Buu stretched it and then, all of sudden, shot a ki-blast from his mouth. Vegeta jumped away to dodge it, but lost track of Buu while he was doing this. He first noticed the lump of flesh flying at him, when it was already too late. He tried to fight against it, but it just wrapped itself around him completely. 

Vegeta fell to the ground with a dull thud, while Buu was advancing on him humming. The monster looked at him giddily, before he kicked him like a football. More blood ran out of his mouth, when Vegeta connected again with the ground. But Buu was not finished with him by far. He jumped on Vegeta's stomach and started to hit his face, alternating with his left and right fist.

* * *

"He's gonna kill him!" Goten cried outraged. 

"Does anyone of you know where Goku and Gohan are?" Krillin asked desperately. "Where they killed?"

Piccolo sighed, the whole time keeping an eye on the two boys, who seemed to be on the verge of doing something stupid. "I don't know about Goku, but Gohan was killed by Buu. Vegeta said so, when he arrived here."

"What? My brother… Gohan can't be dead! Jenny! Tell him that Gohan isn't dead!"

Jenny looked at her brother with fearful eyes. Now that she tried to feel him, she noticed that Gohan's ki was indeed gone. She felt tears dwelling up, but swallowed them and instead of answering Goten, averted her eyes. She did not trust herself to speak. Everything was just getting from bad to worse and there was nothing, she or either of them could do to make it better again.

"Trunks! Control yourself!" Piccolo suddenly yelled. "There's nothing you can do except getting in the way! You'll just make your dad's suffering worse!"

"No!" Trunks only screamed and flew off as Super Saiyajin to his father's rescue. Piccolo tried to stop him, so that Goten used the chance to follow his best friend, before the Namek could stop him.

"Goten!" Piccolo shouted, but too late. Both boys were too far away already. "Oh no, you'll stay!" He grabbed Jenny, before she was able to pull off the same as her brother and friend. The girl scowled at him, trying to hold his angry glare, but eventually lowered her gaze and reluctantly settled back down.

She watched as Trunks used the momentum of his speed to kick Buu off of his father and flying into a small mountain far away. He and Goten then landed next to Vegeta to free him of Buu's flesh and to help him standing up again.

"You'll stay here," Piccolo ordered. "I'll be right back."

* * *

"Who are those shrimps?" Babidi wondered, but then smiled to himself. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. They'll have the same fate as everyone else on this planet." 

He was so engrossed in his musings that he did not notice the Namek sneaking up to him. "Though I despise Buu, it's all your fault Babidi."

The magician turned around startled and looked up at the impressive form of Piccolo with fear in his eyes. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Piccolo left the magicians questions unanswered and said instead, "Even I can't kill Buu, but I can take care of you. And believe me, I've been waiting to kill you for several years now. I want to make you pay for what you've done…"

Babidi laughed out loud. "You fool! Without me, you won't be able to imprison Buu again and he will destroy everything."

"Isn't that the same result whether you live or die?" Piccolo asked him grimly. "Die!" 

He practically sliced Babidi in half with the side of his hand and while the two halves were falling to the ground, completed his mission by pulverizing him completely with a ki-blast, so that no one would be able to restore him. 

He looked at the spot where Babidi had been floating only seconds ago with a somber look on his face. He felt a small victorious spark in his soul – he had finally fulfilled what he had sworn to do almost eight years ago, when Dende had told him about ChiChi's and therefore also Gohan's fate – but he also knew that this would change nothing in the outcome in the fight against Buu. This alone was up to Vegeta and if he did not have a sudden epiphany, they would be truly lost.

* * *

After the kids had helped him out of this lump and he was standing again, he spotted Piccolo at the sky. He suddenly knew what he had to do. "Trunks," he said. "Take good care of your mom…" 

"Huh?" Trunks looked up at his father and saw something in his face that resembled a victorious and yet somehow sad smile. "What do you mean, dad? Why should I take care of mom?"

"You two should go away now. I'm going to take care of Buu all by myself."

"No!" the boy protested. "When you fight him alone, you'll get killed. As team we might be able to defeat him."

"That won't work. Normal techniques are of no use against him."

"You're wrong. We're both really strong. And if Jenny might be able to get here, we'll be four to fight Buu," Trunks still tried to convince his father. Vegeta did not say anything to that. However, he did not remain silent. Instead he said something that surprised both him and Goten.

"Trunks, I've never hugged you since you were a baby, right?" He turned to Trunks, again having this sad smile on his face. "Let me hug you now." With his good arm, Vegeta pulled Trunks against his body. Trunks tried to fight him, but only halfheartedly, saying that he was embarrassing him, when, in truth, he enjoyed this sudden show of affection. "Take care of yourself, Trunks."

Trunks stared at him with wide eyes, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck and everything around him went black. After Vegeta had knocked out Trunks, he punched Goten hard in the stomach, so that the boy's hair turned back to black and he, too, lost consciousness. 

Piccolo, who had watched this display, landed next to them. Vegeta turned to him, when he noticed that Buu was returning. "Take the kids and take them as far away as you can. I'm counting on you Piccolo."

Piccolo bent down to pick up the kids and then spoke, "You're going to die, aren't you?"

"Tell me something. Will I meet Kakarotto?"

"I have to be honest with you. No, you won't. You've killed too many people. After you die, you'll board a different plane than Goku and go to hell," Piccolo told him gravely. 

"I see…Too bad." Vegeta was not too happy about this, but he had expected nothing else. "Enough! Now go and hurry!"

Piccolo nodded and took off into the sky, just as Buu was back again. The monster did not want to let them go, but Vegeta could convince him to stay. He told him that he wanted to finish their fight first and that he was going to kill him. He also added a small insult, just to make sure that Buu really stayed and indeed, he did react to this as Vegeta had expected. 

* * *

"Move it! Krillin, Jenny! Get out of here!" Piccolo yelled, as he shot past them with the boys in his arms. 

Krillin was about to follow, but noticed that Jenny was still staring at the happenings in front of them. The sand around Vegeta was whirled up, as the Saiyajin gathered energy. It flew even so far that he had to cover his eyes, but still the girl did not move. "Jenny! Come on! We have to hurry!" 

Jenny did not listen. Everything was just like in her dream. It almost looked like Vegeta was in the middle of a large sandstorm. He glowed golden and sparks of energy surrounded him. 

Suddenly someone grabbed her arm. "Come on! It's too dangerous!"

She let herself be pulled away, just like in her dream. They flew away, turning their backs on Vegeta and Buu. She looked back once more and saw him standing there in a proud stance that she could only call majestic. As he got smaller and smaller, she knew she would never forget that sight. 

Jenny was pulled back into the presence, when they had caught up to Piccolo. "What is he doing? He'll get killed!" Krillin wanted to know.

Piccolo gritted his teeth. "This is the first time he has fought for the behalf of others. He's going to sacrifice himself…"

Suddenly flashes of her dream appeared in front of Jenny's inner eye. Vegeta standing in the eye of the storm, gathering energy. Krillin trying to get her away. Piccolo saying even this. The knowledge that Vegeta was not getting out of this alive. Even if he did manage to kill Buu with this attack, he would be killed! She could not let that happen! There had to be another way to defeat Buu! What if he did not succeed? Gohan was dead. Her _father_ was… they did not know. And without Vegeta there would be no one who might be remotely strong enough to fend Buu off, let alone defeat him. 

She stopped abruptly, turned Super Saiyajin and flew back before either Piccolo or Krillin could react and try to stop her. 

"Jenny!" Krillin cried and wanted to go after her, but Piccolo stopped him.

"Don't," the Namek told him grudgingly. He did not like this sudden turn of events, but they had to get away as fast as possible. They did not have time to catch up to Jenny and bring her back. "We can revive her with the Dragonballs. Don't forget that we are not this lucky."

Vegeta felt the energy around him crackle. He was almost ready and that was good, because Buu did not look like he would wait much longer for him to finish. He only hoped that this would be enough energy for an explosion big enough to destroy him. Buu might be able to regenerate large parts of his body, similar to Piccolo, but would Buu still be able to regenerate, if he was blown to bits and pieces small enough for worms to eat? 

Almost ready, he thought and watched the sparks around his fist. Just a few more seconds and then Buu was history. 

Goodbye, Bulma, Trunks, Jenny, Goten and Gohan… And even you, Kakarotto…

Too late he noticed the small golden blur racing up to him and tackling him, so that he fell to the ground. In the moment of the fall, his concentration faded and therewith also the precious energy he had gathered. He stared surprised at the girl in his arms, so that he did not see Buu's attack coming in time. 

Vegeta barely managed to turn his back to the blast, holding Jenny close to his chest so that she would not be hurt. He felt the burning sensation on his back and ground his teeth as not cry out in pain. He tried to keep his feet on the ground, but the shockwave of the blast and the blast itself were too strong and so he lost the ground beneath his feet. Clutching Jenny even closer, if that was still possible, he prepared for whatever might come. Only about a second or two later, they crashed into a large rock. Once again a sharp pain ran through his whole body, when they collided and the rock collapsed above them due to the deep impact. 

And then he knew no more.

Buu looked at the falling rock with a somehow disappointed expression on his face. It seemed as if he had hoped to have more fun with this fighter. He shrugged. He was sure there would be plenty of other people he could have fun with. Now without master to tell him what to do and without opponent, he flew off after those who had gotten away. 

* * *

Hehe, did you expect that? No? Well, I'm evil! But I can assure you that my notes for the next chapter are already finished and I'm even thinking about posting it in a couple of days, as soon as I have time to write! I also say as much as that the next chapter is the last one in the second part.

But for now, please review! grin

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	26. Part II: The rage of a Saiyajin

**A/N: Okay, Ladies and Gentlemen, readers and reviewers, I now officially announce that this is the last chapter of Part II. I hope you liked this part so far and also the finish I have planned and now also written down for it!**

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* * *

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**Part II**

**Chapter 25: The rage of a Saiyajin**

While the Z-Fighters had been fully engaged in the battle against Buu, their human friends, including Videl, who had insisted on going with them after the terrible display of Goku and Vegeta at the Budokai, were seated in Bulma's large copter on their way to Dende's Lookout. They wanted, no, needed to use the Dragonballs to resurrect all those that had been killed by the two Saiyajins. They were lucky that they did not have to search for the seven magical spheres, since Dende had kept them at the palace after they had been used to bring the Kaioushin and Kibito back to life seven years ago.

But even though the prospects of reviving those people were pretty good, Bulma was devastated. She sat in her seat, face in her hands, while Yamcha was flying the copter. Just like her other friends, she could not believe what Vegeta and Goku had done. Most importantly, why they had done this. She could not explain their behavior. As could none of the others. The mood in the copter was rather gloomy and no one dared to say something, afraid that his or her words might upset one of the others.

* * *

At the same time, Krillin and Piccolo were also on their way to the Lookout. They had not felt any kind of explosion that might have killed Buu, though they could also not feel Vegeta's and Jenny's ki anymore. They were sure that something must have happened back there so that Vegeta had not been able to carry out the attack that would have eventually killed him and hopefully also Buu. Due to this and the fact that they could still feel Buu's ki behind them, they hurried up, hoping against hope that Buu might not be able to find them on the Lookout.

None of them spoke during the flight. Krillin was slowly starting to tire by trying to keep up with Piccolo, but he knew that they had to get to the Lookout as soon as possible. Neither he nor Piccolo said anything, but they both knew that Buu was catching up to them. Somehow Krillin felt as if Buu was mocking them. He was pretty sure that the monster would not have had any problems to have reached them by now and yet he was still some distance behind them. Maybe they should not go to the Lookout after all, Krillin thought. But it was too late now, since he could already see it in the distance.

With their destination now in front of them, the two warriors once again sped up, Krillin grasping on every ounce of energy he had left. A smile spread over his face, when he saw the yellow copter landing on the huge yard of the Lookout. At least their friends were okay. Buu was still behind them and maybe, if they hid fast enough, he would not find them. They needed some time to form a plan. He still did not know what had happened to Goku, but Gohan, Vegeta and Jenny were dead. With two of the three strongest warriors in the universe dead and one missing their chances of defeating Buu were slim to nonexistent.

Suddenly Buu's ki behind them disappeared. Piccolo and Krillin exchanged confused looks, their question, where Buu had gone, however, was answered, when they suddenly spotted him in front of them. So this is it, Krillin thought gravely, as they stopped abruptly in front of the monster. One fat pink being will destroy everything that we have fought for in the last years.

"There you are," Buu said smiling widely. "I've been looking for you!"

"Krillin, take the kids." Piccolo roughly pushed the two boys into his arms and then turned to Buu. "Bring them to the Lookout and make sure that they are safe. They might be our only hope to defeat Buu."

"What are you doing?" Krillin asked, though he was sure that he already knew that answer.

Piccolo smiled grimly. "I will try to put him off long enough for you to hide and to be honest, I don't like to hide from a challenge, even though I know that this is a fight that I will lose."

The former monk sighed. "Okay… Good luck, Piccolo and… see ya later." He raised his ki once again and shot off into the direction of the Lookout, unheeded by Buu. Only then did he see the irony in what he had just said. See ya later. When was later? In the afterlife, when Buu had killed them all, or, when, or rather, if Piccolo somehow had found a way to defeat the monster and he met them at Dende's palace?

The Namek faced Buu, knowing fully well that this was the last fight he would ever participate in – at least in the world of the living. And yet, he was not scared. He knew what might expect him in the afterlife. He had once before been dead and granted access to the Kaiou's planets. The Kami part in him increased the chance of receiving once again this honor drastically. But even if he had to go to hell, he would be prepared. Piccolo, however, hoped that he would not go to hell and be able to spend the afterlife with the people he considered friends, especially Gohan.

But for now he still had the job to delay Buu long enough, so that the others could find a place to hide. He formed a yellow ki-ball in the palm of his hand and hurled it at the monster, before he vanished and appeared behind him. Unfortunately the attack did not as much as annoy Buu further and the first thing Piccolo felt, when he materialized again, was a sharp and burning pain in his chest. He looked down as Buu pulled his hand, which was covered with purple blood – Piccolo's blood – out of his it.

"You are getting on my nerves," Buu only said and extended the bloody hand. "Say goodbye!" A white blast shot out of it, vaporizing the unsuspecting Namek completely.

No, not yet, were Piccolo's last thoughts.

* * *

Krillin felt Piccolo's ki fade away the moment he sat down in front of the others, who were just exiting the copter. He was completely out of breath and the others looked at him and the kids questioningly. None of them, not even those who were able to feel ki, had noticed the huge energy that was Buu's, so engrossed had they been in their own thoughts after the attack on the tournament.

"Hide! It's…" Krillin just managed to gasp, when he suddenly froze and turned around.

"Buu!" the pink monster that had now also appeared on the Lookout shouted merrily. He was grinning at them brightly with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

* * *

ChiChi was sitting outside of the room the Kaious and now also the great Kaioushin and his servant Kibito were in. The Dai Kaiou had sent her out directly after she had talked to Goku, so she had no idea of anything that had happened afterwards. At first she had not known if she should be furious about this treatment or worried. However, when sometime later – she had lost all sense of time - the Kaioushin and Kibito, both once again with a halo above their heads, went past her and into the room, the worry won. The somber look on the Kaioushin's face, when he had glanced at her, boded ill.

Time passed again and suddenly the door opened. She looked up and, when she saw that it was Kaiousama, stood up with an expectant expression on her face. Despite all the worries, she hoped that he was about to break good news, but was heavily disappointed when she saw the shocked and incredible pale face. Before she could even utter a word of the thousands questions that were running through her mind, Kaiousama began to speak in almost incoherent sentences.

"Dead… all of them… Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo… the kids, the others… Dende… The Lookout… destroyed… completely…" He wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath. "And now, without someone to control him, Buu's off killing people randomly…"

ChiChi paled and forced herself to remain standing, even though she would rather sit down again after hearing this. "What about… Goku?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper and it was shaking.

"Vegeta had knocked him out before he went to fight Buu. Goku's still unconscious and if he doesn't wake up soon, the earth and probably the whole universe is doomed. He's our last hope."

* * *

Somewhere in a forest, the battered and bloody body of Son Gohan slowly started to fade. The small animals that had been curiously snuffling at him, backed away at this strange event that they did not know and could not comprehend. When the body was fully gone, they carefully approached the spot where it had been lying and sniffed again. But since they did not smell anything out of ordinary, except for maybe the scent of blood, they quickly abandoned the place.

Shortly after a fully awake but dead Gohan appeared in the check-in station for souls. At first he stared around in awe, wondering where he was and why his body did not hurt anymore and his wounds were gone, until his eyes landed on a sign over a huge desk where an equally large man was sitting that told him where he was. Gohan frowned. So he was really dead, but at least he was allowed to keep his body.

He let his eyes wander once again over the hall and eventually noticed the incredible large line of white fluffy clouds – of souls – that was even going out of the entrance of the hall. These souls were waiting to be judged by Emna Daiou and it seemed that the line was getting longer and longer with teach passing minute. Gohan wondered if these dead people were all coming from earth and, if yes, what was going on down there.

Since he was the only one who was corporeal, he easily walked past the long line of souls, ignoring the many angry shouts and glares - if clouds were even able to glare - he received. He needed to know what was going on and he hoped that the person, who might be able to answer this question, was sitting in the front. When he finally arrived in front of the desk, he was surprised at how big Emna Daiou really was. He had only ever heard tales about him before, but now that he was standing in front of him, he somehow felt intimidated, though there was no need for him to be. Gohan was still far stronger than he was strength-wise.

Emna Daiou looked down at him and before Gohan could open his mouth, he told him to go to the backroom along with a wave of his hand to show him the direction. Gohan muttered a "Thank you." and went to a door in the back.

Gohan noticed that several heads were jerking up, when he opened the door and he was shocked whom he saw there – his family and friends. Suddenly he felt a strong grip around his leg. When he looked down, he saw a pair of black eyes, filled with tears, looking up to him from his leg. "Goten…" he said and picked his little brother up. He took another look around and first then noticed that some were missing. His parents, Jenny, Vegeta… His gaze landed on another person and he did not know if he should be happy or upset to see her. Videl looked at him with watering eyes and Gohan went up to her. Without saying a word, she got up and wrapped her arms around his torso and burying her head in her gi. He only put his free arm around her, while he was looking at his other friends with questioning eyes.

"Where are the others? Mom, dad, Jenny… Vegeta? Are they also… dead?"

"Your mom is safe," Dende informed him. "She's on the Dai Kaiou's planet, along with the Kaioushin and Kibito. As for the others… Goku's still on earth, but unconscious. However, we don't know what had happened to Jenny and Vegeta."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Gohan's voice was shaking, though he did not know if it was out of anger or despair.

Piccolo stepped out of the corner he had been standing in and put a comforting hand on his pupils shoulder. "We felt their ki vanish on earth, but they aren't here yet. Emna Dai has so much on his hands right now that he could not tell us if they have passed already or not…"

"I'm sorry, Gohan…" Dende added.

The teenager swallowed the tears that were gathering in his eyes and asked, "Tell me what has happened. I want to know everything…"

* * *

Sand whirled around in the desert. No living being was to be seen for miles, except for one. Son Goku was still lying on the dusty ground where Vegeta had left him. His fingers twitched and a groan escaped his lips, as he turned around and opened his eyes. He had fully expected to stare into the sun, but was surprised, when he saw that it had already wandered quite a bit at the horizon. He suppressed another groan, when he got to his feet and rubbed the sore spot on his neck, where Vegeta had hit him. Only a few feet away he spotted the small pouch of the senzus. He picked it up and was delighted to find one bean still there. Quickly shoving it into his mouth, he reveled at the feeling that his injuries healed and the tenderness in his body disappeared.

He vaguely remembered the fight against Vegeta, ChiChi yelling at him and then only blackness. They had wanted to fight Buu and Vegeta had knocked him out. Suddenly he noticed another thing, another change in his body. The anger that he had felt, while he had been possessed, was gone, as was the urge to make everyone pay. Instead the guilt of what he had done welled up, but he pushed it aside. He would need to deal with it later. He now needed to concentrate on the current situation on earth. It seemed as if Babidi was dead. But what about Buu? Had Vegeta been successful?

He extended his ki to search for any energy signals. He quickly found Buu's, what worried him deeply, as he could not find one single ki of his friends and also felt a large amount of energies vanish. Maybe his friends were hiding and he only knew of one place where they would go to in a crisis like this. Dende's Lookout. Flaring his ki, he shot into the sky.

Son Goku made it to the place, where the Lookout had always been floating in their, refusing all laws of gravity, in record time. However, when he saw that instead of Dende's mighty palace there were only debris, lose rocks and parts of the plants and trees that had once adorned the Lookout flying in there, he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened in shocked realization. His worst fears had come true. While he had been unconscious, Buu had somehow managed to not only kill Vegeta, Gohan and the other fighters that had been with them, but he had also found the Lookout and killed everyone that had been hiding there.

He sensed above the large numbers of vanishing kis somewhere in the south that also the ones of Babidi and Darbura were gone. That meant that Buu was loose, without anyone to control him and he was enjoying his newly won freedom by killing every living being on earth. Goku could not say how many lives were already lost, but he knew that it could not go on like this. Buu needed to be stopped before he moved on to other planets that would suffer the same fate as earth. With Dende dead, the Dragonballs were nothing but stone spheres, without any use. The ones that were already dead were lost. There was no way to bring them back.

He felt anger and rage returning, though those were not the same feelings he had had while being possessed by Babidi. This time another feeling overcame him as well. Despair. His family and friends that were as close as family had died, killed by this monster and he had been unable to do anything. And now, many other people, innocents, were letting their lives. He could feel the fear, dread and horror in their kis and those sensations only added to the anger that was building up in him. For once in his life, he had let the inhabitants of earth down, because he had been selfish. Hatred flared up, hatred at himself, but also at Buu. Using the combined effect of all the emotions, his ki rose to heights it had never known before and with a loud roar Goku transformed.

His golden hair grew out to the hollows of his knees and his eyebrows over the now pupil-less green eyes disappeared. The muscles bulged slightly, the golden aura around his body got brighter and the blue flashes multiplied. Raising two fingers to his forehead, Son Goku concentrated on Buu, which was not that hard, and faded away. He would make the monster pay and if this were the last thing he would do.

Goku appeared about twenty yards behind Buu, just as the demon had transformed a whole city into cookies and let them fly all into his mouth. He was sure that Buu had noticed his emergence and that the monster so boldly continued what he was doing with this knowledge only added more fuel to his rage. Extending his hand, he shot a blue ki-ball through Buu's stomach, which, at last, got his attention. The hole closed up immediately, of course, but that did not bother Goku. This had been nothing. Buu would never know what had happened to him after he was finished.

"So you're Buu", Goku said in a deathly calm voice. "I have to admit, we underestimated you, all of us and see where it got us. I won't make that mistake twice. You've killed people that were very close to me and that was your mistake."

Buu looked at him with clueless expression on his face and cocked his head to one side, looking curiously at the stranger in front of him. He started to grin widely at the prospect of another fight and more food. This one would be as easy as the last ones. "You cannot kill Buu. Buu's unbeatable!"

"Really?" The Saiyajin smirked knowingly. "Then you're making an even bigger mistake." He clenched his fists, once again summoning all the anger, despair of rage, and with a huge shockwave, his ki rose even higher. There was no further change in his outer appearance, but everyone who knew Goku, would notice at once that the ever present gentleness in his eyes was gone and the carefree expression on his face was replaced by one of grim determination. "You'll die, now."

The monster still only grinned, not knowing the true threat that this warrior was posing. He did not know that in the whole universe there was just one thing far more dangerous than an angry Saiyajin - and that this would be a truly pissed off Saiyajin that was up to downright furious.

And he didn't know that he now had to deal with one.

The fight was over before it even really started. Buu never knew what hit him, when Son Goku launched the first attack out of the blue. Goku attacked him non-stop with full force, giving all he had. Buu tried to defend himself and throw a punch on his own, but the Saiyajin easily dodged his feeble attempts and just as effortlessly broke through his defenses. The damage on Buu was enormous. Due to the incessant onslaught, he did not have any time to regenerate. If Buu's mind had been able to form any complicated or deeper thoughts, he would have wondered about how this earthling found the strength and motivation to accomplish what no one had before, but instead he was only getting angrier and confused at the same time. He had been created as an invincible being and there simply was no one stronger than him. And yet, he was fighting a losing battle.

Suddenly the offensive stopped and Goku retreated some yards, before he put his hands at one side of the body and gathered energy. A blue ki-ball grew quickly between the palms and the energy in it crackled. Buu tried to use the time to regenerate, which was, as a result of his loss of power, a pretty difficult task. When Son Goku had put most of his energy into the Kamehameha, he released it at a completely unsuspecting Buu. The monster's eyes only widened, when the blast collided and an unearthly scream filled the sky, as he evaporated. Goku pushed on and on, first finishing when he was sure that nothing, not even the smallest dust particle, steam molecule or atom out of which Buu might be able to regenerate, was left.

Panting hard, Son Goku let the blast subside. A small smile that did not quite reach his eyes, lit up his face slightly. It was over. Finally and really over. He had done it. Buu was history. Letting the energy leave him, his hair shrinking back to his normal lengths, eyebrows reappearing and eyes and hair turning back to their normal black color, Goku dropped slowly to the ground and sat down on a small rock,

He lowered his head. Buu was gone, but at what cost?

Son Goku sat there like this for quite some time, until a long shadow appeared over him. He looked up into the face of a somber looking Uranai Baba with tired eyes and the witch could swear that the warrior now looked much older than he had this morning. "It's time to go back, Goku," she only said. "Your family and friends are waiting."

**End Part II**

* * *

So, do you hate me now? Any questions?

Ahh, writing this part had been hard, especially the last few chapters at the tournament, because I had always been pretty close to the Manga, but now, from the third part on, I can finally unleash my imagination again! Mmh, shall I give you a preview for the next part? Okay, I won't be so mean… Here it is…

_She stopped at the door and reached for the handle, but hesitated. Should she really do this? Bulma and Gohan had always told her that it would not be a good idea, but they were gone and no one else was left… And she was so alone… and scared.. Biting on her lower lip, she pushed the handle down and silently opened the door. _

_He stared down at her with obvious longing in his eyes, while she was working on the machine. She was nothing like other girls of other species he had met. This one was special. She was carefree and serious at the same time. And even though she was just a merely human girl, she carried herself with the confidence and air of someone who had much experience in life. There was something about her and he wanted nothing more than to discover the mystery that was she.   
She wiped some sweat from her forehead, leaving a smudge of grease on her soft skin. When she turned around to take a sip out of the water bottle behind her, she saw him and waved. He smiled back and also just wanted to raise his hand to return her wave, when he caught himself by what he was doing and lowered his hand again. She only laughed and shook her head, before she returned to her work. _

So, confused now? I hope so! If you want to know what this is about, you just have to stay tuned!! I can promise you that the next part will probably be

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi


	27. Part III: Moments

**A/N: Hello, hello!**** Here I am with the next chapter – a long chapter to make up for the long wait, if I may say so. This is the first chapter of the third part of this story, which will take place from the direct aftermath of Buu until… well, you'll just have to wait to find out. ;-p**

**For your information, the quotes I use in this chapter are borrowed from the TV-Show Buffy – the Vampire Slayer, Episode 2x21 – Becoming Part I. **

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 26: Moments**

The silence in the backroom of Emna Daiou's was unbearable. The friends and families, who had gone through so much together, were still waiting anxiously for any news from earth. They were mostly huddled into small groups. Gohan sat in one corner with Videl and Goten in his arms, Bulma close to them with Trunks and her father, who had died during Buu's attack on the Western Capitol, and the rest of their friends were spread throughout the room. Muten Roshi and Gyuu Mao were on the other side, along with Yamcha, Krillin, his wife and daughter, Puar and Oolong. Only Piccolo preferred the solitude and meditated in yet another corner, undisturbed by Dende and Popo, who were sitting near him.

Son Gohan held his brother and friend close. Their tears had long dried, and with no other thing to do but to be there for them, his mind wandered to those who were not present – his father, Jenny and Vegeta. The chaos outside was making it impossible to check if something had happened to them. He did not know if his father was still unconscious or if Jenny and Vegeta had already arrived at the check-in station. His stomach twisted, when he thought about the worse. The possibility that Vegeta was sent to hell was pretty high, but what if Emna Daiou somehow made a mistake and sent Jenny along? His little sister did not belong in hell, she belonged with her family. Of course, Bulma was probably thinking the same about Vegeta and Gohan had to admit that he had noticed the changes in the prince. Had someone told him about those changes when he had first met the Saiyajin, he would have laughed at the ridiculousness of this. No way that Vegeta, the murderer, would become someone to defend those he loved, Gohan would have said. But now he knew better, much better.

Suddenly the door to the backroom was opened and one of Emna Daiou's employees entered with a huge smile on his face that was only dampened slightly by the tired look in his eyes. "Buu's dead!" he exclaimed. "He's finally defeated!"

The relief was evident on everyone's faces and Oolong and Puar even cried out in joy that this nightmare was finally over. Gohan closed his eyes and felt how a part of the tension in his body was seemingly washed away. It was over. No more people would have to die because of that monster. "How was he defeated?"

The employee turned to look at the teenager, as did everyone else in the room, as Gohan had voiced the question that they all had been thinking. "The warrior Son Goku transcended to a higher level and vaporized Buu with an incredible huge Kamehameha. The fight itself only lasted merely minutes, before the monster found its end. Uranai Baba will get Son Goku soon and you should wait here for him, so that you all can get on one plane to the Dai Kaiou's planet."

"But…" Trunks pulled away from his mother and looked at the employee. "What about my dad? And Jenny? Where are they?"

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry. We don't know yet. As soon as Emna Daiou has minimized the number of souls waiting to be judged, he will take care of this case and someone will tell you, I promise." He opened the door and left the room, leaving them again to themselves.

Trunks hung his head in defeat and looked over at Goten, who returned his look with a half-smile. "I'm sure they're okay," the black-haired boy said. "Don't you think so, Gohan?"

The teenager ruffled through the boy's hair. "I hope so, Goten, I hope so…"

.

_There's__ moments in your life that make you, that set the course for who you're going to be._

.

Goku felt like an eternity had passed, but it had just been this morning that he had left this very place for the tournament in a good mood. He had been so happy to see his family and friends and to finally get to know the twins that he had not met before. So much had happened in those few hours, so much that had turned his life upside down. The earth was once again living in peace, but it had changed completely. He did not know how much damage Buu had done, but he was sure that life on earth would never be the same. Buu was dead now, but so were many others and it was his fault.

The check-in station was almost empty now, except for the occasional soul that dropped in to be judged. The staff of Emna Daiou and Emna Daiou himself looked incredible tired. The day must have been rough for them and Goku could not even start to imagine how many souls must have passed through. Goku and Uranai Baba stepped up to the desk and Emna Daiou looked down at them with bloodshot eyes, before he made a check mark behind Goku's name on a piece of paper to mark that he had returned from his trip to earth.

"The others are waiting for you in the backroom," the judge only told him. "A plane will be ready for you shortly."

Goku nodded resignedly as sign that he understood. Uranai Baba then bade them farewell, but stopped next to Goku before she left. "You did well, Goku. It's not your fault." When the warrior's face showed no emotion, she sighed and floated out of the check-in station.

Son Goku just wanted to turn, when a question that had been burning on his mind ever since Buu was gone, slipped. "Do you know how many have died?"

Emna Daiou shook his head. "Believe me, you don't want to know, yet. But you can tell your friends that I already checked the lists for Vegeta and Jenny and that they are not mentioned. That means they're still alive."

"Thanks." A small smile, the first one in hours, appeared on Goku's face, but it was gone just merely seconds later. Even if his daughter and the man he had once considered his enemy were alive, it still meant that all the others were dead. It still meant that those two were now alone and he wondered, if Jenny would be enough to keep Vegeta on earth, now that his wife and son were gone. At this moment Goku swore to himself that, if Vegeta hurt Jenny in any way, he would find a way back to earth and end what he had started this day.

Goku just wanted to leave, when Emna Daiou called his name. He turned back to the judge, who only said one word, "Many."

The Saiyajin hung his head and his shoulders slumped, as the shame and guilt in him arose anew. Without turning back, he finally went to the backroom, followed by another of Emna Daiou's employees. He opened the door and, when all heads turned towards him, he tried to avoid their eyes. "I'm sorry," was the only thing he managed to say.

"Sorry? What for? You defeated Buu!" Bulma demanded to know, but Goku did not answer her, nor did he react on any of the confused looks he was receiving. They just would not understand.

Desperately wanting to change the topic, he remembered what Emna Daiou had told him. "Emna Daiou asked me to relay to you that he did not find Jenny's and Vegeta's names on the lists. They're still alive."

At hearing that news, Goten and Trunks high-fived each other, Gohan let out a sigh of relief and Bulma could not suppress a thankful sob.

Suddenly, the member of Emna Daiou's staff cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but your plane to the Dai Kaiou's planet is ready for you."

"Good," Bulma said with a smile on her face. "Finally we can leave this stuffy room and get some fresh air. I think we can continue our conversation on the plane."

The rest of them agreed and they filed out of the room, with Goku going as last. He dreaded his return to the planet. He was not sure how ChiChi would react and he also did not want to see the disappointed faces of the friends he had made there in the last years.

On the Dai Kaiou's planet ChiChi was already waiting for them. She, too, had heard of Buu's ultimate defeat and Jenny's and Vegeta's survival from Kaiousama and wanted to welcome her friends, sons and her husband, even though the occasion was not a happy one. The Kaioushin and Kaiousama had stayed in the palace, leaving it to her to lead them there after their arrival.

When they got off the plane, she smiled at them, though it was a sad one.

_._

_Sometimes they're little, subtle moments. Sometimes… they're not._

_._

Night had fallen over the desert, lulling it into an almost deadly silence. Everything seemed almost peaceful in the pale moonlight, even though it was clearly visible that a battle had taken place at this site. Debris was lying everywhere and there was a large hole in the ground, surrounded by charred earth and stones. Crumbled rocks and mountains spoke of the ferocity of this battle.

Suddenly the noise of a stone falling to the ground disturbed the quiet, followed by another and yet another stone rolling down a collapsed mountain of rocks. Larger boulders were pushed from that pile and a gloved hand shot through that hole, trying to grasp onto something. It felt around and eventually grabbed a huge rock, tightening its grip on it. More stones rolled down, when something beneath the heap moved to get out. Trying to support the rocks above him with his shoulders, Vegeta crawled out from beneath the rocks, clutching something with his other arm securely to his body. The small mountain of debris collapsed behind him, as he slid down and remained lying on the floor with another, smaller body, Jenny, still lying on his chest.

Completely exhausted, Vegeta tried to catch his breath, as he was lying there, staring into the starlit night sky. Several wounds were scarring his body and his clothes were pretty torn, while Jenny looked quite unharmed except for a few minor bruises and an ugly gash at her right arm. Slowly, his breath evened and his pulse slowed down and the black dots in front of his eyes disappeared the longer he was resting. When he was sure that he would not black out anymore, he dared to expand his senses. There was Jenny's ki on top of him, but that nearly was it. The only other warrior kis he knew were those from the weaklings Tenshinhan and Chao-Zu on the other side of the world and the pathetic power level of that samurai who had dared to cut off his tail all those years ago. He could feel no one else. They were all gone. Even Buu. But somehow this did not make him feel better. Even though Buu was dead, one fact still would not change: He and the girl were the only survivors of this battle.

Concentrating hard, Vegeta tried to establish another link, but in vain. The bond between him and Bulma was broken; he could feel the searing pain of the loss flowing through his body, when he tried to call out for her. But deep down, he knew that no matter how hard he tried to contact her, she would not answer. She was dead.

All of sudden he felt as if he was suffocating and started to feel sick. He pushed Jenny down from his torso and rolled over to his knees, vomiting on the floor. His lungs were burning as he gasped for air and his whole body was shaking. Never, never had he felt like this before. It was shortly before he was about to lose consciousness, when he remembered what to do, what he had seen other Saiyajins doing, when they had lost their mate. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose and tried to calm his already exhausted body. He had to think about this rationally. He might not let his feelings get the upper hand.

Slowly but surely the tremors in his body stopped and Vegeta was able to breathe normally again. The woman and his son were gone and he had to deal with that. He had to take step by step and the first one would be to fly back to Capsule Corporation. His and the girl's wounds needed to be tended and they both needed to rest. After that, he would start to think about the next step he would take.

Vegeta picked Jenny up rather carefully and gradually rose into the sky. In his present condition, he would not be able to fly at top speed and the first priority was to get to the Western Capitol safely, so he needed to use the rest of his strength wisely.

On their way home, they passed smoldering and burning cities, as well as ghost towns. In the cities and towns that were destroyed almost beyond recognition, it reeked of death. Having once been used to wreaking this kind of havoc himself, one would think that Vegeta would fly over those cities without a second thought, but it was not so anymore. Now this stench and hearing the pained cries from beneath him made him sick and yet he could not turn his gaze from the chaos. However, the cities that were void of any life, where not one building was touched, were somehow worse. This eerie silence sent a shiver down his spine.

Vegeta started to dread what would await them in the Western Capitol.

With each passing minute Vegeta got more and more exhausted, but he pushed on. He needed to know what had happened and he somehow knew that he would find the answers at Capsule Corporation as absurd as it might sound.

After what seemed like hours, he could finally see the Western Capitol at the horizon. Once again summoning all of his strength left, he increased his speed ever so slightly and soon smelled the smoke before he even saw it. But the Western Capitol seemed to be better off than most of the cities he had seen on his way there. It still reeked the same but not as intense. The motorway seemed to have crashed completely and several of the large buildings had gone up in flames, whereas others had simply collapsed. Homeless people were roaming the streets, looking for friends, family or simply for shelter in the dark. It seemed that the whole city suffered a total blackout.

Fortunately, only a small part of Capsule Corporation had collapsed and this had once been the roofed garden. Vegeta could not care less about the animals that had found their death in there, as long as all the important parts of CC were still intact. He saw a flickering light through the kitchen window and could feel the ki of Bulma's mother. The ki of Doctor Briefs was gone as well.

Vegeta landed in the backyard and went through the backdoor down the well-known corridors to the kitchen, where he found Mrs. Briefs sitting at the table with a huge stack of sandwiches in front of her. When she heard someone entering, she looked up with tired eyes, that lit up ever so slightly, when she saw who it was. Her lips curled up into a small but worried smile, as she said, "I knew that you were still alive. Bulma contacted me somehow a couple of hours ago and told me what happened. Son Goku killed the monster, I think she said its name was Buu, and they are now all on the planet of some god. She did not have much time to tell me everything, but she said I should tell you that she loves you and that she will wait for you, no matter how long. Oh, and Trunks says hi."

Vegeta's appearance remained impassive, while she was talking, but on the inside a whole bunch of feelings, some of them he had not even known until now, had appeared. It almost seemed as if a part of the bond had been restored with those words. His mate was okay, as was his son, even though they were dead and they were on the planet of the Dai Kaiou, if he understood correctly. A large part of him was even glad that Kakarotto had been able to kill Buu, even though he could not hide the jealousy that it was yet again Kakarotto to defeat their enemy.

"What about you and Jenny? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Vegeta answered gruffly, not wanting to admit that his whole body was hurting. But it would not be the first time that he needed to tend to his own injuries. A shower and some bandages would do. "But the girl is wounded and she probably needs a lot of rest to recover."

"I'll take care of her." She got up and carefully gathered the limp girl in her arms. Before she left the room, she once again turned to Vegeta. "You should eat something. After Jenny's cleaned up and her wounds tended to, I will head to bed myself."

Once Vegeta was alone in the kitchen, he sunk down in the chair. Now that this task was fulfilled and he had found out – even if not that detailed – what had happened to Buu and the others, he did not know what he should do. He looked at the sandwiches in disgust. This was probably the first time in his life that the mere thought of food was making him sick.

Extinguishing the candle, he, too, left the kitchen and went to his and Bulma's room. He hesitated for a short moment in front of the door and once inside did not dare to look at the bed, which he had shared with his mate. He stripped off his ruined clothes and went to the bathroom to take a short shower. It was only twenty minutes later, when he emerged dressed in only a pair of shorts and with his left hand, chest and right food bandaged. Almost his whole body was bluish and greenish and covered in several harmless cuts. He was also sure that he could discard the bandages on his foot and hand in the morning, but the wound on his chest might take a bit longer to heal. He did not remember what Buu had done to him, but he had done a good job. Several ribs seemed to be broken and there was also a nasty cut square over his chest.

Now feeling even more tired than before, Vegeta forced himself to climb into his side of the bed and lay down on his back. He desperately needed to rest so that the injuries could heal properly. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but sleep would not come. Instead, his mind wandered back to the happenings of that day and he started to think about what he should do now.

* * *

It was still dark outside, when Jenny woke up. Her arm was hurting badly, as did her head and some other parts of her body. She tried to remember what had gotten her in that state and where she was. She opened her eyes and saw the familiar light-reflecting stars at the ceiling that Bulma had put up there when they had still been younger. She was home, at Capsule Corporation. But where were Goten and Trunks? She could not feel them in the room or in the building – she could not feel them at all. Slowly starting to panic, she began to tick off other people. Gohan – gone. Bulma – gone. Grandpa – gone. Grandma – she was here. Vegeta – he was here. She almost sighed with relief, but when she checked on all the other kis, the panic started to grow and the memories were rushing back to her.

She sat up gasping and reached out for one last ki. Buu – gone. Buu was gone. She could not feel him anywhere. But who had killed him? The last thing she remembered was keeping Vegeta from doing his suicide attack – after that everything went blank. But no matter who defeated him, Buu was gone, for good, she hoped.

However, even though she knew now that Buu was not posing a threat anymore, she could not stop the tears from falling. They were dead. Her family, her friends were all dead. She clasped her covers tightly, but winced when a sharp pain shot through her arm. Sniffing slightly, she tried to regain her composure. Crying would not bring them back, so she took a deep breath and lay back down. She could not go back to sleep, however. Her whole body started to shiver, as the realization slowly started to sink deeper and deeper. Her brothers, Trunks, Bulma… all dead.

Jenny slowly started to climb out of her bed and grounded her teeth, when she straightened her body. Silently opening the door, she slipped into the dark corridor and padded over to the one door that would lead to her grandparents' room.

She just wanted to push down the handle, when she could hear muffled sobs from the inside. Immediately removing her hand from the handle, she took a step back. She did not want to bother her grandmother, when she was so obviously already distraught herself.

But where to go now?

Her gaze wandered down the corridor to the last door and before she knew what she was doing, Jenny was walking towards it. She stopped at the door and reached for the handle, but hesitated. Should she really do this? Bulma and Gohan had always told her that it would not be a good idea, but they were gone and no one else was left… And she was so alone… and scared… Biting on her lower lip, she pushed the handle down and silently opened the door.

Jenny flinched involuntarily when the door shut behind her with a soft click, but when she looked up to the bed, she saw that Vegeta had not noticed. She did not want him to know that she was there – she planned to only lie down beside him until she calmed down and then sneak out again before he woke up.

She was careful as she climbed onto the other side of the bed and lay down on the covers, far enough from Vegeta so that there were still a few inches between them, but close enough to feel his warmth. This warmth and the sudden feeling of safety were starting to make her drowsy and she soon feel asleep without even wanting to.

She never noticed that the whole time Vegeta had still been awake and felt her each and every move. He had not once dared to move a limb and pretended to sleep, but when he heard her breathing become deeper and he was sure that she was fast asleep, he slowly turned his head to look at her small and battered form. The look on her face was so peaceful – no one would believe that just a few hours ago she had taken part in a battle to save the earth and the whole universe. No one would believe that she had risked her own life to stop him from killing himself, even if it was to defeat the one who threatened to kill every single being on this pitiful planet. Why she wanted to save him? He had no idea. He knew that the girl was somewhat fond of him, but that she would do something like that was beyond his imagination.

Vegeta turned his head back and stared at the white ceiling. After having thought about what to do for most of the night, he now finally made a decision.

.

_Bottom line is, even when you see them coming, you're not ready for the big moments._

.

Vegeta lay awake the whole night and got up when the first sunrays were shining through the window. He carefully floated out of the bed so that he would not wake the sleeping girl and walked over to the closet, which he opened silently. The first thing he took out was a black duffle bag, in which he then put several clothes and capsules, before he grabbed some clothes to wear for the day and left the bedroom for the bathroom on the corridor.

Half an hour later, he stepped into the kitchen, put down the bag at the door and walked over to the counter. There, Vegeta took out some bread and started to prepare some sandwiches for breakfast later – he did not have the time to eat right now. He just wanted to add the sandwiches to the contents of the bag, when Mrs. Briefs entered the kitchen.

"You're leaving?" she only asked, when she spotted the duffle bag. "When will you be back?"

"Never." Vegeta slung the bag over his shoulder and wanted to leave the room, when Mrs. Briefs put a hand on his arm.

"Why?"

He did not look at her hand, but stared straight ahead. "Because there's nothing left for me on earth."

"What about Jenny?"

Vegeta closed his eyes and let out an almost inaudible sigh. The woman was really acting strange, but he was sure that the loss of family might change people. She was not anymore the bubbly blonde that he had gotten to know over the past years. The death of her husband, Bulma and Trunks must have hit her really hard to act like this. But she was not the only one who lost someone close. "She's better off without me." Shaking her hand off, he left the kitchen without saying another word.

* * *

It was only a short time after Vegeta had left the bed that Jenny woke up. She had had the feeling that something was wrong and that had troubled her sleep. Opening her eyes, she turned to her right and saw that Vegeta was gone. Panic arose immediately in her. Vegeta had seen her – he must be angry with her for displaying this kind of weakness.

Jenny closed her eyes to find out, where he was, so that she could avoid him until she knew what she could tell him as excuse for crawling into his bed at night. He would never understand how scared she had been last night, but now she was feeling a bit better. Still sad, of course, but she knew from tales how it was in the afterlife and she was sure that Goten, Gohan and Trunks, as well as everyone who had died, would have a lot of fun there. If she only would not miss them that much.

Vegeta was still in the building, even though she could not exactly pinpoint his exact location, but he was far away from the kitchen, so she could go there without meeting him. Her stomach startled to grumble, which was understandable, since the last time she had eaten something was almost a day ago at the tournament. Getting out of the bed, she also left the bedroom, but did not bother to change, since her pajamas were comfortable and it was already pleasantly warm.

In the kitchen, she found her grandmother preparing breakfast and she sat down in a chair. "Morning grandma."

"Morning Jenny, how are you feeling?" her grandmother asked her.

Jenny thought that something was off, as her grandmother did not dare to look into her eyes and her voice also sounded somehow distant. But she put it off as grief. "My arm still hurts and I have a slight headache, but otherwise I think I'm okay…" She filled some cereals into the bowl her grandmother put in front of her, when she asked warily, "Buu's dead, isn't he?"

"Your father killed him," Mrs. Briefs informed her. "The others are with him now."

The girl could hear the sadness in her voice and decided not to ask further questions. Maybe she should go to Vegeta to find out the answers to her questions, no matter what he might think of her. "Where's Vegeta?"

"In the lab, I think."

Again the voice sounded somewhat distant and guilty, as if her grandmother was keeping something from her. And this was confusing Jenny even more and she was getting suspicious. What was in the lab that might interest Vegeta and made her grandmother feel guilty? She seemed to know something that Jenny did not and tried to do her best to keep it from her. Only what?

Suddenly one thought occurred to her. The spaceship! "He's leaving?" The look on Mrs. Briefs' face spoke volumes and Jenny jumped up, letting the chair topple over behind her and rushed out of the kitchen, nearly flying to the lab.

When she burst through the door, she could already hear the spaceship humming, the dome ceiling of the lab was opened and Vegeta was just about to enter. "Vegeta! No!"

The prince stopped and turned around with an indifferent look on his face. "What do you want?" he asked curtly, when she skidded to a halt in front of him.

"You can't leave!" she panted.

"Oh, believe me, I can." Vegeta turned to enter the ship once again, but Jenny took his hand and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Why?"

"I only stayed on this pitiful mudball because of Bulma and Trunks. They're dead now, so there's no reason for me to stay any longer."

"But what about me?"

Vegeta looked down at the girl and into her blue eyes. He had to tear his gaze away from her, so that he would not see the pain in her face. "I'm not fit to raise a child. I already had enough bad influence on you as we've all seen at the tournament and it would not do you any good to spend any more time in my company. You're off much better with your grandmother, at least she knows how to raise a child properly." His voice had gotten softer with each word and he knew that he needed to leave soon, otherwise this girl would make him stay. Sometimes he really hated how soft he had become on earth, so it was about time to leave this planet for good. "And now let me go."

He roughly shook her hand off and again took a step towards the spaceship, when the girl suddenly screamed "No!" and the spaceship exploded.

Vegeta threw up his arms instinctively to cover his face and first lowered them, when the clattering sounds on the ground had faded. He looked up and saw the destruction. There was almost nothing left of the ship – his only way to leave this planet was gone. Anger rose in him and he whirled around to face the now crying girl. "Why did you do that? Why did you destroy the ship? My only chance?"

"Because I need you!" she sobbed. "Now more than ever. You're the only one left who understands me. Who understands what it means to be different, to be a Saiyajin. Grandma is great, but she just doesn't understand. I already lost everyone else, and I don't think I could bear losing you, too. You're the only person who never treated me as if I needed to be protected, like Gohan and Bulma did. I need you, Vegeta, not grandma, not someone else. I need _you_!" She threw herself at him and tightly wrapped her arms around stomach, not noticing his light wince, when she laid her head against his chest. "Please, never leave me."

* * *

On the planet of the Dai Kaiou Goku was sitting alone in the garden of the palace and stared at the night sky. He was feeling miserable. Ever since they had arrived on this planet, he had tried to avoid his family and his friends. He could not take the sad look in their eyes, because every time he looked at them, the guilt in him was getting bigger and bigger. It was slowly starting to eat him up. It was his fault that they died. If he had not let himself get possessed by Babidi, none of this would have happened – he was sure of that. He would not have fought with Vegeta and they would have stopped Babidi before the magician would have managed to revive Buu. His friends had counted on him and not only had he disappointed them, no, he had also led them to their doom. They had died because of his stupid jealousy, because of his stupid pride. It was not Buu, who had killed them. It was him.

Suddenly he heard some rustling behind him and immediately felt that it was ChiChi. How she always managed to find him was beyond him, but he did not bother to run away and hide again. He was too tired to do that.

ChiChi had stepped into the garden after a long and exhausting meeting with the Dai Kaiou, the Kaioushin, Kaiousama and the other three Kaious to discuss what should happen now. The Kaioushin had offered the three kids, Gohan and Videl to age normally in the afterlife as long as they wished, since he would understand that they would not like to be stuck in their child or teenage body for eternity. Goten and Trunks had agreed happily, saying that it would be unfair if Jenny would be older than them, when they met again, Marron was still too young to understand what exactly was going on, but had wanted to do what the others were doing, and even Gohan and Videl agreed to age a few more years until they were twenty, so that they would not be seen as teenagers anymore. Further it was decided that they could all stay on the Dai Kaiou's planet and that a house would be built for all of them. The Kaious of the south, west and east did not seem too happy with those special accommodations, since their dead fighters ("Most of those earthlings aren't even fighters!" the Southern Kaiou had spat.) never got any special treatment, but the Kaioushin had said that it was his decision and his alone to make, since he was the highest of the gods. This persistence of the Kaioushin made her wonder, if he knew something they did not, because ever since she had died he had not dared to look into her eyes and that he was trying to do anything to please them only strengthened her suspicion. She would need to talk to Goku about it later, when they all had settled down a bit.

After that they had talked about random things and her mind had begun to wander. ChiChi was worried about Goku, who had disappeared directly after their arrival. In the breaks during the meeting, she had tried to seek him out, but he had always gotten away. She wished to know what was going on in his mind but to find out she needed to talk to him, since he had blocked their bond.

She was already walking a few minutes, when she suddenly spotted an orange clad person sitting at the lake. Goku was still wearing his tattered gi from the day before and he had not cleaned up yet. ChiChi wondered if he had gotten any rest at all.

Slowly walking closer, she tried to remain silent, so that he would not flee again. So either she was successful, since he did not move, or he just pretended to not have noticed her. It proved to be the latter, when she sat down next to him and he still did not move. Trying to comfort him somehow, ChiChi wanted to put her hand on his, but he pulled away.

Sighing, she asked, "Goku, what's wrong?" When Son Goku did not react, ChiChi was getting angry. "Listen, Son Goku! I don't know what's wrong with you, and I can't help you when you won't tell me! But it pretty much seems to me as if you're wallowing in self-pity! Damn it, Goku! Stop doing that!"

At her harsh words, Goku slowly turned his head and she saw the pain and the tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm sorry that I killed our sons and our friends."

"What the hell are you talking about, Goku? Buu killed them, not you."

"But I could as well have killed them! If I hadn't let myself become possessed, everything would have turned out differently and they would still be alive!"

"You don't know that! It could have ended just the same! So stop blaming yourself! In case you didn't notice, you were the one to free the world of Buu's terror and you should be proud of it. I, for one, am proud of you, as is probably everyone else!"

"You don't understand…" Goku started, but ChiChi interrupted him.

"No, you don't understand! This isn't your fault and no one thinks that it is. Of course, it's terrible that so many have died, but it was Buu and not you, who killed them. Please, Goku, stop doing this. I know that this battle left scars, and not just physical ones, in all of us, but we just have to live with it. We have to help each other through this time. Our sons need both of their parents, especially now that they're separated from their sister. We have to stay together, as one family." She took his head in her hands and forced him to look into her eyes. "Can you do that, Goku? Can you be a father to your sons, a husband to your wife and a friend to your friends?"

A light smile appeared on Goku's face and she saw spark returning in his eyes. He nodded slightly. "I think I can do that."

ChiChi sighed with relief and took his hands. "Well then, are you ready to face them now? There are some things from the meeting this afternoon that might interest you."

Nodding, Goku got up and pulled his wife to her feet. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and smiled at her. "Thank you, Chi. This is already the second time within two days that you helped me finding myself." She only returned the smile and they went back into the castle, hand in hand.

* * *

Night had again fallen over the Western Capitol. No light could be seen inside of Capsule Corporation as two of the three occupants were lying in their beds, fast asleep. Only Vegeta was still awake. He was floating outside the window of the kids' room, watching Jenny sleep.

After their confrontation in the lab, she had fallen asleep immediately, the strains of the previous day and exhaustion of the fight having been too much for her body to take. With nowhere to go, now that the spaceship was destroyed, he had taken her back to her room, skillfully avoiding the knowing smile Mrs. Briefs had given him, when he had passed her. Jenny had not woken up since and he was sure that she still needed a lot of sleep to recover.

He self had tried to find some rest, but when his attempts to find some sleep proved to be futile, he had tried burning himself out in the gravity room, even though he could not raise the gravity due to the blackout. But still he could not help but ponder the words the girl had said to him. Why would she need him? Why did she not see that he was not good for her? What had he ever done to earn her complete and utter trust? Why did she need him?

Without her intervention, he would be gone, leaving her in the care of her grandmother, but he should have known that this girl would have tried to stop him. She was stubborn and determined. If she had put her mind on something, nothing would stop her, as the destruction of the spaceship proved.

Vegeta silently wondered, if he had not hoped inwardly that she would stop him, that she would give him a reason to stay. He did not know what he would have done without a reason, if he had left. Would he have returned to his old ways? He did not know. The only thing he knew that here, on earth, he now had a reason. No matter how hard the next days, weeks, months and maybe years would become, he had a reason to stay and the duty to help her through this time.

And somewhere deep down, Vegeta wondered, if he did not need her as much as she needed him.

.

_So, what are we? Helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are going to come. You can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are._

* * *

**Eternally yours**

**ChibiChibi**


	28. Part III: A new dawn

**A/N: Hey there, after almost one month I'm back with another chapter, but this one is a long one. Even a bit longer than the last one. Hope you'll like it!**

**Oh, _Vindali_, of course I had already thought about the possibility of going to Namek with the spaceship – why did you think I had it destroyed? Now, now, we don't want to make it too easy for them… But don't worry, not all chapters are going to be as sad as the last one(s). They will also have good times. But now, I don't want to say too much… Just stay tuned, if you want to find out, how it's going to continue. Remember, I have just started with part III and this story is going to have V parts, though I don't think that the 4th part will be that long… Well, we'll see… It's still a long way to go, for you, me and the characters…**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 27: A new dawn**

Four days had passed since the awakening of Buu, his reign of terror on earth and his final defeat. Since then, life on earth had changed. The planet was littered with ghost towns and destroyed cities, as well as places that had been spared and probably only heard of the monster. In some of the destroyed cities, chaos had broken loose. Hooligans and other criminals were freely roaming the streets, taking everything they could get their hands on, whereas in other cities people helped each other with vital things like water, food and medical attention. Most cities suffered a complete loss of power, meaning that they were almost entirely cut off from the rest of the world, only relying on rumors and news brought to them by messengers from other cities. No one knew how many had fallen prey to Buu's attacks, again they could only depend rumors. But of one thing everyone was sure – life on earth would never be the same.

* * *

Jenny was kneeling on a stool, looking out of her window, even though she almost could not see anything. Dark, almost black clouds were dangerously looming over the land and rain was hitting hard against the window. But that did not bother her – she was too deep in thoughts to see anything that was going on outside. If her grandmother would find her like this, Jenny would be in for a row. She had been confined to bed after she had collapsed in the lab. Her grandmother had said that she was first allowed out of it, when she had fully recovered. And she had not only been talking about her exhaustion, but also about the nasty gash at her arm that was only healing slowly. Jenny was sure that it would leave a scar, but what was one physical scar compared to her emotional scars?

The girl however was quickly growing bored, with only her thoughts as company. Her grandmother was much too occupied in the house to keep her company and Vegeta? Well, she had not seen him since the _incident_ in the laboratory. Jenny had the feeling that he was avoiding her. He had not once checked on her and was spending almost all of his time in the gravity room. It was only once or twice a day that he left it to get something to eat, but other than that, she could always feel his ki in there. His ki was nearly constantly extremely high and only late in the night, when she was still awake, she could feel a drastic drop in his ki.

To be honest, Jenny was scared. She had been scared, when she had found out that he wanted to leave and was now scared that he would do something stupid in his training. She had meant what she had said four days ago – she did not want to lose him, too.

Sighing, she looked at the two empty and made beds on the other side of the room. Ever since she had woken up again two days ago, everything had been so quiet in this room, much too quiet for her taste. It was just _never_ quiet in the room, except for when it was unoccupied. This silence was just eerie.

And it was giving her way too much time to think about things she would rather not think about. She was incessantly growing restless – she needed to get up and go out. She needed to know what was going on in the world, otherwise she would go insane. If only the power were back again, so that she could at least watch some TV or listen to the radio. Anything to keep her mind from wandering.

A tear ran down her cheek, when she thought of her brothers, Trunks and everyone else that had died and of everything that the people had lost. Family, friends, their belongings, everything. She wished things had been different. She could not help but wonder how the fight would have turned out, if she had not stopped Vegeta. Would he have been able to destroy Buu and spare the world all the suffering? Or would it have been the same or maybe even worse?

Suddenly feeling again the exhaustion taking over, she crawled back into her bed and almost immediately fell asleep, wondering what the others were doing right now.

* * *

The first days in the afterlife had passed in a rush. Between all the planning that had to be done, the settling in at the Dai Kaiou's palace until the house for them would be finished and exploring the planet with the two boys on request of their mothers, Gohan had not had much time to think about what had happened back on earth. But now, after a few days, Gohan found himself, probably for the first time since setting foot on that planet, not surrounded by family or friends. Standing on the balcony that connected his and Videl's rooms, he found himself staring at the night sky of the planet, a night sky so different from the earth's. He wondered if he would ever see the constellations on the earth's sky again, but knew deep down that the answer was most likely _never_.

He had been present, when Kaiousama had informed them that, according to some law, the only way to use the Namek Dragonballs would have been traveling to New Namek, but that this chance had now been destroyed with Jenny destructing the only spaceship that was capable of traveling this distance. Their only hope to return to earth was gone.

At least, up here, they were safe. No more threats, no more evil to fight. Eternal peace. Did he not always long for this? How much had he hated fighting, always sacrificing… And yet, knowing that if something on earth was amiss, he would not be able to help, was killing him. There were so many new adjustments to make. He at least had the majority of his family and friends, as well as Goten and Trunks, though he knew that they all missed their remaining family on earth… But what about Videl? She had been allowed to come to this planet because she was his friend, but what had she lost? Her father was still on earth, still alive and he did not know about her other friends, the friends she had known much longer than him. There had not even been the chance for her to say goodbye to them.

And he had not been able to say goodbye to Jenny…

Gohan could not even start to imagine how lonely she must be feeling. The only _family_ she had left on earth was Mrs. Briefs and Vegeta. Everyone else was dead. Her parents, her brothers, her friends… Who would now calm her, when she had a nightmare? Who would play with her? He knew that Mrs. Briefs would not be around forever – she was not the youngest anymore and she also could not keep up with a hyperactive Saiyajin. That only left Vegeta and everyone knew all too well of Vegeta's non-existent qualification to raise children. It would not be easy for Jenny and the situation on earth only made this worse. Gohan wished that he could help her somehow…

After everything they had done, why was life still so unfair to them?

.

"You look worried."

Gohan whirled around, when he suddenly heard the voice behind him and his eyes rested on the Kaioushin. The god was floating on the other side of the railing of the balcony with his hand folded behind his back and a knowing smile on his face.

"It's nothing," Gohan said and turned to look back at the sky. "I've only been thinking about the last few days and what will happen now… To us, to those left on earth, to…"

"Jenny?" he guessed. "I'm sorry that everything had to be this way. Everything should be different."

"Whom are you telling that?" the Saiyajin asked grimly, without looking at him. "Everything is just so… frustrating! We have no idea what will happen, what will become of us, all of us!"

"I once heard a wise man say that it is our choices that determine our future and what we will become. I know that life on earth will be hard, but Jenny is a strong girl with a strong will. She will make the right choices. Besides, she does have a strong guide."

"Vegeta?" the teenager snorted.

"Yes, Vegeta. We have underestimated him before and should not do that again."

Gohan sighed. He knew that the Kaioushin was right. Vegeta _had_ changed. But enough to guide a small girl through a post apocalyptic world?

.

The Saiyajin turned around, when he heard the balcony door to Videl's room open and the girl stepped out. Gohan had to fight a small blush, when he saw that she was only wearing a pair of incredible small shorts and a tight tank top. It seemed as if she had been sleeping already, because she was rubbing at her eyes and had to suppress a yawn. But when she spotted him and the Kaioushin, she suddenly got all business-like and asked, "Is something wrong? I heard voices."

Gohan smiled at that – he had misjudged her. She seemed to be emotionally stronger than he had thought. "Don't worry, Videl. Nothing's wrong. The Kaioushin and I, we were just talking."

"And I was going to make a proposition to Gohan, which I also wanted to submit to you," the Kaioushin said, now with a promising look on his face. Both Gohan and Videl looked at him curiously. "I already talked to Bulma and Dr. Briefs and they both want to participate."

"What kind of proposition are you talking about?" Gohan wanted to know.

The Kaioushin's lips curled up into a mysterious smirk. "I want to give each of you the possibility to spend some more time with a loved one you had to leave on earth and then say goodbye properly."

"How are you going to do that?" Videl asked astounded. If she were able to see her father just once again and tell him how much she loved him, something she had last done when she was still a child, it would make her stay on this planet a lot easier.

"You will visit them in their dreams." The high god then proceeded to tell them about the ritual involved. The two teenagers listened closely, both not wanting to forget one important detail, if – _when_ – they were going to do it. They were given a once in a lifetime opportunity, something, they were sure, not many dead were given. Who were they to refuse an offer like that? Was this not exactly what Gohan had been worried about, about not being able to say goodbye?

When the Kaioushin was finished with his explanation, he looked at the two young people expectantly. Videl nodded at once. "I'll do it."

Gohan, however, even though he had not been so sure about anything else in his life, took a few more seconds to think. "What about my parents?" he asked eventually. "Wouldn't it better, if they visited Jenny?"

The Kaioushin shook his head smiling. "I talked to Goku and ChiChi and they said that it should be you, since you have the strongest bond to your sister."

The Saiyajin seemed to accept this, but it would be unfair if he were the only one to have this privilege. Trunks would surely be with his mother, but Goten deserved to say goodbye to Jenny as much as he did. "I understand, but would it be possible, if Goten joined me?"

After having considered this for a moment, the Kaioushin nodded. "Wake him and then meet me in the gardens of the palace in twenty minutes."

* * *

Not even twenty-minutes later, Videl, now dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a sweater, and Gohan, followed by Goten and Trunks, arrived in the gardens. Trunks, who was sharing a room with Goten, had insisted on coming with them, since his mother was visiting his father alone, for obvious reasons, as he had said with a disgusted look on his face. He and Goten were still a bit tired, but overall excited, after Gohan had given them a short explanation.

In the gardens a huge fire was lit, with the Kaioushin, Bulma and Dr. Briefs standing next to it. Upon seeing the fire and feeling its heat, Videl immediately regretted her choice of clothing. Damn those Saiyajins, she thought, when her gaze wandered over the three Saiyajin, who were all dressed in lighter clothes, speaking of sweatpants and T-shirts. She now wished she could take off her sweater, but seeing that she wore nothing but a bra underneath, it would have to do with rolling up her sleeves.

When they stopped next to Bulma and Dr. Briefs, who both were looking slightly anxious but interested at the same time, the Kaioushin instructed them to sit down around the fire and, after having been informed about Trunks' choice to accompany Gohan and Goten, also told Gohan to grab a hand of each boy. They did as they were told and formed a circle around the fire, one of the boys settling down on Gohan's right and the other on Gohan's left.

The teenager tried to ignore the heat that was emanating from the fire in front of them and closed his eyes as the Kaioushin instructed, evened his breathing and concentrated on a place in which Jenny, he, Goten and Trunks would probably feel the most comfortable. The almost hypnotic chanting of the Kaioushin was strong at the beginning but began to fade the longer they sat there, though Gohan could not say if the god was getting quieter or if they were just falling more and more in some kind of trance. This question was answered, when also the heat of the fire was getting less intense with each passing minute and second along with every other sensation.

Even though his eyes were closed, Gohan suddenly got the feeling that the world around him started to spin and blur. He fastened the grip on the two boys' hands, who were practically just along for the ride and had no say in how Gohan created the place where they would meet Jenny, and first loosened the grip again, when the spinning had stopped. Carefully the Saiyajin opened his eyes and smiled – everything was just as he had imagined it. "Goten, Trunks, you can open your eyes now. We're there."

He could feel Jenny already. She was in the backyard.

* * *

Vegeta was in the gravity room, pushing his body harder than he had ever before, even without the use of raised gravity. Sweat was running down his face and his back, drenching his training clothes almost completely. It had been the same procedure ever since the spaceship had been destroyed, after having found out that night that he could not find any sleep, that the girl's words always came back to him, making him think and doubt of what he had let himself become. Thinking about this inevitable led his thoughts to Bulma. Every time this happened, his heart would constrict painfully, making it difficult for him to breathe.

The only chance that his mind would let him rest at all was, when he was passing out from exhaustion. So he was working the whole day at his body's limits, taking blow after blow, straining it until it would start to protest and further. The only break he took was, when his stomach demanded for food and even that had become a rare occurrence.

Vegeta knew that he could not go on like this. It would do neither him nor anyone else any good. The girl had said that she needed him and yet he was avoiding her. Why? Because, as hard as it was for him to admit, he was scared of getting close to anyone, even though he also knew that nothing would be more painful than losing your bonded mate.

Shooting one large ki-blast from his hand, his body vanished and appeared again to take the full blast head-on. A mighty explosion shook the whole gravity room and the Prince of the Saiyajins fell to the ground, blacking out when he hit the hard floor.

Finally resting…

* * *

Hercule Satan, current world champion and self-proclaimed savior of the world, had not once left his mansion since he had returned there from the Budokai. When he had first heard of the attacks of a monster he had barricaded himself in his gym, declaring that he needed to prepare himself mentally and physically before facing this new threat for the earth. But in reality he had been scared shitless. According to the ones who had brought him the news, this demon seemed to be even stronger and far more vicious than Cell had ever been.

The world was counting on him, but the world did not know that it had not been him, who had defeated Cell. It did not know that Cell had found his death by the hands of a boy. It did not know that Satan had taken the credit for this defeat, because it had been so convenient and had the nice side effect of bringing him even more fame. The world champion could only hope that the boy was still out there somewhere to once again save this unknowing world.

During this time of _preparing_, no one had seen Mr. Satan. He had been cowering in his cellar, which had been specially built for these kinds of situations after Cell, when Buu had chosen Satan City as new target. Miraculously his mansion had been spared and all in all the city had been lucky, since it had not held Buu's interest for long. The power supply had not suffered, as well as the local radio station. So, when he heard of Buu's defeat on the radio, he had dared to leave the cellar, but not the mansion, even though the survivors were lingering in front of the gates and calling out for him.

He had been thinking. For the first time in his life he did not know what to do. Obviously, there had been some true hero out there, who had been able to defeat the monster. But the people were still coming for him… Did they not know? Did they all just presume that he had once again averted the _end of the world_? But this time, he did not know if he should again take the credit for this feat. Before this all had begun, he was sure he would have, but now? So many people had died and were suffering. This time the world had been freed from a thing far more dangerous than Cell.

He had kept thinking about this night and day since the attacks, always hiding and waiting in front of the radio, not seldom without a bottle in his hands. But slowly, after two days, one more worry started to nag him. Videl – she had not returned yet. He had heard, directly after the tournament and before the attacks, that she had left with some people in a large yellow copter. One of those people was rumored to be Bulma Briefs, but how did Videl know the scientist?

However, that did not matter right now. His daughter was missing and he kept thinking that it was his fault. Satan knew that he could not have done anything against Buu, but he could have paid her more attention during the tournament and insisted that she returned with him to the mansion.

With each passing day and each passing hour without word from his daughter, his hope that Videl had survived, was shrinking. In the end, the guilt had become too big to bear, so that he started to drown his sorrows, just like he did at the night of the fourth day since the attacks. The whole day he had been sitting in his private cinema, watching old tapes from his and Videl's victories in tournaments, surrounded by empty bottles.

"You've always been a tough girl," he slurred, when there was a special scene of a young Videl sitting on his shoulders and raising a golden cup into the air, and took one more gulp from the bottle in his hand. "A tough girl…"

The bottle fell from his hand and landed with a soft thud on the red carpet, the golden seeping out of it, as the world champion passed out.

* * *

Suddenly he found himself standing in the middle of the undestroyed ring of the Tenkaichi Budokai in broad daylight. Confused he looked around. The stands were empty, but on the other side of the ring, a person was standing. Satan could not believe his eyes, when Videl stepped closer with a shy smile on her face and said, "Hey there, dad."

"Is this a dream?" he asked astounded and rubbed his eyes. But his daughter was still there, dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt. It was then, that he noticed that he was completely sober and dressed in a clean gi. "Am I seeing ghosts?"

"Well, dad, you are sleeping and I'm dead, but this is real. To make a long story short, I was allowed to visit you in your dreams this one time." Her father looked at her disbelievingly and Videl sighed, knowing that she would have to tell him the long story. "As you maybe know, I left with the family and friends of Gohan – that's the guy who gave me the bean – to a safe place. They had heard that someone wanted to resurrect a demon called Buu and Gohan, his already dead dad, who was allowed to come back for one day to participate in the tournament, and some of their friends went to prevent this, but it obviously did not work. Buu was revived, killed most of them and then found us. We were killed." She gave her father a sad smile, still keeping some facts from him. "Gohan's dad, Goku, managed to defeat Buu in the end before he had to return in the afterlife. However, since Goku was already dead and had already saved the world a couple of time – yes, dad, I know about Cell. Gohan killed him," Videl added, when she saw the guilty look on her father's face. "This made him pretty good friends with some higher guys in the afterlife and we were all allowed to keep our bodies and continue our unlife on a high god's planet – an honor only credited to great warriors. And in addition to this, all of us, who still had a loved one left on earth, are allowed to visit them tonight."

"This is... I…" Satan spluttered.

"Unbelievable? You don't know what to say?" she laughed, but she was not mocking him. "Don't worry, dad, I felt the same, when they dropped this on me."

"So, you're really dead?" he asked, though he was sure that he did not want to hear the dreaded answer.

Videl nodded. "I am, but this doesn't mean I'm gone. I'm only on another plane and I already asked one of the highest gods that you may join us, when your time has come. But let's not talk about this now, dad. I'm here to spend some more time with you, time that had been so gruesomely taken from us."

"Okay…" Satan said sadly. "What do you want to do?"

The shy and uncertain smile was once again on her face. "Maybe something we've rarely done? Just talking?"

"Talking? Sounds good to me."

Father and daughter smiled at each other and sat down. And indeed, they started to talk, Satan for the first time since he had first one the world championship, taking actual interest in his daughter's life. They talked about school, her friends, her fight against crime in Satan city and even moved on to more embarrassing subjects. Videl had to blush furiously, when her father asked her, if she was in any way interested in this guy – what was his name? - Gohan.

.

Much too soon it was time for Videl to say goodbye. She hugged her father tightly and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, honey," Satan said, actually feeling tears in his eyes, as he returned the hug. This would be the last time he would see his daughter for what could be a long time. "I'll miss you."

"Daddy, I miss you, too. But remember, this goodbye is not forever. We'll meet again." They let go of each other, both memorizing the other's face, when Videl suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I don't think the others will mind, if you told the world that it was you, who defeated Buu. It might give the survivors new hope," she said, while the scenery around them started to blur. Still smiling, Videl opened her eyes again and saw the sun rise in the south of the Dai Kaiou's planet, feeling happier than she had in days.

* * *

Vegeta had to blink a few times, when he was suddenly standing in his bedroom, but it had changed. The room was lit in the soft glow of hundreds of red candles and on the bed was lying someone he had never thought he would see again. His wife. Bulma, dressed in a long red silk nightgown. When he looked down at himself, he also saw that he was no longer wearing his battered gi, but black pants and a black silk shirt instead.

"You're not dreaming, well, not really," Bulma answered his unasked question. She got up from the bed and walked up to him.

He carefully and hesitantly rested his hands on her hips and breathed a silent sigh of relief, when he touched the soft material of her gown. He had been afraid that this was a nightmare and that she would disappear, as soon as he touched her. This was just too good to be true. Not being able to formulate any words, he looked at her questioningly.

"The Kaioushin offered some of us to visit one of those we left behind to spent some time with them and say goodbye," she explained shortly, her own hands resting on his strong forearms and then kissed him softly on the lips. She could feel his body trembling ever so slightly underneath her hands, mirroring her own emotions. "I needed to see you again… to talk to you again… to feel you again…" Bulma kissed him again and this time her lips lingered longer on his. She opened her mouth and granted access to his tongue, to which Vegeta complied eagerly. She did not need to hear his words to know what he was feeling - his touch alone told her all she needed to know.

When they finally parted, both in desperate need of breath, Vegeta found himself finally capable of speech again. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to know, how you're doing," she replied, not even thinking about removing her hands from his arms. As long as she was feeling him, she knew that he was there and she knew that her mate needed the same affirmation.

Vegeta hesitated with his answer, thinking about his attempt to leave earth, about the girl's words, about his newly developed training habits and suddenly and probably for the first time in his life he felt ashamed. He lowered his head, not wanting to meet his woman's eyes.

Now Bulma finally took her hands from his arms and softly took his head, forcing him to look at her. "I know about everything, but you may not turn away from the others and especially Jenny. I know that you are hurting – I'm hurting, too. I also felt the bond breaking, but now I can finally feel you again," she placed her right hand on her chest, "in my heart. I know that you are feeling this, too. But even though the bond is gone and it feels like the pain will never end, I'm still sure of one thing – of our love for each other. And about the love of our friends. They will help us through this, but you have to let them. I do, and I know that it will get better."

Vegeta opened his mouth to say something, but only managed one word in a raspy voice, "Woman," before Bulma put a finger on his lips, shaking her head.

"Don't," she said smiling. "You don't need to say anything."

Slowly unbuttoning his shirt, she ran her hand over his chest, once again marveling at how her mate was built. In a small and almost shy whisper, Bulma asked, "Can you now only make love to me? One last time?"

A smirk crept on Vegeta's face, as he kissed her and picked her up, carrying her to their bed one last time, where he lowered her gently.

.

Hours later they lay in their bed, Bulma snuggled up to Vegeta and the Saiyajin with an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Both were not saying a word, but no words were needed after this night.

Bulma, however, had to break the silence eventually. "Our time is almost up." Vegeta only grunted in reply and pulled her even closer. She sighed in content, but knew at the same time that it would only last a few more minutes. "Please, Vegeta, promise me one thing. Don't shut Jenny or my mother out. They need you and you can't deny that you need them as well."

Even though it seemed to be hard to get those words over his lips, Vegeta eventually mumbled, "I promise." And he realized that he meant it. But there was one more thing that needed to be said, before their time was up. If it only were not so hard. He sighed. It was now or never. "I love you." It was barely more than a whisper, but in the silence of the room, it echoed in his ears like a scream.

She looked up, startled by his words and felt a tear running down her cheek. But she was smiling. This had been the first time that he had ever said those three words to her.

Suddenly Bulma felt a tugging feeling in the back of her mind and knew that it was time. As if sensing her thoughts, Vegeta kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "Goodbye, Bulma."

"Goodbye. I'll miss you."

Then everything around her began to blur and she was back on the Dai Kaiou's planet. She noticed that her cheek was wet and, with a smile on her face, wiped the single tear away.

* * *

Jenny smiled, as she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. The sky was blue, birds were singing, a green forest was nearby and a house standing on a small meadow. This one was definitely different – and better – than the dreams she had had the previous nights. Even the bandages from her arm were gone and there was no gash, scar or whatsoever. Even her clothes were different, as she was now wearing a pair of sneakers, shorts and a tank top.

She knew this place, even though she had only been here a couple of times. It looked the same and yet it was different. For one the house looked as if someone was actually living in it and the garden was well tended. So this was how it had looked like, as her parents had still been alive. Jenny would have loved living here.

Walking along the cobbled path between house and garden like she had always done when she had been here with Gohan, Goten and Trunks, she ended up in the backyard. This had always been their first stop, when they had come here, always bringing fresh flowers. But this time, the girl noted sadly, she did not have any flowers. She looked around and her eyes landed on a few wildflowers at the path, which she quickly picked and then knelt down in on the graves, carefully placing the flowers in front of the stones.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I acted the way I did at the tournament and during the fight with Buu. I hope you aren't angry with me."

"They aren't angry with you," she suddenly heard a well-known voice say. Startled she looked around and a huge grin appeared on her face, when she saw the three persons behind her, all of them wearing their gis, but one looked different. With a squeal of delight, she jumped at her big brother's neck, squeezing him tightly.

"Jenny… need… air," Gohan, for the first time wearing a gi that looked like his father's, gasped smiling, as breathing seemed to become an issue, even though he was already technically dead and slowly pried the young girl from his neck.

Jenny beamed at him, Goten and Trunks, but suddenly her expression became a sad one. "You're not really here. This is just a dream."

"A dream it is," Gohan told her, crouching down on one knee. "But a special one. Thanks to the Kaioushin's magic we were allowed to visit one person in his or her dream to spend some time with him or her and to be able to say goodbye to that person."

"So you created all this?" Jenny asked, motioning with her right hand to their surroundings.

Gohan only nodded and got up again. He did not want to waste any time talking about the exact techniques of the magic the Kaioushin had used. That he and the boys were here, with Jenny, was all that mattered. "So, what do you want to do now?"

The three kids looked at each other and being true Saiyajins at heart (or stomach), they immediately agreed on one thing – a picnic! Gohan had been thinking along the same lines even before they had arrived here and taken the necessary precautions while creating this place. He quickly ushered the kids through the backdoor into the kitchen, where he started to prepare a huge stack of sandwiches, finding all the ingredients in the same cupboards and shelves where his mother had always kept them, while the children set out to explore the house. They were eager to know how it had looked like before Gohan had been forced to leave it with Goten and Jenny.

When they returned to the kitchen, all talking at the same time, so that Gohan had a hard time making out, what exactly each of them was speaking of, he had just finished preparing the sandwiches and had put them all into a basket along with a blanket. But one thing the teenager was able to understand from his siblings' (and step-sibling's) incessant and incoherent babbling – they loved this place already. Too bad they had to leave again in a few hours. How he would have loved to restore the house with the kids' help, so that he could live in it himself as soon as he was old enough and earned his own money.

Another thing that reached his ears was Jenny's statement, "Your room wasn't messy at all. This isn't normal." The boys were in complete agreement with her.

Gohan chuckled, as he lifted the basket from the table. "Mom had always been pretty strict about me keeping my room clean. Dad had always been more lenient, but Mom had the frying pan," he shuddered involuntarily, "so it was no use arguing with her." The children had also heard stories from Gohan about his mother and the frying pan and shuddered along with him.

The day was spent eating, sparring, playing Saiyajin-tag and Saiyajin hide-and-seek – both sometimes rather brutally games, partly involving having to spar with the one who was _it_, which had been invented after Jenny had managed to control her power – and talking, though this had been pretty rare. Gohan had always loved more playing with the kids than talking to them. He always told himself that the kids would learn soon enough to be serious and that they needed to have fun as long as possible.

But one of the rare times, when two of the kids had been talking with each other, had been, when Trunks was chosen as seeker in a game of hide-and-seek and he had found Jenny before the others. Now it was the two of them looking for Goten and Gohan in the woods near the house.

"Thanks," Trunks suddenly said and Jenny looked at him confused. The boy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "For saving dad. Piccolo had told us about his planned suicide attack. This… this was what your dream the night before the tournament and the battle had been about, wasn't it? You said that he was gonna die, killing himself… You dreamed about Buu, didn't you?"

Jenny looked to the ground, ashamed. She mumbled, "If I hadn't stopped your dad, he might have killed Buu and then you and all the others would still be alive…"

"But you don't know that," the boy argued. "Look, it isn't even that bad. I know that there's one spaceship in the lab and you can use this to go to Namek and use the Dragonballs. Unfortunately a long-distance-call to Namek won't work… Some stupid law of the universe… But it would only take a couple of weeks and then…"

"The spaceship is gone…" Jenny said, barely above a whisper, but Trunks heard it. He gaped at her. He and Goten must have missed that part while eavesdropping on the grown-ups. "I destroyed it."

"How? Why?" the boy could only ask. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

The girl sighed. "Circumstances…" She did not want to tell her friend – wait a second! Friend? Yeah, somehow, over the last few days and especially the last night before the tournament, the two of them had truly become friends – that his father had wanted (still wanted?) to leave the earth and the rest of his _family _behind for good. She did not want to tell him that the only thing stopping him had been the destruction of the spaceship.

Trunks opened his mouth, but no words came out of it, so he closed it again. There had been something about the way she had said this… It had told him that she did not want to talk about it. He looked at her from the side and noticed that her head was still hanging low. He had not wanted to fight with her, not on this day (or night). Suddenly, he thought he had spotted something orange behind a bush and tugged at her sleeve. Jenny looked up and he motioned with his head towards the bush, having a slight grin on his face and a gleam of mischief in his eyes. The girl understood and a small smirk appeared on her face. She nodded and together they jumped into the bush, holding onto a struggling and laughing Goten.

.

Just like for the others, the end of their time together in this dream had come too soon. Jenny was once again clinging at Gohan's neck, not wanting to let him go. She had so enjoyed these few hours – she had almost forgotten that they were dead. "Don't leave…" she mumbled, as her big brother gently rubbed her back, while the other two boys were watching them with equally sad looks on their faces.

"We have to, and you know this. And someday we'll see each other again, but hopefully this will be a long time from now. You have a long life ahead of you and even though it doesn't look like it now, it will get better. You only have to be strong. Will you be strong?"

Nodding, she let go of his neck and he set her down. Jenny wiped the tears from her eyes and stepped up to Goten and Trunks with a shy smile on her face. Suddenly and completely unexpected she threw her arms around them, almost crushing them in her hug. "I'll miss you."

"We'll miss you, too," both boys answered in unison. They then shot Gohan a short look, before they whispered something else into Jenny's ear, which let her smile turn into a grin that spread all over her face and she giggled.

They parted and the boys went to stand next to Gohan in front of the house that had once belonged to his parents. Jenny nervously shuffled with her feet, as they were waiting for the last minutes to pass. "I love you," she said eventually, smiling at her brothers and friend.

"We love you, Jenny," Gohan replied, speaking for the three of them and then added almost as an afterthought, "Please don't give your grandmother and especially Vegeta a hard time."

Jenny only grinned at him and winked at Goten and Trunks, just as the world around them started to blur and everything vanished.

* * *

When Gohan opened his eyes, he had a smile on his face and shook his head. This last grin on Jenny's face could mean no good and he was almost starting to feel sorry for Vegeta. His suspicions were confirmed, when he saw almost identical grins on Goten's and Trunks' faces. The terror of the Trio from hell would continue with one girl on earth, while the other two members were stuck in the afterlife. Gohan did not even want to think about the mischief the two boys were already plotting.

* * *

Back on earth, Jenny woke to the sun shining through the window, feeling better than she had in days. Even the stinging in her arm, which, as she noticed, was again bandaged, was not as bad. Looking around the room, she noted that it did not look so gloomy anymore. The sun was bathing the room and her in a warm light. Smiling and stretching, she turned to her left to see four red zeros blinking at her from her alarm clock. The power was back on!

Grinning, she nearly jumped out of the bed, completely forgetting that her grandmother had forbidden her to set a foot on the carpet, and flew down the stairs to the kitchen, where she could already smell the delicious smell of pancakes and hear her grandmother hum. As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, Mrs. Briefs turned around, but instead of looking at her disapprovingly, she, too, had a large smile on her face. "Good morning, dear. Sit down and have some pancakes. How are you this fine morning?" she asked, while she was already filling one of the plates and giving it to the girl.

Jenny just wanted to answer, when Vegeta came into the kitchen with a strange smirk on his face, sat down and started to devour the pancakes that Mrs. Briefs had placed in front of him. The woman only shrugged at the girl, turned her attention back to the frying pan, and eventually joined them at the table.

While they were eating, Mrs. Briefs chatted away about how her husband had visited her last night in her dream and how they had walked through the gardens, talking about everything and having a good time. She seemed to be almost completely back to be her old bubbly self, Jenny thought happily.

She was thinking about telling them about her visitors but decided after a bit of pondering that she did not want to share this with anybody, knowing that Vegeta and her grandmother had had their own experiences that night. No, the time that she had spent with Gohan, Goten and Trunks was theirs to remember and no one else's. This memory was something to cherish and cherish it she would by knowing that they were not really dead, but only spending their lives at another place, where she would join them someday.

When Vegeta was finished with his breakfast, he got up and announced to take a shower. Before he left the kitchen, however, he turned to Jenny, "As soon as you feel up to it, we'll continue with your training, brat."

"Aye, Sir," Jenny replied with a mocking salute and a smirk on her face. Vegeta only returned the smirk and left for his bathroom.

Gohan had been right. It will get better, eventually. They only needed some time, but the visits of their loved ones in their dreams and the possibility to say goodbye had helped them to take the first big step on this journey to heal.


	29. Part III: The speech

**A/N: Sorry it took so long, but a couple of things had happened. First of all, I wanted to use my three weeks off work to beta some of my stories and then print them all and then, during my last week, I had to go to the hospital. I believe I told you that I had an accident and had 'sprained' my knee, as the doctors had thought at first. Well, my knee didn't get better, so I went back to the doctor and he said I had to endure an endoscopy of my knee. There they found out that one cruciate ligament elongated during this accident and that beneath this a bursa had appeared, which they had to remove. And now, last Monday, school had started again and again not much time to write. I hope you forgive me for this, but I hope that you understand that I also still have a life that isn't writing fanfictions and also other stories with other fans who are also waiting for updates…**

**Actually, this chapter should have included much more, but since I did not want to let you wait any longer, I decided to split it into two chapters. The notes for the next chapter are already finished, so at least that's out of the way to keep me from writing. But it might be that I will write a chapter of another story first… I just wanted to let you know and now have fun with this chapter!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 28: The speech**

It was first after breakfast that Jenny once again had to bear the overprotectiveness of her grandmother. The older woman had wanted to send the girl directly back to bed, but after about ten minutes of arguing back and forth if Jenny was already rested enough to be out of bed for longer periods of time, they effected a compromise. Jenny was allowed out of bed and her room, but had to stay on the couch in the living room instead.

Grateful that the power was back on, Jenny used most of the morning to watch TV. However, the only shows broadcasted were different news about the attacks. This way she found out which cities had been destroyed, which were void of any signs of life and which had fortunately remained unharmed, but those were only a few. The people that had been most lucky had been the ones living in the countryside; since Buu had only been really interested in huge meals and mass destruction, his main target had been the larger cities. The other thing Jenny got to know this way was that the King, a few surviving advisors and politicians as well as Mr. Satan were having a meeting this morning to discuss the further actions that should take place.

But Jenny could only watch this for so long without falling back into a gloomy mood, so she was thankful, when her grandmother got her for lunch and she got away from the TV. During the meal, Jenny asked her grandmother if she could help her get some books from her room so that she could get at least some studying done. Jenny, Trunks and Goten had never gone to a school, because Bulma had wanted them, just like Gohan, to be home-schooled, at least until they were in absolute control of their powers and knew how to use them wisely, so that they could not harm a fellow student by accident or show off and therewith draw unneeded attention to themselves. So it was that Jenny was able to keep her mind occupied almost the whole afternoon, while the muted TV was still on, so that she could at least follow the pictures now and then and would not miss something important.

.

Suddenly in the late afternoon, the screen flashed back to one of the reporters in an office and Jenny saw the bold red letters _'Meeting over – The King and his advisors have decided for a course of actions'_ on the screen. The girl immediately put her geometry book aside and turned on the volume, just in time to hear the press conference that was about to take place. A frown appeared on her face – this was not the conference room of the castle, she had seen that before in a conference not so long ago – until she suddenly remembered that the castle had been completely destroyed as well. But she was glad that the King had managed to flee, otherwise the world would be without leadership and would therefore most likely become a victim of complete chaos.

Murmurs could be heard of the reporters, but they all hushed, when the King, an older dog-shaped man with a white mustache, stepped onto the platform in the middle of the room, with Hercule Satan at his right side but one step behind him. There was a grave look on the King's face and he seemed to have aged a lot since she had last seen him on TV. When he started to speak, his voice sounded grave.

"To everyone in the world, this is your King speaking. As you all know, five days ago a terrible monster going by the name of Buu suddenly appeared on this planet with seemingly only one target – destruction. Many cities have suffered his attacks, many people have died, the losses are great. I'm sure there is not one of us who has not lost a parent, sibling, child or friend. But there's also hope," he continued in a strong voice. "Buu has been defeated, by none other than our world champion Mister Satan." The world champion just bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement. "And we will once again be able to live in peace."

Jenny balled her fists and a sharp pain shot up her right arm, which she ignored, and gritted her teeth. How dare he? People all over the world were suffering and this sorry excuse for a fighter yet again claimed the credit for a victory he had not achieved! At that moment Jenny swore that, would she ever get to fight him, be it in a tournament or on another occasion, she would humiliate him, show all the people on the world that he was just a fraud.

"We, all of us, will have a hard time ahead of us. We all need time to grieve those we have lost, but we may not forget that there are other people out there on the streets, who have maybe lost more than we have and who need our help. When they reach out, take their hands and help them up. In times like these, it is important that we, the survivors, unite to overcome the obstacles thrown at us. Only together can we rebuild the cities, our homes and start a new life.

"But we will never forget those we have lost and in each city and town there will be a memorial with the names of Buu's victims that have lived there, so that we can make sure that they always stay in our memory. I know that many of you would like to forget that fateful day, but _you may not!_ This day has shown us that we are vulnerable. It has shown us that there are still threats to earth, even though others have been defeated.

"May I remind you – many years ago, most of you probably don't remember it, a demon walked this earth - his name was Piccolo. He wanted world domination, but fortunately he was stopped by a master of the martial arts. But years later, Piccolo returned, stronger than before, but with the same goal. This time it was a mysterious warrior, who defeated him for good. Only a couple of years later, two spaceships landed on earth and again people died and again, I can only assume, they were defeated by an unknown warrior, probably the same one who had already fought Piccolo and won. Then there was Cell and we all know what happened - Mister Satan killed him. And now, after seven years of peace, it was Buu who once again threatened this planet, only that this time the consequences are worse than ever before.

"You ask yourself, what I want to tell you with this? It's actually quite simple – Every time when we had thought that we were living in peace and that nothing could destroy it, we were proven wrong. And every new threat had been larger than the one before. Let's hope that we will finally learn this lesson and that we are prepared, if – _when_ – the world is threatened again. And again, only this we can achieve through unity.

"I can't promise you that life is getting better overnight. As a matter fact, it probably will get worse, before it gets better. We will all suffer in the next weeks, months and maybe years. We will all probably lose more people close to us to injuries or illnesses, but _we may not give up!_ It will take a long time until we have rebuilt that, which had been destroyed, but as long as we are in this together, there's light at the end of the tunnel. We are steadily recruiting workers in all functions, be it doctors, nurses, people who help giving out food and blankets and those who provide lodgings for the homeless. I repeat again, we have to help each other to minimize the suffering, because as the saying goes, _'As strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.'"_

The King took a deep breath and Jenny saw how tired he truly was. But still, this speech had moved something within her. She knew that he was right. All the survivors had to be together in this, otherwise they would fail. If there was a way she could help somehow, she would. Maybe - she would have to talk to her grandmother about this - but the compound of Capsule Corporation was huge, so it should be possible to provide some rooms, where people could stay.

The King seemed to have regained his composure after this speech, because he continued, only this time in a quiet and exhausted voice. "Mister Satan will now tell you the first steps of our plan. Thank you."

He left the platform, head held high and back straight, but in his eyes one found all he needed to know that the King was tired and that the attacks and the last few days had taken their toll on him. Finally, when he had arrived at an empty chair in the back, he disappeared in the shadows, but shortly before he disappeared, Jenny saw how his shoulders slumped. She had half a mind to switch off the TV, now that it was Mr. Satan's turn, but she wanted to know what was going to happen now. So she watched, how he stepped onto the platform and cleared his throat.

"First of all, I want to express my condolences for all those who have lost someone important in their lives. I just want to let you know that I know how you feel. My daughter, Videl, died in the attacks, but I know that she's in a better place now and that I will see her again someday." The ghost of a smile passed his lips, before he became serious again. "As you all know, there's been a meeting this morning until about half an hour ago. During this meeting many things have been discussed and there will be further discussions, but for now we have decided on two things. The first is what our King already told us about – the recruitment of help. In many cities and towns all over the world we will organize registration offices, which you can notify, when you want to help somehow.

"Those offices are also the contact point for the next step of our plan. To determine how many people we have lost during the attacks, we are forced to carry out a population census. Therefore we'd like to ask you to report to those offices and register yourself and maybe also report the names of deceased family members. Right now the exact locations of those registration offices should appear at the bottom of the screen."

And indeed, in small white letters, names of cities and streets were scrolling from right to left at the bottom of the screen. Jenny only listened absent-mindedly to Mister Satan from that moment on, because she waited for the Western Capitol to appear in the list. But since locations all over the world were mentioned, it was taking some time. In the meantime, Satan continued to talk about the census, that it would start the following day and that it should be finished in about two weeks. In addition to the locations in the cities, helpers will also check the countryside for people, who would not be able to get into the nearest city due to different reasons. While reading the names of the cities, Jenny picked out one or two closer to them, if the Western Capitol should not be mentioned, but just as the list was coming to an end, the name appeared and Jenny's face lit up with a smile. It also was not that far away, maybe half an hour walking distance from Capsule Corporation.

Disregarding everything her grandmother had told her, Jenny jumped up from the couch and after checking with her grandmother's ki, she found her in the garden, hanging up the washings. Before the older woman could even start to scold Jenny, the girl proceeded to tell her a short version of everything she had seen and heard and even gave her an outline of the King's speech and the impression he had left on her.

"We have to help them, grandma!" Jenny insisted, after she had filled her grandmother in.

The older woman sighed and wiped some sweat from her forehead. "I don't know, Jenny. Of course, you're right. We have room enough, but I don't think we would be able to manage so many people under our roof. You're still just a child, I'm not the youngest anymore and Vegeta is… well… Vegeta… I'm sorry, but I think we can't help them, at least not like this…"

Jenny had to accept this. She had seen the look on her grandmother's face too often in the last few days to know what it meant – there would be no point in arguing further. This, however, did not mean that she had to like it. There just had to be a way!

"Tomorrow we should go to this registration point," Mrs. Briefs continued, "so that we don't have to worry about this anymore. And now you should go back inside. I'll also come soon and then you can help me prepare dinner, okay?"

"Okay," the girl mumbled and scuffled back into the main building and the living room, only to slump down on the couch with her arms crossed over her chest. Her grandmother had not seen what she had seen on TV. She had not heard the speech. She had not heard the urgency in the King's voice, when he had said that they should help each other. But Jenny did, and she needed to help somehow, even though she was just a child. Why did her grandmother not understand that Jenny was no helpless girl? She was after all the strongest girl on this planet, so there had to be something she could do, and if it was helping to rebuild buildings. Jenny was sure that some muscles were always needed.

Jenny needed to talk to Vegeta about this. Maybe he could help her to convince her grandmother.

.

Later that night during dinner, Jenny and Mrs. Briefs filled Vegeta in on the situation and told him about their decision to put their names on the list of the survivors the following day. At first, Vegeta seemed to be reluctant to let himself be seen in public, especially after his display at the Budokai, but in the end, Jenny and her grandmother were able to persuade him by reminding him that he had been a Super Saiyajin at this time and most likely would not be recognized as long as he did not transform. So they agreed to leave the next morning after breakfast at nine o'clock.

.

When Vegeta left the kitchen after dinner, Jenny jumped from her chair and ran after him. "Vegeta!" she called and he stopped in the middle of the corridor to his room. "Can I talk to you?"

"What do you want?" he asked in his usual gruff way and turned to face her.

"It's about the King's speech… He said that they always need help of all kinds and I wondered if we could not help rebuilding the destroyed houses and so on. I mean, we are the two strongest persons on this planet and…"

"Are you completely daft?" Vegeta almost yelled and Jenny winced. He sounded enraged, though she could not fathom why he would be. "Did you even get one bit of what I just said? Why I don't want to be seen? The people on this planet have just witnessed death and destruction by a supernatural force! Do you think it would be good to display even that force, a force they are scared of? What do you think they would do? Welcome us with open arms? No, I don't think so. And because of that we have to keep a low profile. As much as I hate it, we will not show our strength in public, do you understand?"

"But…" Jenny stuttered, caught completely unawares and unprepared by this fit of rage.

"Do you understand?" His voice was calmer now, but still as dangerous and threatening as before.

"I understand…" she gave in. Vegeta had a point, no matter how much she hated it.

"Good." He turned his back to her and prepared to head for his room, but before he left, Vegeta said, "You should go to bed now. You're still not recovered fully and tomorrow might become strenuous."

Jenny nodded, though he could not see it and then followed him, until she arrived at the door to her room and went inside. She had not noticed that her grandmother had listened to the argument and because of this had not noticed the look on the older woman's face – a blend of consideration and pride.


	30. Part III: Brave new world

**A/N: Yay me, another chapter finished and still this had turned out differently than originally planned, because suddenly I started to write and to write and this chapter turned into a whole different direction. Well, at least now I still have some notes left for the next chapter… It's also better this way, I think… Hope you like it! Oh, and thanks for the reviews!**

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**Part III**

**Chapter 29: Brave new world**

When Vegeta came to breakfast the next morning, he did this a bit self-consciously. Stopping in front of a mirror on his way to the kitchen, he took in his reflection. What had possessed him to do this? He looked at the rather tight dark-blue jeans Bulma had made him buy once, and at the black T-shirt that also showed his muscular body. However, that he could live with. It would not be the first time for him to wear something like that. No, what made him question his sanity was the fact that he had swapped his royal Saiyajin hairstyle for a style that looked more human. Gone were the flamey spikes, replaced by black hair that was still standing up straight but was much shorter. Running his right hand through the short spikes, he sighed almost inaudible. As he had already said the night before, it would do no good if someone recognized him, so it was only for the best.

The reactions of Jenny and Mrs. Briefs were exactly as he had them imagined to be. Mouths hanging wide open and looks of disbelieve and surprise on their faces. He only glared at them, daring them to say anything, before sitting down at the table. The two blondes regained their composures at about the same time, but while Mrs. Briefs turned back to her breakfast, Jenny smiled at him and said, just a little bit teasing, "I love the hair." Vegeta did not even look up from his plate, but Jenny could swear that she had seen the slightest tug at his lips.

After they had finished breakfast and put the dishes away, the three surviving members of the Briefs family left Capsule Corporation to go to the town hall, where the registration should take place. Now in the daylight, they were finally able to see the full effects of Buu's attacks. Whereas Vegeta had only seen the destruction at night, when he had returned from the battlefield, Jenny, who had been unconscious at that time, and Mrs. Briefs had not left Capsule Corporation before now.

On their way to the town hall, there were fully or partly destroyed family houses, office buildings and stores on their left and right side. Just few buildings had escaped the monster's reign of terror. Some of the buildings were even still smoldering. But houses could be rebuilt and rubble be cleared. What could not be mended were the hearts of the people, who have lost someone. The memories of those, who had seen their loved ones die a gruesome death, could not be erased. Forever they would remember the blood, the smell of burned flesh and the stench of death that even now, after six days, still penetrated their noses.

Jenny started to feel sick, since the smell was much stronger for a Saiyajin and she looked at her grandmother and Vegeta. Her grandmother's face was incredibly pale, but Jenny could not say if this was because of the smell or because of what they were seeing. Everywhere people were huddled together or walking silently to the town hall. Crying children were holding onto their mothers, fathers or both of them, while other people were heavily injured. Vegeta, however, did not seem to be affected at all, though his whole body appeared to be rather tense.

After about half an hour of walking through the city, they arrived at the end of two very long lines leading up to a building at the end of the street. All kinds of people were waiting there to be registered, and many more were joining them, but they all had one thing in common – the haunted and exhausted looks on their faces. They were marked by loss and physical as well as emotional strains.

A brown-haired girl about Jenny's age was standing in the line next to them. Their gazes met and Jenny tried to give her an encouraging smile to tell her that things will get better eventually, but the girl only looked away with a heartbroken expression on her face. It was then that Jenny remembered that she, Vegeta, her grandmother and Mr. Satan had been the only ones, who had been visited by dead loved ones to say their final goodbye. That girl had most likely lost family members without having had the chance to say goodbye and had probably even seen them die. The smile on Jenny's face vanished and she turned her eyes away from the girl, as they took another step forward.

Jenny did not know how long they were already waiting in the line. She looked up and saw the sun already standing high in the sky, so she guessed at least two or maybe even three hours had passed, since they had come to the end of the line. She was also getting hungry. Looking up to Vegeta, she noticed once again that he was unusually calm and collected. He had not once lost his temper or even voiced his opinion during their long wait and Jenny did not know if she should be worried or glad about this.

Finally she could see a couple of tables in the distance and the two lines split up to five or six more and shorter lines. With a smile on her face, she realized that they were almost there. Then they would get registered and head back to Capsule Corporation. However, it took another thirty minutes until they stopped in front of a table, where a middle-aged, tired looking woman with long red hair and heavy bags under her exhausted brown eyes was sitting at.

"Your names, please," she said, looking up at the three of them.

"My name is Vegeta Briefs," Vegeta said, startling Mrs. Briefs and Jenny. They had expected him to stand back and let Mrs. Briefs do the talking. The whole day already Vegeta had acted very un-Vegeta-like, so that it was almost scary. Jenny, however, had slowly started to learn that Vegeta would most likely keep surprising them the longer they knew him. "I was the husband of Bulma Briefs. Those are our adopted daughter Son Jenny and my mother-in-law."

They watched as the woman added their names to one of the two lists in front of her and then looked up to them with curiosity in her eyes, though her voice remained all business-like. "You _were_ Bulma Briefs' husband?"

"I was," he only said.

"My daughter died in one of Buu's attacks, as did my husband. Bulma's and Vegeta's son Trunks and their other adopted sons Son Gohan and Son Goten have also fallen victim to the attacks," Mrs. Briefs provided, since it did not seem as if Vegeta would say more to this.

"And then there're still our friends," Jenny said and told the woman the names of the other fighters that were now on the Dai Kaiou's planet. She deliberately left out Dende, Mr. Popo and Piccolo, as she did not think that they had been registered as inhabitants of earth. "… and Videl Satan," she added almost as an afterthought. "But you know that already…"

The woman looked up from her notes on the second list on the table, slightly taken aback. "How did you know Videl Satan?"

Jenny shrugged. "She was a good friend of my older brother Gohan. They went to school together."

"I'm sorry," she said, as she looked again at the list. "You've lost many good friends and a large part of your family. I wish you well."

"Thank you," Mrs. Briefs said, put her hands on Jenny's shoulders and steered her away from the table.

The whole way back to Capsule Corporation and also when they arrived, none of them said a word. Vegeta did not even go inside, but instead went directly to the gravity room in the backyard, and Jenny excused herself, claiming that she was tired and went straight to her room. Once she closed the door behind her and her eyes rested on her bed, she realized how true her statement was. She really was exhausted. After having changed into a pair of shorts and one of Gohan's old T-shirts, she climbed into her bed and pulled the blanket over her body. Sleep claimed her immediately.

_Jenny was standing on a field on an unknown planet. The sky was purple and the grass was blue as were the leaves of the trees. Only a few yards away a fire was burning and in front of the fire she saw a person she recognized as the Kaioushin. He was mumbling in a strange language and sweat was running down his face. Next to him was the other one, Kibito as Gohan had told her, watching over his friend. There was something in the air, she could feel it but could not put a finger on it. Whatever it was, it was powerful and old. Suddenly the fire leapt into the sky, as the Kaioushin cried out and raised his hands, just seconds before it died down completely. In those few seconds, Jenny had felt a searing pain surge through her limbs, almost as if she had been forced out of her own body and thrust into another, but the feeling had been gone the second the fire had died. The Kaioushin collapsed and Kibito had to help him up. "It's done," he only said. _

_The landscape around her blurred and she was once again at the battle scene, only that this time she was not watching the happenings from the rock, but from above, as if she was floating. Krillin was hiding on the rock, watching the battlefield, where Piccolo and Vegeta were standing. Under his arms, Piccolo was carrying Goten and Trunks. The two warriors exchanged some words and then Piccolo took off into the air, yelling at Krillin get out of there, as Buu appeared. The scene was so familiar, and yet it was different. And Jenny quickly figured out why – she was not there. Turning her attention back to Vegeta and Buu, she watched Vegeta preparing his suicide attack. She wanted to scream, yell at him to stop this, but no sound came out of her mouth. Helplessly she had to witness how the air around him exploded in a golden light, destroying everything surrounding him, and the proud prince crumbled to dust in front of her eyes. But Buu was gone as well… Was it really over? Would Vegeta's attack have killed Buu for good? Only a short while later, Piccolo returned, but suddenly Jenny's eyes went wide, as the bits and pieces left of Buu came to life and gathered, forming a new Buu. _

_The scenery around her shifted and she found herself again on the strange planet with the purple sky. A few yards in front of her she saw Gohan, who was wearing really weird clothes, train with a heavy looking sword and she had to admit, he was really good. Looking around, she noticed two other figures and she recognized them as the Kaioushin and Kibito. _

_The scene shifted again. She was still on that planet, but Gohan had abandoned the sword and was now sitting cross-legged on the ground, across from an old guy that somehow resembled the Kaioushin. They were doing nothing spectacular, just sitting there and looking at each other. Again, Jenny let her eyes wander around and she was surprised to see her father lying under a tree, taking a nap. _

_Another shift.__ This time she was on the Lookout, just in time to see Goten and Trunks, both Super Saiyajins, perform some kind of dance. The moment their fingers connected, a blinding light surrounded them and when it had passed, a new person was standing there. Something told her that it was still Goten and Trunks and at the same time not. Whoever he was, he was strong. _

_Another second later, Jenny looked around and saw that she was in a desert. Not that far in the distance, she spotted something she would have never expected to see. Buu and Mister Satan were playing with a puppy. Suddenly a shot rang through the air and the puppy howled. It was a terrible sound and a terrible sight, as it collapsed to the ground. Jenny turned around and saw two men standing on a ledge, one of them holding a rocket launcher. He shot two rockets at Buu and Mister Satan. She noticed that Mister Satan got away and she knew that those rockets wouldn't hurt Buu at all – he would only get pissed. However, after Satan had taken care of those two men, Buu seemed to calm down and he, much to her surprise, healed the puppy. Jenny could not help but smile. "Shit… Damn them…" Jenny heard someone mutter. She turned her head and watched in horror, how one of the men pulled out a gun and shot at Satan. Buu again used his healing powers, fortunately, but otherwise he looked very angry. Steam was rising out of the holes in his head and another, skinny Buu appeared in the sky. He killed one of the men, turned Buu into a cookie and ate him. It was then that the transformation began and at the end of it, he had changed – he looked almost human. _

_At the next moment she found herself in the middle of a fight between the merged form of Goten and Trunks, in a stage of Super Saiyajin that she had never seen before, and Piccolo versus Buu. It looked like they were prevailing, but then the fusion gave out and the tables turned. Buu just wanted to attack them, as they all looked into the sky, feeling a new ki coming towards them. Jenny followed their gaze and what she saw made her smile – it was Gohan. He looked slightly different, his ki had risen drastically, but he was still her brother. The fight began. Buu stood no chance against this new Gohan and he was not even a Super Saiyajin. _

_But then__ the scenery around her changed a bit. Gohan and Buu were still fighting, but now her brother was losing. She also could not see Goten and Trunks anywhere and Piccolo had disappeared as well. What did that mean?_

_The sequences seemed to be getting shorter. She was yet again at a different place. Gohan was gone, but instead her father and Vegeta were floating in the air, arguing. Her father gave something to Vegeta – an earring – and he put it in his ear. They were pulled together and after another blinding flash, they were one person._

_Jenny did not know what had happened, but she was yet again on that strange planet. Vegeta and her father were again two individual persons, Buu had changed, again - he now looked smaller and less threatening -, and the fat Buu seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The two Buus were fighting, while Vegeta and her father both looked pretty beaten up. Vegeta was talking to someone, saying something about bringing back the earth and resurrecting all non-evil people that have died after the Budokai. Jenny could not believe what she was hearing. Did that mean that the earth had been destroyed?_

_Again__ everything around her shifted. Still the same planet, still the same fight, but now her father was floating in the air, powered up to Super Saiyajin, and pushing a huge ki-ball towards the smaller Buu. He saluted and said something that Jenny did not understand. The next thing she saw was Buu being engulfed by the ki-ball, evaporating him completely with no chance to regenerate. It was over…And she had not been part of it…_

"Jenny? Jenny? Wake up!" Jenny groggily opened her eyes. It had just been a dream, but it had felt so real. "Dinner is ready." She looked to the door and saw her grandmother standing in the doorframe.

"Grandma?" she asked confused.

"Are you okay, honey?" Mrs. Briefs asked concerned, as she sat down on the bed and put her hand on the girl's forehead. She frowned. "You're a bit warm. I guess this day has been a bit too exhausting for you. You should stay abed and I'm going to bring you your dinner, okay?"

Jenny nodded numbly, still a bit dazed. She did not even notice that her grandmother got up again and left the room, so absorbed was she in her thoughts.

_I haven't been part of it._

After the whole affair with Buu and her dream involving Vegeta, Jenny had learned to treat her dreams carefully. Was her mind only playing tricks on her or had her dream shown her how it would have played out if she had not been there?

_If I hadn't existed…_

Jenny did not know where this thought came from, but she somehow knew that there was some truth behind it. She could not explain how, but one thought had penetrated her mind after the dream, knowledge that no matter how hard she tried, she could not deny.

_I'm__ not supposed to be here…_


	31. Part III: The prophecy

**A/N: Not much to say, except the usual thank you for the reviews and a big, big, big sorry for taking so long with this chapter, but you know how life is… There are so many things you need to do, but not enough time… I even stopped earlier in this chapter as I had planned (I still have notes left for this one, which I will now use in the next chapter) to get this chapter finally out! I hope you like it and that some of your questions will be answered (Especially one of yours, Vindali)**

**Oh, I just remembered another thing I wanted to tell you... I started to do a timeline for this story and I've already the rough outline for the first four parts and the beginning of the fifth and I already have about three pages in an Excel Sheet, Arial 7.5. (And this chapter is still on the first page of the sheet.) There are so many things going to happen! I can already tell you this!**

**But now have fun with this chapter!**

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**Part III**

**Chapter 30: The prophecy**

It was two days later, a sunny day in the middle of May, that Jenny woke up to a loud commotion outside. Groggily, she glanced at her alarm clock and jumped up surprised. The red numbers were showing her that it was already 11 o'clock in the morning, much later than she usually got up. "Damn it!" she only swore, as she crawled out of the bed and grabbed some clothes for the day. Her grandmother must still be waiting for her with breakfast. She almost skidded into the bathroom across her room, showered, brushed her teeth and got changed, before she ran back into her bedroom. Daring to raise her ki a bit to dry her hair, she pulled the curtains of her windows open and gasped. The gravity room was gone, replaced by many larger and smaller tents and countless people, strangers, were roaming around the compound. At first Jenny's eyes narrowed in confusion, but only after a couple of seconds got the meaning of all this – her grandmother had finally decided to help. A wide smile lit up her face, as she turned around and hurried outside in search for her grandmother.

In all this hectic and excitement she even forgot for one small moment about the dream she had had two day ago. The dream that had somehow turned her life into a struggle for the last two days. Two days, during which a seven years old girl began to ponder questions that most people first start to ponder earliest in their late teens – _What am I doing here? What is my place in this world? Why do I even exist?_ The guilt was slowly starting to gnaw at her, as the answer became clearer and clearer. She had no place in this world. If she had not been alive, Buu would not have killed thousands, millions of people. Okay, they would still have died and the earth would have been destroyed, but in the end, they all would have come back to life. Alone her _being here_ had caused a drastic change of reality. But it was too late now – not even turning back time could have helped _this_ timeline. It was too late to change anything in the past, however, it was not too late for her to try to make amends and seek for redemption in the future.

And this was, what she planned. She would do anything to make this world a better place – at any cost.

Jenny eventually found her grandmother's ki in the backyard and, walking past tents and people, slowly made her way up to her. Some of the men, women and children she met looked worse for wear, which immediately returned the guilt. Gulping, she avoided any eye contact with them and kept her eyes on her grandmother, who was talking to a man. As she got closer, Jenny recognized him as one of the Royal Army's soldier – he was wearing the standard blue uniform of one.

Mrs. Briefs saw Jenny walking past the tents and, with a smile on her face, beckoned her to come to them. "Jenny, dear, this is Captain Ling. He and his men are organizing this. Captain, this is my granddaughter Jenny." The girl and the Captain nodded at each other, while Mrs. Briefs just continued talking to the girl. "Ever since you told me about the speech, I've been thinking about how we could help those people, and yesterday I got this idea. Since it isn't possible to provide any rooms in the building, I thought that we could at least let them use the rest of the compound. A daresay that we have enough space around here."

"That's great grandma!" Jenny beamed at her, though most of it was faked. Of course was she happy that her grandmother had decided to help, but Jenny also knew that she would now be reminded of the consequences of her existence every single day.

"Ladies, if you excuse me, there're still a lot of things to do…" Captain Ling gave them a friendly salute, before he went to some of his comrades, who were setting up another white tent, large enough for at least three people.

"Grandma, can I help somehow?" She looked at her grandmother hopefully and crossed her fingers. The last two days Jenny had not been allowed to do anything except either lying in bed or on the couch. "I'm feeling fine," she insisted, when she once again saw the stern and at the same time worried look cross her grandmother's face. "Honestly."

Mrs. Briefs' face softened, and eventually nodded her head. "In front of the building some vans are waiting to be unloaded. Just ask a soldier there what to do, and I'm sure he lets you help."

"Thanks grandma!" Jenny had already run a few steps, when she suddenly turned around and jumped into her grandmother's arms, hugging her tightly. "You're the best!"

Jenny had helped the whole day, handing out blankets, cushions and food until exhaustion had taken over and she could do no more. This had been in the early evening hours, when she had also noticed that she had not eaten a thing the whole day, which had left her starving. In times like these, she admired her grandmother – first the elder woman had also helped the whole day and then, at night, had still managed to cook a meal to satisfy two Saiyajins.

The gravity room, as Jenny had found out the same night, had been removed to the now vacant lab on the other side of the compound. Both Vegeta and Mrs. Briefs had deemed it as the safest location in case the gravity room was destroyed – again.

* * *

The following days were spent much the same way and Jenny was somewhat glad to now have a steady routine she could rely on. She helped as much as she could and almost daily new homeless people arrived, who needed to be assigned a tent or given other essential things for survival. Still, she and her grandmother were not alone. Other volunteers and several soldiers helped as much as they could. This gave Jenny also time to concentrate on other things, like studying or giving her grandmother a hand with the chores.

So the days passed quickly and soon two weeks have passed. On May 27th the King was to once again appear on the screens of thousands of televisions and to be heard on thousands of radios to announce the result of the census. It was also on that morning that Mrs. Briefs decided it was finally time to remove the bandages on Jenny's right arm for good. The gash was completely healed, but the girl would always be reminded of the battle by a scar of almost the whole length of her lower arm – a scar that did not look like as if it would ever completely fade.

At ten o'clock the world was in complete silence. Every man, woman and child that had access to a TV or a radio was waiting anxiously for the conference of the King to start. A large screen had been built on the compound, so that everyone living there could watch it, but Jenny, Mrs. Briefs and Vegeta were the only ones in the living room of Capsule Corporation, rather preferring to not be surrounded by strangers at this moment.

And finally, two minutes past ten, the King stepped on a podium. Jenny noticed at once that he looked much older and more tired that he had two weeks previously, when he had made his first speech. Those two weeks must have taken its toll on him, or maybe, maybe it had been the result of the census, the true number of the victims, that had let him age a few years in a few days. Her stomach contracted painfully, when the King raised his head and started to talk.

"My friends, two weeks ago the census was started and last night, it was finished. Every living person on this planet has been registered and I fear to bring you grave tidings. I already suspected that the losses were going to be great, but nothing could have prepared me for the actual number of victims."

He paused, taking a deep breath. Jenny's heart was hammering against her chest and her hands were drenched in cold sweat. She was not so sure anymore if she wanted to hear what the King was about to say now.

"It is my grievous but important duty to inform you that during Buu's rampage about two third of earth's population died."

Mrs. Briefs gasped and Jenny paled upon hearing this. The next words of the King faded in her ears, as bits and pieces of her dream flashed once again in front of her inner eye. Vegeta's suicide attack. Goten and Trunks fighting Buu. Gohan fighting Buu. Goku and Vegeta fighting Buu. The wishes. The Genki Dama. Buu's demise.

All those people would still be alive, if she had not been there.

With tears in her eyes and ignoring her grandmother's calls, she dashed off, out of the living room and the back door, where she immediately took off into the sky, not caring, if anybody saw her. Everyone was too fixated on the King's speech anyway to notice anything out of the ordinary.

Just like Gohan had already done it seven years ago, Jenny was flying as fast as she could, blinded by tears. She did not care where she was going. She only had to get away – get away from the pain and away from the guilt. The girl first started to slow down, when she started to tire. In the distance, she could see the familiar shape of a few mountains and knew immediately, where she had been led by her subconscious.

Touching down in front of the house that had once been the home to her real parents and her older brother, she took in the sight around her. Everything seemed so peaceful, as if nothing had ever happened. And yet, the house looked so different from the last time she had been here, in the dream that Gohan had created. It now looked again abandoned and the smell of decay reached her nose. The path to the backyard was overgrown with weeds and grass, and, when she reached them, she saw the green mold on the two tombstones.

_If I had not been here, they would have been alive, too._

"I'm sorry!" she suddenly cried, as sobs overwhelmed her body and she dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach and began rocking back and forth. "I'm sorry. It's my fault… All my fault…" The flow of tears only increased as she whispered, "All my fault… I'm not supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to be present at the battle. It's my fault that so many have died, all my fault." For a moment, she only stared at the two gravestones in front of her, her mind wandering back to the dream and what she had seen there. The sobs slowly faded, as she only knelt there, replaying everything in her mind and finally mumbled, "I'm not supposed to be alive."

"This is where you are wrong."

Jenny's head jerked up and around, as she heard the voice. She quickly wiped the tears away and blinked a few times, before her vision was clear again. "I know you," she said, when she saw the small and obviously dead man with the halo above his head standing to her right. "You're the Kaioushin." Getting up, Jenny turned around to face him properly and crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want?"

"I've been watching you, ever since you were born, but especially after Vegeta had crawled out of the rubble of rocks clutching you in his arms." The Kaioushin watched the momentary look of surprise that passed over her face, but held up his hand before she could say something. "Please, let me continue. I also saw your dream and know what you've been thinking then. But my hopes were strong that you were going to deal with it, so I didn't do anything. You were starting to deal, up until today, as the King announced what you've been fearing all along. I decided then that it would be better to tell you…"

"Tell me what?" Her voice sounded indifferent and tired. Jenny knew she should feel angry that he had been watching her for so long, but she could not. As a matter of fact, there were so many feelings raging in her, that she was not even sure anymore what she was feeling.

The Kaioushin sighed. The girl was filled with so many different emotions that it was hard to decipher what exactly was going on inside of her. He caught glimpses of anger, mourning, guilt and fear. But then, the most prominent of all feelings was surrender and this upset him more than anything else. The girl was about to give up. He hesitated. What he was going to tell her now could give her a push into the right direction, give her a new will to go on, but it might also have the opposite effect. The girl had just lost almost her whole family and found out about something that he was about to confirm, so would it be the right thing to do to put this additional weight on her shoulders? As much as the Kaioushin hated to admit this – he had no other choice. "About the prophecy…"

"I don't understand." Jenny shook her head. She did not know if she could not or did not want to understand. The only thing she was sure of was that she just wanted to lie down and sleep.

"We should both sit down, it's probably going to take a bit longer." The Kaioushin watched, how the girl nearly slumped to the ground and then sat down himself. "Millennias ago, a prophecy was written down in a book reserved only for prophecies. This book was handed down through the generations of the Kaioushins, until I received it. The tricky thing is that most of the prophecies are written in ancient languages, which makes it almost impossible to decipher them. It might take years, maybe even decades until one prophecy is completely translated. One of those prophecies is about you."

"Me?" Jenny asked feebly.

"You. It roughly says the following, though I must admit that not the whole prophecy is translated yet. A girl, daughter and sister of the two most powerful warriors in the universe, conceived the night before the father gives up his own life to protect the ones he loves and the brother defeats a terrible evil. Along with her, a boy should be conceived, but the twins were not meant to grow up together. Within a tenday after the children were conceived, the daughter should be taken from her mother's womb and sent to another dimension, where she was to be born to another family, grow up and, when the time has come, fight a great enemy that threatens that world. This girl is you, Jenny."

He looked at her, and noticed with some satisfaction that she was looking at him, showing just the tiniest bit of interest in what he was telling her. He saw the questions in her eyes, but since it did not seem as if she would ask what was on her mind, he just continued.

"However, to transfer someone, someone who isn't even really _alive_ yet, from one dimension to another requires strong and ancient magic. Another thing that needed to be considered was your heritage. You see, you shouldn't just be transferred to another womb, you would have merged with an already existing baby. But a normal human fetus would not have survived the merger with a being more powerful than it is. The earliest age of an unborn baby would have been six months to survive this, as was the girl that was chosen for you to merge with."

"But then, if everything was already planned, what happened?" Jenny finally asked. "Why am I here and not in this other dimension?"

The Kaioushin closed his eyes and only said, "Babidi. One week after Cell had been defeated, I wanted to perform the ritual. Everything had been prepared and I had already started the incantation as Babidi and Darbura suddenly appeared. They disrupted the ritual and killed Kibito and me. However, a connection between you and the other girl had already been established, the merger had started, and I think this is the reason why you discovered your powers later than your brother, but the ritual had remained unfinished and could not be repeated."

"You, you're saying that a part of me is already there, in this girl?" she wanted to know. Normally she would think that someone was playing a joke on her, but she believed that the Kaioushin had more dignity than to make fun of her. Besides, in her whole life she had seen and heard of so many things that made this whole story actually believable. Only the fact that it should be her that the prophecy was about bothered her. Fighting a battle all on her own in the other dimension? She did not know how she could have done that. How could she have found out about her Saiyajinside if no one ever told her? Who would have trained her, shown her everything she needed to know?

"Yes, I think so. She will be nowhere near the strength of a Saiyajin, but she also won't be a normal human girl anymore. I think she will develop some abilities like enhanced strength, speed and agility, a bit stronger than Videl, I suppose, but other than that…" He hesitated. One of his abilities was to read minds, so he had heard her thoughts. He himself had been pondering those questions ever since the first part of the prophecy had been translated. And he had only come to one conclusion. "I would have found a way to send some warriors, most likely your family, to the other dimension, so that they could help you prepare. I don't know yet, how, or when this would have happened, but I hope in time. Unfortunately, the date, when the battle will take place, is one of those parts that aren't translated yet. Jenny, if you want to blame someone, blame me. Your mother would have survived the birth, if I had finished the ritual. If I had finished it, everything could have been different, as you have seen in your dream. But it's not your fault, Jenny. You're an innocent, a victim in all of this."

"But… But if I had not listened to my dream…"

"Buu still would not be dead. You know that. Your dreams are a gift, Jenny, they're one of your strongest weapons. Why do you think you dreamt of Vegeta killing himself?"

"At first I thought so that I can save him, but…" Suddenly a thought seemed to occur to her, as something made sense. "Vegeta would not have killed Buu. He would have died and then Buu would have killed the rest of us. But I saved him, so he survived…"

"And you did… Leaving the two of you as protectors for this planet and giving you a chance to fulfill your prophecy. You see, your dreams don't mean to hurt and torture you, they mean to show you what you can change to make life better. A couple of days ago, they have shown you what probably would have happened, if you had not been here, but they've also shown you that you did the right thing by saving Vegeta, since his death would not have had the desired effect. Use this gift wisely, I'm sure it will help you on your way to your destiny."

"My destiny…" she said thoughtfully. "But I thought I'm stuck here now that the ritual wasn't finished."

"Jenny, upon my life I swear that I will find a way for you to go to the other dimension. I will not leave them to fight a battle that they can't win, not without you. I hope you understand that."

"Ironic of you to say that, I mean, since you're obviously dead…" Jenny said, with the hint of a smirk on her face, as she looked up at the god. "But I understand what you're saying. If that, what you told me about the prophecy, is true, I think I don't have another choice. Any suggestions, what I should do now?"

The Kaioushin looked at the girl with pride in his eyes. Something had awoken within her – his words seemed to have convinced her that the death of all those people wasn't her fault, but his. And it seemed as if the knowledge of the prophecy had given her a new purpose in life. He could see it on her face, feel it with every wave of emotion that was radiating off her. "I think for now, the only thing you could do is train and prepare for the fight. But I must impress on you the importance that you don't tell anyone about the prophecy and our meeting, yet. I've already expanded too many rules for your family and friends. No one knows that I'm here. I will talk to your parents when I think it's time for them to know, but for now I'd like to keep quiet about this."

"I won't tell anyone," she told him sincerely and with new confidence. Somehow, everything the Kaioushin had said made sense. The feeling of guilt lessened, though still a small part of her believed that it was partly her fault that the situation with Buu had escalated. If the Kaioushin blamed himself for her existence in this dimension, she could blame herself for her actions. But now, after having _helped_ almost destroying one world and killing countless people, she would train hard to save another one and to make this one better.

"I'm glad to hear this." The Kaioushin smiled at her and got up again. "I have to leave now. But I leave you with the promise that we will meet again."

Jenny followed his example and scrambled to her feet, bowing her head lightly to honor the god. "Thank you, Kaioushin, for being honest with me. For telling me about the prophecy. I now know what I have to do."

The girl and the god locked eyes for a second, before the Kaioushin stepped back and vanished into thin air.


	32. Part III: The diary

**A/N: I have to admit, I have thought really long and hard if I should post this chapter now or wait a while, because of the current situation in South Asia. Suddenly a small part of what I've written in this story has come true – thousands of people have died and many still will die. It's absolutely horrible and I don't know any words to express what I'm feeling about this… All around the world people have started to help them, but the memory of this tragedy will always remain fresh in the victim's and in our minds. **

**However, no matter how harsh this may sound, life goes on and in the end I decided that I will post this chapter, if only to give a small refuge from this catastrophe.**

**But I ask you, when you read this and victims of Buu's short reign of terror are mentioned, to think of those poor souls in Asia, who've lost their homes, families and friends…**

**Thank you.**

* * *

**Chapter 31: The diary**

Jenny didn't know how long she still sat there, in front of her parents' grave. She only knew that it had been hours that she had spent thinking about everything the Kaioushin had told her. Somewhere out there a prophecy existed, a prophecy about her. And it said that she had to fight a battle in a different dimension to protect that world there from an evil they were not able to defeat by themselves. She wondered what kind of world it was, if it was similar to the one she was now living in or completely different. How would she have grown up, if the Kaioushin had succeeded with his ritual? Would she have had nice parents? A nice home? Good friends? What about siblings? Any brothers or maybe even sisters? And most importantly, how would she have turned out?

She had so many questions, questions that would most likely never be answered, because only if the Kaioushin found a way to send her to this dimension, so that she could fulfill her _destiny_, Jenny would learn those things. The god had also told her that a small part of the ritual had already been finished, when he had been so gruesomely interrupted. She guessed that this, that she had already started to fuse with this other girl, had affected her appearance. Her family had always found it strange that she had blond hair and blue eyes, colors no other member of her family possessed. Was this how the other girl looked like, the girl that should have been her? Jenny asked herself, what other traits she had gotten from that girl and, the other way around, what this other girl had gotten from her personality. She already knew about the enhanced strength, speed and agility that would make this girl different, just like she had been different during the first four years of her life, when they had not yet discovered the Saiyajin in her.

Jenny shook her head. All those questions and theories were giving her a headache. This just had to be her lucky day, she mused sarcastically, as she lay flat down on her back and stared into the blue sky. To get two bombshells dropped on her within an hour.

She closed her eyes, trying to get rid of all those thoughts and hoping that all this information she had received that day would be filed away, sorted by importance, in her brain by the time she once again allowed any thoughts to enter her mind.

Jenny just started to relax, when she suddenly jerked up again, startled by some rustling in the trees near the house, but the only thing she saw were some birds flying away. Shrugging, she lay back down and closed her eyes once again, slowly drifting off to sleep. However, her dreams were troubled, filled with scenes that she did not recognize. A girl that looked exactly like her living in a house and hugging people that she didn't know - the same girl, only older, going to a school Jenny had never seen before – images of strangers and unknown places – a girl in her late teens with black hair and dark eyes facing another girl about the same age, only that this one had blond hair and blue eyes – a shadow with the built of a man, emanating incredible strength – a bright flash…

Her eyes fluttered open, focusing on the night sky. At first she did not remember, where she was and it took a few minutes for everything to come back to her. Her heart was beating fast and Jenny was taking deep breath, trying to calm down. Whatever she had been dreaming, it obviously must have been intense.

But unfortunately, she did not remember a thing.

Groaning slightly, she got up again, wiping some stray strands of hair out of her face. Jenny performed a few stretching exercises to sooth the aching bones from having slept a few hours on the hard ground, before she turned back to her parents' grave. She smiled, though the smile did not reach her eyes fully. "I know the Kaioushin said that it wasn't my fault," she whispered, only slightly disturbing the quiet of the night. "But I'm still sorry. I promise I'm gonna train hard and make you proud by saving another world." Jenny took a few steps back and started to levitate a few feet above the ground. "I'll be back…" Even though she knew that they could not see it, she waved and eventually shot into the sky, leaving only a white trail of ki behind.

A few minutes after she was gone, another figure stepped out of the shadows, stopping in front of the grave of Son Goku. This was completely new territory for him. He wasn't used to talking to the dead, since he was pretty sure that they could not hear a word he was going to say. After all, the Kaioushin had said it already a few hours ago – already too many rules of the afterlife had been broken by bringing everyone who had taken part in the fight against Buu or was somehow friends to Goku and his family to the Dai Kaiou's planet, so he was sure that none of them still had the privilege to watch what was going on down on earth. However, there was something he needed to say and he did not care if someone was hearing it or not. He had to make a promise and it would only matter, when he was saying it out loud, pretending that someone was listening.

"Listen, Kakarotto," he began gruffly, his body tense and his head held high, not wanting to show any weaknesses. "It was your decision to get possessed, so I won't apologize, not that you would ever hear me say those words, but I'm here to promise… to promise to look after your daughter. I know that this had started it all, but she needs someone and it was her decision that this someone is going to be me. So don't blame me for this. I will do my best to guide her through this world, though my methods might differ a bit from what yours would have been, and to help her prepare for that big battle of hers and for life itself. The woman's mother will teach her what it means to be human and I will teach her what it means to be a Saiyajin and together we will bring forth the strongest person and warrior you have ever seen. The girl has great potential and I'm not only talking about fighting – no, I'm also talking about her emotions."

Vegeta snorted.

"Yes, Kakarotto, though I'm not a big fan of this, the woman and the brats, especially the girl, made me realize that emotions can and will make you stronger. After all, the key to becoming a Super Saiyajin is anger. And she's so full of emotions that sometimes she doesn't know herself what she's feeling. Just ask her brothers or my family – they know what I'm talking about. Her only problem is that she openly shows all of her feelings and that is making her vulnerable. We need to work on controlling that, so that she will be able use her feelings to her advantage. Only then will she be able to reach her full potential, as human and as Saiyajin. But whatever happens, you _will_ be proud of her."

He paused for moment. Around him everything was quiet, except for the occasional sound of nature. His short black hair moved in the slight breeze and he closed his eyes, savoring the fresh night air. He knew he should get back soon – the girl already had a huge head start and he had to fly slowly and keep his ki in check. It would not do any good, if she knew that he had followed her after she had fled from the living room, and had heard everything the Kaioushin had told her. He had said what he had wanted to say, but still there was one thing he needed to say one more time, more to convince himself than anyone else.

"I will look after her, I promise…"

* * *

As Jenny arrived back at Capsule Corporation, everything was already dark. No sound was to be heard, not even from the many tents on the compound. She honestly had no idea how late it already was, but it must be after midnight. Not wanting to wake anyone in the house, she flew around the house to the window of her room. Fortunately it was still standing slightly ajar from when she had opened it this morning, so she could slip in unnoticed – almost. Right next to the window, Mrs. Briefs was sitting in a chair, asleep, but she started to stir, when Jenny closed the window behind her.

"Jenny, dear, is it you?" she asked sleepily, as she looked around the dark room.

The girl lit a small ki-ball in her right hand, which illuminated about half of the room. "Yeah, grandma, it's me. But you didn't have to wait for me…"

"Of course I had to," the older woman insisted, as she got up from the chair. "I've been worried. Are you alright?"

"I am, I think," she shrugged. "I'm sorry that I freaked like this…"

Mrs. Briefs walked up to her, knelt down and hugged her tightly. "You don't have to be sorry. I think everyone was shocked by this news and some needed some time for themselves, just like you," she spoke softly and removed a green leaf out of Jenny's hair. "But you should go to bed now. It's late."

"That's a good idea… Much to do tomorrow…" Jenny switched on the lamp on her nightstand and let the ki-ball vanish, so that she could get changed. Mrs. Briefs was already halfway out of the room and Jenny had just put on one of Gohan's overly large T-shirts as nightshirt, as the girl turned to her. "Grandma? I know you probably won't like it, but I really would like to start training again tomorrow. My scar is healed and I believe I'm already strong enough again to train. I promise I'm gonna start slowly and not exhaust myself too much, but my fingers are all itchy and my whole body is buzzing with energy…" she babbled, not even taking one breath, until she desperately started to need air and inhaled deeply. "Please?"

"Jenny, I don't…" Mrs. Briefs sighed, when she saw the puppy dog eyes on her grandchild's face. She knew it had already been much to ask for to rest for almost three weeks – this girl was a Saiyajin after all, and even before she had transformed the first time, she had already been overly energetic. She gave her a soft smile. "Alright Jenny, from tomorrow on, I will allow you again to train."

Grinning widely, Jenny jumped over her bed into her grandmother's arms. "You're the best, grandma! Thanks!"

* * *

When Vegeta got up the next morning, actually a bit later than usually, since the sun was already standing a bit higher at the horizon and not still hiding behind the horizon as it did at the crack of dawn, and wanted to go to the gravity room to get some early training done, he was surprised that it was already running. He entered the code that would switch off the gravity and open the door, and went inside, stopping at once, as the door closed again behind him. In the middle of the gravity room Jenny was doing pushups on her index finger. She was in her Saiyajinform, her black hair tied back into a ponytail, her eyes full of concentration and drops of sweat were running down her face.

"Brat, what are you doing there?" he demanded to know.

"Training," she answered through gritted teeth and then mumbled under her breath the numbers 997, 998, 999 and 1000 as she continued. Taking a few deep breaths, she got up again, went over to the control panel and grabbed her towel, wiping away the sweat in her face. "What else does this look like?"

"Does your grandmother know that you're here?"

"If you're asking, if she knows that I've taken up training again, then… yeah, she does know that I'm here…" Jenny put the towel around her shoulders and started to stretch her arms and her back. "Was about time, after all… I think I've gotten a bit out of shape." She smirked at him, finally wanting to do what she had been waiting for ever since she had been confined to bed. No matter how easily she had still tired then, she had been itching for a fight the whole time. "Care to test that theory?"

Vegeta only returned that smirk, walked past her to the control panel and raised the gravity to 50G. "We'll start slowly. You haven't been training at all for nearly three weeks and it might still be that you're still not fully recovered. While you were doing your last pushups, I could feel a flicker in your ki, something that wasn't supposed to be there. Trust me, when I tell you that I'm not in the mood for the wrath of your grandmother, if she finds out that you overexerted yourself too much. So, no turning Super Saiyajin today and only light sparring. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Jenny nodded eagerly and mimicked Vegeta, as he got into a fighting stance.

* * *

_January 23, 776_

_Dear Diary,_

No, scratch that.

_My dear Diary,_

Scratch again.

_This is stupid. How am I supposed to pour my feelings into a thing – a book? A book can't give me advices, it can't answer, so I can actually just ask rhetorical questions, right? Grandma said that this thing, sorry, that YOU might be useful if there was something I needed to say but don't want to tell anyone. Actually that's what I wanted to do, but I doubt that it will help. I mean, how could it help? And again I'm about to list the things that a book can't do. But, maybe grandma IS right and maybe I WILL feel better, when I'm finished… Well, just one way to find out…_

_However, before I start to 'pour my feelings' into this book, I think I should recap some thing, just in case someone finds it, when I'm dead someday and there actually is more than one entry in this diary… Only how to start?_

_How about Buu? I'm sure, even though it might be seventy or more years until someone reads this, Buu will still be a name that people hear and wince at the same time. So I shouldn't need to explain who he is or better, give them a short version – fat pink demon that killed about two third of earth's population – this should be enough. So, and if they ask who I am, well, my name is Jenny and I'm not your average seven (almost eight) years old girl._

_I guess I should now explain some other things… You see, it was in May 765, May 7 to be precise, when Buu's appearance changed the world completely. My biological father, Son Goku, who was dead then by the way (don't ask), defeated him, but the supposed world champion Hercule Satan once again took all the credit! Stupid moron actually. Trunks sent him out of the ring, holding back – much if I may add. _

_Sorry, not what I actually wanted to tell you. Now, after Buu there has been the census and two weeks later the shocking revelation that so many people have lost their lives… But on this day, when I have been hiding from the world at my biological parents' old house in the mountains, the Kaioushin – yeah, you heard right! – visited me. Why? Well, he had the 'great' news that a prophecy about me existed, but that's not what I want to talk about either. I've already spent too many thoughts on this and have always come to the same conclusion – that I have to train hard. You see the prophecy says that I'm going to fight some big bad someday. My destiny – just great!_

_The next day I was finally allowed to train again after I've been injured during the fight against Buu, not that I've taken a big part in the fight. I only saved Vegeta's life. Yeah, right, who's Vegeta, you're probably asking. He's kind of… my step-dad, not that I would ever call him this or 'Dad' for that matter. It's only that his wife Bulma adopted me and my two brothers Gohan and Goten when our biological parents died. But now Bulma, Gohan and Goten are dead, killed by Buu, and only Vegeta, my grandmother, that means Bulma's mother, and I are alive._

_And again I'm completely avoiding the point… I started training again, preparing for this big bad, with Vegeta's help. Right now, he's the strongest and most powerful person on earth, who could probably easily destroy this planet with a flick of his wrist. He's a Saiyajin, you know, and I'm half, since my biological father was also one – still is actually, in the afterlife. However, he not only helped me train my body, no, I also had to do a lot of meditating to learn how to control my feelings – Vegeta said that if I learned how to use them wisely, I'm gonna become stronger, otherwise they were gonna make me weak; only that he told me this in his usual 'straight to the point and I don't care if I hurt her feelings'-way. And I think I'm getting really good at that – controlling, I mean… I remember very well my outburst, when I went to save Vegeta from Buu or when Vegeta wanted to leave earth and I destroyed the only spaceship. Nothing like this has happened since then. I've been spending each night for the last eight months in my own bed, even after nightmares. Before I liked to crawl into other beds, when I was scared or feeling alone, as hard as it is to admit. But this is all better now. _

_However, I may also not forget my dear grandma – she also spent as much time with me as possible, just talking, playing games or going out together. I somehow begin to suspect that she and Vegeta talked about my further upbringing and decided to share the responsibilities. _

_So, we were training daily and I was helping my grandma and other volunteers out with supplying the people that have lost their homes and were now living on our compound and spent other quality time with her. Oh, and I may not forget that I never stopped studying! A rather annoying, but I have to admit also useful habit I got from Gohan. _

_However, with so many things to do the days passed quickly and weeks started to blend into months. It was the same every day – training, helping, spending time with grandma and studying, but I didn't want to have it any other way, since this kept my mind from other not so nice thoughts. Of course, no day passed without thinking about the prophecy or my family. Each Sunday I went to my parents' graves and brought flowers for them, Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Bulma and everyone else we've lost during the attacks. _

_Soon, summer was over before it had even started and, to sound somewhat poetical, the trees rid themselves of their leafs. Okay, maybe not so poetic… It started to become colder and soldiers started to provide the homeless people at Capsule Corporation (that's were I live, honestly!) with heaters and heavy blankets. When I looked out of the window at the end of November and suddenly saw that the ground was covered with snow, I've been surprised. It couldn't be winter already, now could it? _

_I'm sure you think now that Christmas was hard for us, but there was a date before that – December 15, Trunks' ninth birthday. I haven't seen Vegeta at all at this day and I can tell you, when he wants no one to find him, no one WILL find him, no matter how good you are at feeling kis. Grandma had also been extremely subdued the whole day and I also haven't been that cheerful either. I admit, Trunks and I never got along that well, but over the last few weeks and especially during the last night before everything had changed I think we've actually started to become closer. _

_Of course, there have been other birthdays, like Krillin's and Dende's, but none has hit me as hard as Trunks'. I spent the day wondering what he and Goten were up to in the afterlife. If they were celebrating or having a nice day. Even if they had presents in the afterlife. However, at night when the clouds finally parted and I left the gravity room after training on my own, I sat down in the snow and spent a few moments outside, looking at the stars. I have no idea, where the afterlife was or how to reach it without dying, but I hoped then that I would find it by looking into the sky. I didn't, but that didn't keep me from wishing Trunks a happy birthday then and there._

_Vegeta came back the day after, acting as if he had never been gone and immediately ordered me into the gravity room. Christmas came and went without much of a fuss. Some soldiers erected a Christmas tree in our backyard and gave out small gifts for the children. Grandma and I spent the days mostly together, while Vegeta was locked away in the GR – he had never been one for holidays. It was on Christmas Day that I found a small package in the living room, set up with some fir green. It was a gift from grandma, this diary to be precise. I think her exact words were "If you need someone to listen but have no one to talk to". But I haven't used it, until now. At New Year's Eve there was no firework and everyone hoped that the following year would become better than the last one. Even after the attacks people have died, of their injuries, illnesses or just broken hearts – just like the King had predicted – and only the hope that it had to become better kept the people going._

_And now I'm sitting here, slowly getting to the point of this whole thing. It's about tomorrow - January 24._

_I'm scared..._

_Completely and utterly scared of tomorrow! _

_Why? Because it's my birthday and this also means Goten's. And he won't be there. This is the first birthday that I'm going to have to spend apart of him – this has never happened before! We're twins, he's a huge part of me and I'm scared of spending our birthday without him. This isn't right! We shouldn't be separated, especially not tomorrow! I'm scared, because I don't know what to do! I've been dreading this day ever since I found out he was dead. It just hurts to know that he won't be with me tomorrow. Just like my big bro Gohan won't be there… I just miss them so much! I don't want to spend tomorrow without them! It hurts so much!_

_I don't want to be alone!_

_I want Goten!_

_And I want Gohan!_

_I want my family back!_

_I just don't want to be alone…_

Jenny hastily wiped her eyes with the long sleeve of her red sweater, as tears started to run down her cheeks and drip on the last page she had written. She watched numbly, how the ink of her pen was slightly smudged by the salty liquid and how those spots started to crimp. Sniffing, she ran with her right hand over the page, wanting to smooth it out, but only succeeded in smudging the ink even more. Her hand was now also covered with blue ink and she grabbed a Kleenex from her nightstand, cleaning it, however, a couple of light blue spots remained.

As she looked again at the page, she noticed that, fortunately, her entry was still readable. Especially those last few sentences. At first Jenny did not know, if she felt better now, after having gotten this off her chest, but when she started to leaf through the few pages and reread what she had written, she had to admit that, yes, her grandmother had been right. She could have never told this anyone else, especially not without getting pitied or being regarded as selfish. Other people had also lost their families after all, so she should not be so upset about not spending her birthday with her twin and older brother. At least she should not say this out loud.

But still, she missed them and ever since Vegeta had almost taken the spaceship, she feared that the people she still considered family would abandon her. She had never been lonely before and only the thought of everyone leaving her scared her greatly.

Sighing, she closed the diary, locked the clasp and put it into the drawer of her nightstand. Maybe she should think about a better hiding place for this, now that she had started to write into it. Jenny still wasn't sure, if she was going to continue putting her thoughts into this book, but better be safe than sorry. No one needed to read this – those were her thoughts, her thoughts that she did not want to share.

After having closed the drawer again, Jenny yawned widely and stretched her arms. Her eyes wandered around the room and suddenly rested on the clock at the wall. It was three minutes past midnight.

She smiled sadly. "Happy birthday, Goten…"

* * *

"Come on, Gohan! What is it? What are you planning?" Goten whined, as Gohan, his hands resting on his brother's shoulders, was leading the blindfolded boy out of the house they were living in along with their parents, his grandfather and Videl on the Dai Kaiou's planet.

It was the same house his father had already lived in with his mother before Buu, only now larger with an extension added for their sons, Gyuu Mao and Videl. Everyone else also had small houses near them, only Dende still lived in the palace, as he had been the guardian of Earth, and Piccolo was usually around, even though no one knew exactly where he was living.

During the last few months this planet had become a home for all of them, despite the fact that some of them still had a hard time to deal with the fact that they missed the people on Earth that were still alive. This had only gotten worse, when the Kaioushin had told them shortly after their arrival in the afterlife that they would not be allowed to talk to their loved ones or even watch them. The high god, however, had promised them that he would try to inform them, if something important happened on Earth. But until now he had had no news for them.

"You'll see, squirt," Gohan told him grinning. They were now in the front yard and everyone else was already gathered around something. The teenager nodded at them, the signal for them to step aside, as he pulled the blindfold off. "Happy birthday, Goten!" everyone, except for Piccolo, who had been forced to attend this event by Gohan, yelled at the same time.

Goten's eyes went wide and a huge grin spread all over his face, when he saw the yellow fluffy cloud that was floating in midair in front of the others. "Kintoun!" he exclaimed, as he jumped at the cloud and hugged it tightly. "How?"

His brother winked at him. "Well, dad only needed to pull some strings in the afterlife to get you one. I know how much you always liked mine. It's from all of us…"

"Really? Thanks! Thanks a lot!" The boy mounted the cloud and looked at his best friend. "Come on, Trunks! Let's take a ride!"

"No, no, you better go alone. It's your present after all," Trunks told him, not wanting to admit that the one time he had secretly tried to fly with Gohan's cloud, he had dropped just right through it.

"Your loss! Come on, Kintoun!" With a whooshing sound, the yellow cloud took off into the sky and the birthday guests were only able to hear the delighted cries of the boy.

Gohan watched with a smile on his face how his little brother flew loops and circles around them, but that smile did not reach his eyes. He was thinking about the other birthday child – Jenny. A few weeks ago, Goten had asked, if they were allowed to congratulate her and he had been quite subdued since then, when Gohan had to tell him that they weren't. So the teenager had been thinking hard about what he could do to make his brother happy, until he remembered Goten's fondness for his Kintoun. But not only Goten had been a lot quieter than usual – Gohan had also spent a lot of his time brooding and thinking of his sister. Next to Vegeta and Mrs. Briefs she had no family left on earth and those two were not even her real family – at least not by blood.

She must be feeling lonely, he mused, as he continued to watch his brother. He wondered, how she would spend this day. He was quite sure that Mrs. Briefs would prepare something, a cake or some sweets or something like that, but he was also sure that the people on Earth were not in the mood to celebrate after having lost so many friends, family members and even people they had never known. The Dai Kaiou had told them the terrible news of the number of the victims two days after their visits in their loved ones' dreams.

Suddenly, the fluffy cloud stopped right in front of him and he looked into the face of a smiling Goten. "Cheer up, bro!" the boy told him. "I'm sure she's alright! At least she's gonna be! Dad told me a couple of months ago that he had the feeling that she wouldn't be alone!"

"You're right," Gohan conceded and also started to grin. Even though he could not be there for Jenny, he still could be there for Goten and he would do anything to make him have fun today. "Do you mind if I take a ride with you?"

"'course not!" Goten made place for his brother behind him and Gohan jumped up, sitting down Indian style. "And now please fasten your seatbelts! We're taking off!"

When Gohan felt the wind hitting his face, his grin got wider, but before he could start to fully enjoy the ride, he had to do one more thing. _Happy birthday, Jenny…

* * *

_

When Jenny woke up the next morning, she had to blink a few times. The sun was shining into her room and birds were singing outside. She groaned – she had forgotten to close the blinds before she had gone to bed the night before. Grumbling slightly under her breath, she got up, not once thinking about what day it was, and went downstairs to the kitchen to have breakfast. She could already hear her grandmother hum to a song in the radio, but all of this suddenly ceased to exist, when she saw the chocolate cake with the eight burning candles on the kitchen table.

"Happy birthday, dear!" her grandmother greeted her and engulfed her into a hug.

"What's this all about, grandma?" she asked confused.

"It's your birthday and that means you just have to have a cake. Your favorite!"

"And Goten's," Jenny mumbled sadly, as she once again glanced at the cake.

Mrs. Briefs sighed. "I know, Jenny, and I miss him, too. We all wish that he and the others could be here with us. I've been thinking a lot on Trunks' birthday and I learned something – even though he couldn't be here, he knew that we love him and wish him well. And even though I'm also sure that they miss us, they would have still celebrated and that's what Goten's probably doing right now. I think we should do the same and there's also a present." She went to the other side of the table and showed Jenny a long thin wrapped gift. "That's for you."

Curiously Jenny walked up to her grandmother and picked up the present. "What's this?"

"Open it."

Slowly unwrapping her gift, Jenny eventually held a longer reddish brown staff in her hands. "That's…"

"Gohan's Nyobo, I know. I haven't been able to find something that belonged to Goten, but I stumbled over this staff when I was cleaning the gravity room one day. Gohan must have left it there after a training session."

"Gohan once told me that it belonged to my father…" the girl mumbled, as she carefully swung the staff back and forth. It already felt as if it was made for her and she could not wait to try it out in training. She remembered that this staff had some cool extras like being almost indestructible and having the ability to expand, when she willed it to do this.

"It did. And he gave it to Gohan, when he was still a boy and now it's yours…" the woman told her.

Jenny looked up from the staff and saw that her grandmother had tears in her eyes, but also an honest smile on her face. Putting the Nyobo on the table, she went up to her grandmother and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, grandma! You truly are the best!"


	33. Part III: April Fool's Day

**A/N: Hey again duckstoavoidflyingvegetable I know, it's been a long, long time and I don't want to make any excuses, it's only that real life's a bitch. Tests are written, but there's still daily work and the fact that I need to prepare for my oral examination in June. Actually, I should do this at work, but when I don't have enough time, I need to do something at home. And I'm really, _really_ trying to write, but after work I'm simply exhausted. I sit in front of an empty Word-sheet and wait for my muse to come to me, but it doesn't come. Then I write and delete again and write again. But at last, I think that I'm satisfied with this chapter (I honestly needed two weeks to write this and then, last night, I started at 8pm and was finished at 0:30am, as the words just seemed to come to me), so here it is and I hope that the length of this chapter (roughly 6.500 words) and the fact that (Nah, I won't tell ya).. will make up for the long wait.**

**Oh, Vindali, something that might interest you.**** Right now, when my muse won't cooperate but I still want to write, I'm working on a rewrite of the original TLW, meaning just making it better and longer, getting rid of mistakes, adding more thoughts and so on. And one small part I've already uploaded – which was actually the trigger for the whole rewrite idea, because suddenly I didn't think this story was good enough anymore, since my writing style has become (a lot I dare say) better over the years. Just take a look at chapter 17: "Plans and Discussions" and some of your questions might be answered.**

**And now****, have fun!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 32: April Fool's Day**

_If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.  
--Katherine Hepburn_

All was silent, as the almost full moon slowly crept across the dark sky, throwing its pale light through the high windows into the halls of the palace of the Dai Kaiou. Every living person on this side of the planet was asleep, or at least ought to be asleep, since two shadows were stealthily sneaking around the palace in the darkness. They were on a mission and if someone caught them, all would be lost.

"Ouch!" a voice whined, just followed by another hissing voice.

"Shh!"

"But I hit my toes…"

"Shut up, Goten!"

Again silence. The shadows hesitated at first, listening for anything or anyone that might have heard them, but when everything remained quiet, they moved on, around a corner and another hallway along, until they stopped in front of a large wooden double door. The slightly larger shadow of the two just wanted to open it, as the other one asked,

"Do you really think we should do this?"

"Yes, we should." Again raising his hand to the doorknob, the shadow groaned, as the first spoke again,

"But we're gonna get into trouble for this. I'm sure…"

"Look, Goten," he sighed. "We talked about this. We agreed to do this, when we visited Jenny. I even think we got the better part or would you want to do, what Jenny said she would do?"

Shuddering, Goten nodded. What his friend said was true. Jenny might definitely get into more trouble and they had promised each other that they would pull this through, no matter what. The infamous Trio from Hell wanted to strike one last time. "You're right, Trunks. Let's do this. For my sis."

"For Jenny," Trunks agreed and finally opened the door.

* * *

The following morning, as the Dai Kaiou left his chambers, a guard walking past the doors had a hard time to suppress a snicker, when his eyes fell upon the high god, who seemed to be in an exceptional good mood at this early hour. He obviously hadn't seen yet, what had caught the eye of the guard. But then again, maybe he had, one couldn't be so sure with the Dai Kaiou.

However, the first assumption of the guard had been right. The Dai Kaiou had no idea, why people in the palace were looking at him so strangely. But this didn't bother him at all, since he knew that the other inhabitants of this planet and also many others usually thought him to be a bit weird. With all the bad things happening in the universe, he liked to keep his mood and the mood of those around him light. It always made work easier in harder times. So, all he did was chuckle, when he eventually passed a mirror on his way to breakfast and saw the reason of their behavior – his hair and beard, which were dyed in rainbow-colors. And, grinning brightly underneath his beard, he believed he already knew who the culprits were - and almost felt sorry for them.

But when he stepped into his office, he was greeted by a rather strange sight, which made his grin become even wider, if possible. All four Kaious were assembled, wearing rather sour and even a bit humiliated expressions on their faces. It obviously seemed that they had fallen victim to the same prankers as he already had, for Kaiosama's clothes were of a bright pink color, the Western and Southern Kaious seemed to have developed a liking for women's make-up and the Eastern Kaiou had suffered a similar fate as the Dai Kaiou – her hair had been dyed green.

"Isn't this a wonderful morning?" he greeted them, as he sat down, earning not one, but four incredulous stares.

"Dai Kaiou," Kaiousama began carefully. "Have you by any chance looked into a mirror this morning?"

His beard twitched lightly, trying desperately to not show his amusement. The whole last year, with the appearance of Buu, the deaths of so many people of Earth, a planet he had come to like, had been rather depressing, so he welcomed this chance for laughter and promised to himself that he would thank the two boys for this later. "Yes, I have, indeed, and I think this change of style is delighting. I've been wanting something different for a long time already, only didn't know what."

"But still," the Southern Kaiou snarled, "those brats should be punished for this. It's not only us. Several other fighters that are living on this planet have been victims of their mischief. And they are angry."

"Ah, I will talk to them, if you'd like, but if the boys were to be punished, it should be by their parents. It's not my right and neither is it yours," the Dai Kaiou told the other Kaious. "Besides, I don't think any of your punishments could be worse than the wrath of their mothers."

He had no idea, how right he was…

* * *

"Son Goten!"

The boy in question winced, as he flew away, leaving his cursing and yelling mother behind. He had _so_ known that they would get into trouble for their activities the previous night. Everything had gone according to Trunks' and his plan. They had pulled pranks on several of the people they had gotten to know on this planet, but only harmless ones, like dying hair, hiding clothes and things like that, and then gotten back home before anyone had noticed that they had been gone.

He wasn't even so sure that his parents would have found out about it, hadn't it been for the four Kaious standing in front of their door early in the morning, hell-bent on talking to his parents. The very moment her mother had laid her eyes on them, she had known and Goten had known that he would be in a lot of trouble, when she had turned to him, with a dangerous glint in her eyes and had used the opportunity of the door still standing open to flee.

Hoping that his mother had calmed down until tonight – his dad had found this whole thing incredibly hilarious, much to of his mom's dislike – Goten turned to fly to the spot, where he wanted to meet with Trunks this morning to finalize their plan of the last mission they needed to fulfill that day. First then they could call this year's April Fool's Day a success.

* * *

When Vegeta woke up that morning, he did this with a strange sense of foreboding. He didn't know why or how he knew, but he felt that something was going to happen today, something that he wasn't going to like. Better to keep his guard up, he mused, as he opened the closet and grabbed his training clothes, before going into his personal bathroom.

Closing the door behind him and locking it – better be safe than sorry today – he turned on the shower, letting it run warm, as he stripped off his boxers and eventually stepped under the spray of hot water. His muscles slowly started to relax, as the weird feeling began to fade little by little. Maybe it was also just his imagination. It had been almost one year since Buu, eleven months in a couple of days, and ever since then, things had been pretty peaceful, if you could call life in a post-apocalyptic world that. No new threat to the Earth that needed to be fought had appeared, so maybe this peacefulness was making him edgy, believing to see bad things, when there were none.

Sighing almost inaudible, Vegeta blindly grabbed for the shampoo bottle and, after having squeezed some of the creamy liquid into the palm of his hand, started to massage it in his hair, before he rinsed it out again. Leaning back and holding his face under the spray, he allowed himself a few more minutes to relax, before he would head into the gravity room to train, preferably with the brat.

The girl had truly kept surprising him – she had learned a lot faster than he had imagined she would. Somehow, he believed, the knowledge of the prophecy gave her the drive to push on to get better and better with each passing day. She was only eight years old and yet showed the will and determination of someone, who had been fighting a lot longer and harder, who had been forced to get better and better to simply live. She reminded him a bit of himself. Only that he was quite sure that, as long as nothing else happened to turn her life upside down, she would never become what he had turned into under Frieza's _care_ – a broken soul, a monster that killed and tortured without remorse. The woman was making sure that Jenny got all the love and emotional support she needed and that she remained stable, so he wasn't worried, much.

Vegeta turned off the shower and grabbed two towels, one to wrap around his waist and the other one to dry his hair. While rubbing the towel through his short but still wildly sticking up hair, he used his arm to clean the mirror of the steam and stopped dead in what he was doing, as he stared at his mirror image with a disbelieving expression on his face, which quickly turned into a deep scowl. Throwing one quick glance at the shampoo bottle and then turning his eyes back to the mirror, he yelled,

"Brat!"

* * *

Fortunately, Jenny was already past the kitchen at this moment, almost out of the front door, only calling a, "See ya grandma! I'm going into town!" before she was gone. Having just gotten out of her own room, freshly showered with her wet blond hair tied into a thick braid and dressed in a pair of light blue jeans, a simple red T-shirt and white sneakers, she had heard the shower in Vegeta's bedroom stop running and, knowing what would most likely happen within the next few seconds, bolted down the stairs and outside. As much as she would have loved to see the result of her part of the Trio's mission, she'd rather wait until Vegeta had calmed down before she faced him. Right now she was grateful that she had confided in her grandmother about what she and the boys had planned that one special night and she had agreed, with a rather mischievous smile, one she had never seen before on her grandmother's face, to cover for her – her grandmother had even given her enough money to last the day in town, while also giving her a list of groceries she needed.

So, now Jenny had a whole day at her disposal, which she could use to her liking. The only thing she had to do was to hide her ki, in case Vegeta decided to go looking of her, but otherwise she could do all she wanted to do, starting right now with a large breakfast.

* * *

"Where is she?" Vegeta growled, as he stormed into the kitchen, only wearing his pants, where he had felt the woman's ki. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the girl's ki, so he supposed that she was hiding somewhere. _Smart girl_, he only thought, as he was sure that she knew exactly how much trouble she had just gotten into by doing _this_ to him. But she couldn't hide forever and then she was at his mercy.

Mrs. Briefs had to suppress a giggle, as she took in Vegeta's appearance, trying hard to feign ignorance about his actual state. The Prince of all Saiyajins, which actually only left one hybrid girl as Kingdom, was only wearing his black training pants and his chest was still glistening with tiny water droplets from the shower. Not that this was funny, since, as Mrs. Briefs had always told her daughter, even before she and Vegeta had gotten together, this Saiyajin had the body of a god – if a bit on the short side, but this didn't matter. No, what caused her almost-giggle was the mop of fiery red hair on the Saiyajin's head. Of course had she already known that this would happen, but still, an amusing sight was an amusing sight.

"Where. Is. She?" Vegeta repeated, accentuating every single word, slowly beginning to lose what little patience he had left.

Still fighting to regain her composure, Mrs. Briefs plastered a complete serious expression on her face before answering, "I sent her into town this morning to buy some groceries for me. I don't know, when she'll be back."

Snorting in disbelief, but knowing that the woman would never betray her grandchild, he only slumped down in his chair and began to pile the scrambled eggs and bacon Mrs. Briefs had prepared for breakfast onto his plate. He tried to ignore the quick glances she was giving him, or rather his hair, and also the way her eyes twinkled in laughter.

* * *

Gohan sighed, as he was lying on his back, staring at the blue sky and watching the clouds fly by. He had been happy to flee from his parents', well, more specifically his mother's, company, claiming to have plans with Videl, which the momentarily stunned girl quickly confirmed. The tension at home had been almost unbearable, with his mother ranting about Goten and his latest mischief, of course blaming poor Trunks and his influence on his best friend for it, and his father trying to get her to calm down, hoping to convince her that their pranks hadn't been that bad and that it had hurt no one. Gohan himself had to agree with his father, most of all because he hadn't been a victim, but also because it was finally something most inhabitants of this planet were able to laugh about. Even Kaiousama had given in in the end and started to pose in his pink clothes – the only set he possessed (bought in a moment of insanity, he had claimed) and had been forced to wear, since all of his other clothes had miraculously disappeared over night. Gohan still wondered how Goten and Trunks had managed to do all of this in one night, but he supposed he would never find out.

However, after having told his mother about his made-up plans after lunch, he and Videl had had no other choice but to see through them, and after much contemplating in the secure space of his room, they had decided to go for a swim in the lake and spend the day there. And now, here he was, lying in the grass and waiting for his friend to arrive. Videl had told him to go ahead and that she would meet him there and Gohan wondered, just what was taking her so long.

It was almost fifteen minutes later, when Videl finally appeared, wearing a pair of black shorts and a T-shirt. She seemed to be slightly self-conscious, as she sat down next to him, giving him a small smile but not saying a word. Wondering, what was wrong, he finally asked, "Are you alright?"

She seemed startled, as she looked at him. "Wha-? Yeah, I'm alright." Stretching her arms and getting up again, she turned to him. "So, ready to go for that swim?"

Even though Gohan was still confused by her weird behavior, he nodded and also got up, turning his back to her, pulled his black T-shirt over his head and dropped it to the ground, before taking off his blue jeans. He was wearing his swimming trunks - black shorts Bulma and his mother had purchased some time ago, while they had been on a shopping spree in one of the planet's larger towns – underneath, believing it to be the most practical way to change his clothes without embarrassing himself in front of Videl. This embarrassing himself was something he'd rather like to avoid, since this had happened too often for his liking in the last few months.

"So, you're…" His breath got caught in his throat, making it impossible for Gohan to end his sentence, as he turned back to Videl and was only able to stare at the girl who was wearing a tiny black bikini. He just remembered to shut his mouth, struggling to find something – _anything_ – to say, before she noticed anything, but his brain refused to cooperate. However, at the same moment another body part reminded him of its existence and the only coherent thought in his mind was, _Oh please, don't let her notice!_

This was exactly one of the embarrassing moments he had desperately tried to avoid. Raging teenage hormones, especially the ones of a Saiyajin, was not something to be messed with and hard to control, as he had noticed over the course of the last ones, whenever he had found himself in a similar predicament, like when he found himself surrounded by the scent that was so uniquely her. Usually, he would try to disappear as quickly as possible, preferably under the spray of a cold – _very cold_ – shower, but this was impossible right now.

And Videl was already looking at him strangely. He needed to do something, now!

"Uhm, so, swim?" Slapping himself mentally, Gohan cursed every single god he knew for putting him through this.

"Yeah, let's." The teenage Saiyajin sighed in relief, as Videl took the lead and descended into the water, but first after having checked the temperature by holding her toe into the clear lake. She took a few strokes, before dipping her head under the water and emerging again a few feet further to the middle. "Come on, Gohan! The water's pleasantly warm."

The image of Videl in the water, her slim body moving to stay at the surface and wet strands of her hair falling into her face, gave Gohan some illusions of what exactly they could do in this lake that had nothing to do with swimming, which he quickly shook off. He really needed to learn to control this. He and Videl were only friends, at least from her point of view, since she had never indicated any other interest in him. He, however, was beginning to fear that with each passing day, with each day he spent with her, he was falling for her and falling hard. Gohan couldn't help those lusty feelings or the dreams in which she was the main character or the butterflies in his stomach whenever he was near her, but he could keep them from her. The last thing he wanted was to endanger their friendship, so he could and would never tell her!

So, he continued to play best friend and followed her into the water, where, after a few minutes of silently swimming around, a huge water fight broke out, initiated by Videl. They never noticed the two shadows emerging from a bush and take the clothes of the two oblivious teenagers, before disappearing again.

It was after a bit more than one hour that Videl suggested to take a break, since she didn't want to look all shrivelly, as she put it. Gohan was sure that he had never heard the word _shrivelly_ before, but he didn't say anything and instead swam behind her until they were able to walk to the grassy bank. There, much to their horror, they immediately noticed the missing of their clothes.

Growling, Gohan's head jerked around, already looking for the culprits, and, when he didn't find them, reaching out to them with his ki. A grim smirk appeared on his lips, when he pinpointed their location. "Now they're going to pay."

"Gohan, come on!" Videl grabbed his arm with a small grin on her face. "Don't take this too seriously. It's just a prank and it _is_ April Fool's Day, so take a deep breath and calm down, will ya?"

Unfortunately, Son Gohan didn't take it as lightly as Videl, since she wasn't the one with dirty thoughts on her mind, whenever he just took a look at her bikini and what it didn't cover, which was a lot. "I'm sorry, Videl. But this has gone too far. You're going to catch a cold…" he added almost as an afterthought, as he also noticed the slight cool breeze and the fact that the bikini couldn't possibly keep her warm. "I'm going to get them now…" Without another word, he took off into the sky, leaving a frustrated Videl behind. Sighing under her breath, she also shot into the sky, following him.

* * *

"Okay, Goten," Trunks said to his grinning friend, gleefully rubbing his hands. "Gohan and Videl are on their way here. You know, what you have to do."

"Alright." Still grinning widely, Goten opened the door to a small hut at the edge of a forest near the palace and went inside, leaving the door open behind him, while Trunks, now hiding his ki, disappeared in the woods, both of them waiting for the teenagers to arrive.

It didn't take long until Gohan and Videl set down in the clearing in front of the hut. "What's this?" Videl wanted to know.

"I don't know," Gohan answered, "but I do know that Goten's in there. Do you want to come with me?"

Videl nodded only and together they went inside. It was dark inside, but with his enhanced sight and the light thrown in through the door, Gohan was able to make out that it was only one room, but he couldn't see Goten anywhere, until suddenly a _whoosh_ went past them. Gohan barely missed his little brother and, cursing, he wanted to go after him, as the door was thrown close directly in front of his nose. But the teenage Saiyajin wasn't discouraged and instead put his hand on the doorknob, now more determined than before. The door, however, wouldn't budge, no matter how hard he tried to turn the knob or push it open. Groaning, he turned from the door and, in the darkness, looked around for a light switch, which he quickly found next to the door at the wooden wall. _Wood!_ If he couldn't open the door, maybe he could break through the wall. Raising his ki to a level just before Super Saiyajin, he shot his fist forward, only to collide with a shield, which sent him a few steps backwards. "We're trapped."

"So, what do we do now?" Videl asked, as she walked up to her friend.

"I don't know. Wait for Goten and Trunks to figure out that we can't get out and then get dad and the others to help us from the outside. Maybe one of the Kaious or the Dai Kaiou know how to get us out of this."

* * *

"You locked them up where?" ChiChi screeched, as the two boys in front of them proudly announced what they had done. Luckily for them, Bulma, as well as Kaiousama, were also already present at the house of the Son family, so they only needed to tell their story once.

"Well, they actually locked themselves up. The only thing we did was lure them inside and then close the door," Trunks smirked.

Kaiousama, however, only shook his head. "You locked them up in The House of Unsolved Issues? Do you have any idea what this might mean?"

"I know," Goten piped up. "They are trapped in there until the solve they issues they have with another."

"Maybe we should tell them this," Goku suggested. "As long as they don't know what to do, they won't get out."

* * *

Gohan and Videl sat both on the wooden floor, leaning against opposite walls, both deep in thoughts. None of them had an idea, how to get out. After Gohan, Videl had also tried to open the door, hoping against hope that maybe just women could open it, but in vain. It still moved no inch. After that, they had started to explore the room and fortunately found a fridge that seemed to replenish itself, when something was taken out of it. Another thing they had found was a tiny bathroom, consisting of a toilet, a sink and a shower, as well as some accessories one might need in a bathroom. Other than that, there was a table with two chairs, a hearth and one bed. It obviously seemed as if this hut was designed for visitors that didn't bring anything with them inside.

It appeared to them, as if an eternity had passed, when Gohan's head suddenly jerked up. A small grin lit up his face, as he said, "Goten and Trunks did something right, at last. They brought help." Getting up, he knocked at the door, calling out, "Dad! Can you hear me?"

Curiously, Videl looked up from where she was sitting, but didn't move otherwise. Somehow, deep down, she had the sinking feeling that not even the mighty Son Goku might get them out of here. Something was telling her that it took more, a lot more than power to open the door. This hut was meant for something, she just didn't know yet, what for.

"I can hear you, son," Goku called through the door and Gohan was never more relieved to hear his father's voice. However, what he said next, put a quick damper on his spirits. "Listen. I can't get you out. This is something you have to do by yourselves."

"But how?" Gohan was getting desperate. The longer he was in this room, locked up with Videl, with her scent everywhere around him and with her only wearing clothes that barely covered anything and nothing to keep his mind off of her, the more he felt his control slip with each passing minute. If something didn't happen soon…

"This hut is called The House of Unsolved Issues," he could now hear Kaiousama explain. "It was built some thousand years ago, when two Kaious were fighting about an important decision, both not wanting to compromise. They were locked into this House until they made this decision and until both were satisfied with it. To make a long story short: If there are any major unsolved issues between you, you need to solve them, or else you'll be locked in there until eternity. The magic that created this House in ancient and not even the Dai Kaiou or the Kaioushin are able to break it. But don't worry. Until now, everyone came out of it."

"How long does it usually take?" Videl now asked from her spot on the floor, raising her voice so that they might hear them. Her heart was beating hard against her chest and she hoped that Gohan wouldn't notice. She didn't want to approach this one major issue that was plaguing her. It would endanger everything she and Gohan knew.

"It depends," Kaiousama told her. "Some have been here a couple of hours, other years. I believe one group spent more than a hundred years in there."

_More than a hundred years!_ Gohan swallowed hard, as he met the gaze of a wide-eyed Videl.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I can't help you," the Northern Kaiou apologized, speaking both to Gohan and Videl and also to their family and friends. "It's now up to you." But what he saw in the faces of those waiting outside surprised him. The two boys and Bulma were having secretly smirks on their faces, while ChiChi seemed to just be realizing something, as her mouth formed a small 'oh'. Only Goku seemed to be oblivious to it all, but during the last eight years he had spent with the warrior, he knew that Son Goku understood more than he let on. Kaiousama wouldn't be surprised, if Goku had known the longest of all of them.

"Well, ChiChi," Bulma said quietly, with a devilish twinkle in her eyes. "It seems to me as if that, what we've been waiting for so long, will happen soon."

"But only if one of them ever gets the courage to speak up," ChiChi replied, looking somewhat grimly, but Goku, who was having a bright grin on his face put a hand on her shoulder,

"Don't worry, Chi. I believe this will happen sooner than you think."

"What do you know that I don't?" his wife asked suspiciously.

"You'll see," Goku promised mysteriously, glancing at the sky. Only a few more hours.

* * *

"This is stupid!" Videl suddenly exclaimed. She didn't how much time had passed, it could have been hours or it could have been minutes. After having heard this devastating news that they needed to solve the unsolved issues between them, both had again gotten lost in their thoughts. But while Videl had just been sitting on her spot, arguing with herself about her unsolved issue and if she should reveal it, Gohan had first taken to pacing, then to sitting down on a chair, then to disappearing into the bathroom for about ten minutes – Videl could have sworn she had heard the shower running – then again to pacing and then again to sitting down on the floor on the spot he had vacated, when he had first felt their _help_ outside. Oh yeah, and what a great help they had been!

"What is stupid?" Gohan asked, only barely looking up from the ground. Directly after the cold shower, he had felt again a bit better and a bit more under control, but he knew that he was again starting to lose it. Since the hut had not one single window – how could one spend more than a hundred years in here without a window and not turn crazy? – he didn't know what time it was, but he feared that it was close to sundown. With the whole chaos of the pranks this morning, he had completely forgotten about it, but now, feeling even more agitated than before, he remembered it again. Tonight was a full moon night, a night that thankfully only occurred every two months on this planet, but the other few full moon nights he had managed to stay clear of Videl, at least ever since he had started to realize the growing feelings for her. Staying clear of her would prove to be impossible tonight and he truly feared the outcome of it.

"This…" Videl wildly motioned with her hands around the room. "Everything. Us. Sitting here and doing nothing. We should try and figure out a way to get out of here instead."

"Then what do you suggest we should do? Do you have any _unsolved issues_ you need to speak to me of?" Gohan challenged, but inwardly, he knew he should have better kept his mouth shut, because the glare that Videl was giving him right now was one she only reserved for people she was really angry at. She was already upset and only adding to her anger wouldn't do him any good. However, the more he tried to fight it, the more the Saiyajin in him seemed to take over control.

"Do you?" the girl shot back, her blue eyes blazing and Gohan had to look away and count to ten to calm down. His whole body was humming with something that he couldn't describe, his finger itching and he had to clench his fist to keep them from doing anything on their own accord.

"Actually, yes." Gohan was surprised at how calm his voice suddenly sounded. _The sun must be down!_ he realized with a start. Otherwise he would never, never say the words that came tumbling over his lips. "It's about you. You're so irritating!"

Videl's eyes went wide with surprise. _What the hell was wrong with him?_ Somehow, this boy in front of her was a completely different Gohan. Of course, she had already seen many different faces of him, but this one was new. And she wasn't sure, if she should like this side of Gohan or not, since this one was so different from the gentle boy she had gotten to know. The look in his eyes was the one of a predator and the way he was looking at her made her shiver. But still, his words were only infuriating her further. "Me? I'm irritating? Well, Son Gohan, maybe you should take a look into a mirror, because then you're going to see the one person that's even more irritating than me. Sometimes I think that I know you so well and then you're becoming all weird and run away or like now, change into a complete different person. Sometimes you flirt with me, but then you suddenly pull back and act as if we're best friends. Sometimes I truly do not know what to think of you, if you're just playing me or if you're serious."

Gohan got up and walked up to Videl, grabbing her arm and pulled her up, a bit rougher than he wanted to and held onto her, so that their faces were only inches from one another. "Newsflash, Videl. The feeling's mutual. Why do you think I pull back? Because you give me no reason to go on. You never indicated anything, and yet you manage to catch me off guard and completely turn me on by doing something like today, like wearing those two incredibly hot pieces of clothing. Hell, just having your scent around me drives me crazy. Maybe I am giving you mixed signals, but I'm not the only one who does this."

"I- I turn you on?" Videl asked, completely flabbergasted, as her brain tried to process what Gohan had just told her. Did this mean that he was attracted to her? _Would he be turned on, if he weren't?_ her mind taunted her.

"Yes, you do. And every time you manage to do this, I fear that I'm going to lose control." His voice was softer now, as Gohan fought for every bit of control he was able to get. This was not how he had imagined Videl to find out about his feelings for her. Actually, he hadn't imagined that she would find out about them ever. "Just like now. This is the reason why I'm running. I don't want to scare you."

While his hold on her right arm had lessened, Videl didn't move and instead held his gaze, desperately wanting to hear what he still had to say. She felt his other hand on her cheek, cupping it and stroking it softly. Her eyes threatened to flutter close, but Videl kept them open. However, she couldn't suppress the shiver of pleasure and the small sigh escaping from her mouth. This is what she had dreamt of for so long. Feeling him, touching him, but not like friends do.

"I didn't want to scare you," he repeated. Gohan didn't know how he was doing it, but he was slowly gaining again control over his body and emotions. However, he couldn't stop now, not halfway through his revelation. "Because I couldn't bear losing you as friend. Because if friendship is all I ever get, I'm content, though never in my life have I felt so strongly for someone like I do for you. I'm falling, Videl, and there's no security net to save me." His voice started to sound desperate and Gohan knew this, but it was still hard for him to open up like this, to openly admit his fears and emotions. And the fear of losing her after this was now greater than ever before. "I believe I'm in love with you."

"Gohan…" Probably for the first time in her life, Videl Satan was at a loss for words. So, instead of saying something, she acted and pulled his head down to meet her lips in their very first kiss. And it was nothing like she had imagined it to be, nothing like the kisses they had exchanged in her dreams. A bit clumsy, since both still needed to get the feel of it, both never having kissed anyone else before, but passionate and full of emotions. Their lips gently, but forcefully caressed each other, while their hands were everywhere on the other's body – back, hair, chest, face…

But when they finally broke apart, it was sudden, both of them jumping apart, not quite knowing what had just happened. However, now that he had finally felt her, tasted her, Gohan felt lost as she was not touching him. So, carefully, he took a step forward, and, when she didn't seem to flee, another, until only merely inches separated them. "Are you scared of me now?"

Smiling softly, Videl shook her head. "I couldn't be scared of the man that I love."

A wide grin spread over his face at her choice of words and while the Saiyajin in him said _Told you so_ he picked her up and whirled her around, but before descending on her in another kiss. And while they were too busy exploring and getting comfortable with each other in this new situation, they didn't notice the soft click as the door swung open, revealing Goku, ChiChi, Bulma and the boys.

Goku only grinned at ChiChi, before softly closing the door again, knowing that the issue between the two teenagers was solved and that the door wouldn't lock itself again until another group entered the hut. Goten and Trunks exchanged a mischievous smirk, as the adults turned to go to give the teenagers some more privacy – mission succesfull _and_ their parents seemed to have forgotten about the other pranks.

"Oh, boys," Bulma suddenly called over her shoulder, "don't believe for a second that we forgot about your punishment."

With a twin-groan, the boys admitted defeat and followed the adults back to their homes.

* * *

The sun was already setting, when Jenny finally returned to Capsule Corporation, hoping against hope that those hours had been enough for Vegeta to calm down. Thinking that it would be the best thing to go to him now instead of tomorrow and also being curious about how her prank had turned out, she immediately went to the gravity room, where she felt his ki, after having dropped off the groceries in the kitchen.

She only hesitated shortly in front of the door to take a deep breath, before she entered the code and the door slid open to reveal Vegeta standing in front of the control panel, obviously already expecting her. She had to try hard to keep her lips from spreading into a smirk, as she saw the red hair – _Goten and Trunks would be so proud of her!_ – so, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, she stepped inside. However, the moment she was fully inside, she felt something wet and cold dropping on her head, shoulders and arms and, looking at her hands, saw that it was red color.

Jenny's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no sound came past her lips, as she watched stunned, how Vegeta walked up to her with a satisfied smirk on his face. When he stopped next to her, he only said, "I hope this teaches you a small lesson. Everyone who gives, also needs to be able to receive. You are banned from the gravity room for two weeks, starting after you took care of this mess. And I expect you to be up tomorrow at six o'clock, ready for a field trip into the mountains."

Jenny stared after him, as he left the gravity room. He didn't seem to be angry at all and this confused her greatly. And, finally allowing the smirk on her face, she wondered about one thing – When exactly had Vegeta developed a sense of humor?


	34. Part III: Hoi, Hildegarn and other

**A/N: (insertnervouslaugh) Two months and six days after the installment of the last chapter the next one is finally updated! I'm so sorry, guys, but to make up for the long wait this chapter is again pretty long! But while the last chapter had been more focusing on the Afterlife, this one is again more about Jenny and Vegeta, though others will be mentioned! As always, reviews are appreciated and I'm grateful for each one that I have received until now.**

**But now I want you all to have fun with this chapter! I hope you like it!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 32: Hoi, Hildegarn and other Big Bads**

Jenny scrambled to her feet and in the course of doing so wiped some blood away that was trickling down at the corner of her mouth. Her body was littered in bruises and scratches, her dark hair a tangled mess, she was completely exhausted and had a hard time to stand upright.

Her black gi was already stained with dirt and blood and partly torn from previous training sessions. Fortunately she had brought some spare gis along, but she was slowly running out of them. As a matter of fact, only one was left and she feared that she needed to change when this day was over. Well, only four more days to go until this fieldtrip was over.

She barely had a moment to catch her breath, before she had to jump away to avoid one of Vegeta's ki-balls. Another one came flying from a spot through the thicket of the bushes and she rolled out of the way, only to be suddenly faced with the Prince of the Saiyajins – since the day before yesterday (finally) again black-haired - in person. His fist hit the spot where her small body had only been the split of a second ago, cracking the ground beneath it.

The girl tried a counter attack, by firing a Kamehameha, but Vegeta simply swapped it aside and lunged at her. His stretched leg collided with her side, knocking the wind out of her and sending her into a larger rock, which crumbled beneath the impact. A groan escaped her lips, as Jenny struggled to climb out of the smashed rock. Blinking wearily, she tried to get rid of the dizziness and stumbled a few steps before she straightened her body as much as possible and got into a defensive stance.

No sooner had she done this than Vegeta was again directly in front of her and this time she had no chance to dodge the fist that was flying at her. Her arms that she had brought up in front of her face didn't help her much, as the fist slammed into her stomach. She doubled over and fell on her knees, coughing.

"Get up."

Jenny lifted her head and gazed at the other Saiyajin with one eye almost swollen shut. Her whole body was shaking, as she rose to her feet and lifted her arms. Gritting her teeth, she tried to ignore the pain and instead concentrated to think of another attack that she could use on him.

They had been sparring the whole day already – from sunrise to sunset. Those were the rules that Vegeta had set ten days ago, when they had arrived. No breaks, no going easy. She had the night to recover and then, after breakfast, they would start again. This was the punishment for April Fool's Day.

At first, Jenny had been delighted – this was much better than training in the gravity room – but then, as the first days passed, she longed more and more to be back home at Capsule Corporation, sleep in her soft warm bed and eat what her grandma had cooked. So, yeah, she was kind of spoilt and not really used to survive in the wilderness.

The sky was already a deep orange color in the west and in the east the sky was already a dark blue and littered with some stars. Not long and this day's training session would be over. Right now, Jenny only needed one more attack to catch Vegeta off guard and then, she hoped, she could finally rest.

Jenny closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't have much energy left, but it should suffice for one more attack. So, opening her eyes again, she clenched her fists and with one cry gathered all of her strength left to transform one last time into a Super Saiyajin.

If the slight widening of Vegeta's eyes was any indication, he hadn't expected her to be able to go through this transformation one more time that day. With a move faster than predicted, Jenny slammed her fist against Vegeta's jaw, sending him reeling a few steps backwards. A smirk crept on his face, as he quickly regained his composure and sent a ki-ball at his charge. Jenny threw her arms up, managing to block the attack, but the impact was so great that it sent her flying and smashing into a tree.

Falling to the ground with a quiet thud and landing on her stomach, face down, she groaned again – her hair now returned to its natural blond color. Jenny truly hoped that the sun had finally set, because she didn't want to move any more. All of her energy had been spent and she now only wanted to go to sleep and preferably never wake up.

She only vaguely registered that she was lifted up at the cloth of her gi and carried somewhere, until, with a loud splash, coldness and wetness was surrounding her, jerking her awake. After having spit out some water when she had broken through the surface of the lake near their camp, she shot Vegeta, who was still standing at the bank with his arms crossed over his chest, a piercing glare.

"Get washed up," he only said, not at all reacting to her foul mood. "I'll start dinner."

A small blush crept on her face, as her stomach startled to grumble at the mentioning of dinner, but the glare was in place until Vegeta had disappeared between the trees. When he had said no breaks during training, this had also included bathroom or lunch breaks, meaning that she had needed to make a dash into the bushes, when she had managed to get away from Vegeta. And, seeing as the only meal she'd had since before sunrise had been breakfast, she was starving.

She slowly swam to the bank and climbed ashore. At first she only lay there, sprawled on her back, until she found the strength and the will to sit up a few minutes later. Most of the grime had already been washed off, when she had first been dropped into the water, but some of the dirt was still left. Tearing a piece of her gi off – it was already destroyed anyway – she let herself glide back into the water, where it reached to her waist, drenched the rag in the lake and began scrubbing the spots that were still bloody or dirty. A low hiss escaped her lips now and then, when she reached a rather sensitive bruise or scratch. _Some shampoo would be nice_, she thought, as she ran a hand through her soaked blond tresses. But as there was no shampoo, she could only try to clean her hair with the water from the lake.

Once she was satisfied with the result of her bath, she climbed again on the bank and sat down. Her stomach was growling loudly by now and the smell of roasted meat that had started to reach her nose about five minutes ago didn't help much.

"Here." Her head jerked to her left and a grateful smile appeared on her lips, as she saw Vegeta standing there, holding a towel and a fresh gi in his hands.

"Thanks." Jenny struggled to her feet and tore what remained of her gi off her body – as an eight years old Saiyajin who had been partly raised by someone who didn't care enough for tact, she didn't yet feel embarrassed to be nude in front of someone else. With a tired grin, she took the towel and dried herself up, before she dressed in her new gi, hoping against hope that it would survive the last four days.

As Vegeta and Jenny walked back to their camp, it was already dark. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance, announcing that now the animals of the night were waking up. Jenny slumped down in front of the large fire, over which a boar was sizzling. She already felt her mouth watering at this sight and was glad, when Vegeta handed her a plate with some of the roasted meat. Heartily devouring the first slice, she didn't hesitate to ask for seconds and thirds and soon, with her and Vegeta's appetite combined, there was nothing left of the boar.

Now that she was full and enjoying the warmth of the fire, Jenny started to feel drowsy and her eyelids began to droop. A loud yawn alerted Vegeta of her exhaustion and, chuckling lightly, he said, "You should go to sleep. Tomorrow at dawn we continue." But she was already asleep, spread out on the grass in front of the fire. Another chuckle escaped his throat, as he lifted her up and carried her to her sleeping bag on the other side of the campfire – this was the only luxury he had allowed her to bring along for this trip. After he had made sure that she was comfortably tugged in, he settled down next to her and stared into the flames.

This last attack from her had taken him by surprise. He truly hadn't expected that she still had had the energy left to become a Super Saiyajin. He had been right with his assumptions – this girl had the potential to become a great warrior. And she had the iron will and the determination to actually pull it through.

A soft smile appeared on his face, as he gazed at the small girl next to him. The shadows of the fire were flickering on her face, as she lay there, her mouth slightly parted and her breath calm and steady. No one would expect that this girl would one day be the strongest person on this planet, if not in the whole universe. He would make sure that it would be so. He wanted to bring her to greatness, so that she could overcome every obstacle that life was throwing at her.

"I'm proud of you."

Her lips formed a small smile, as she snuggled deeper into the sleeping bag and, after a quiet sigh, Vegeta also lay down and closed his eyes.

* * *

"Oomph," Super Saiyajin Jenny grunted, as she crashed into the ground, but was again in the air less than a second later. Most of her injuries from the previous day were already healed and most of the exhaustion gone, so she had been ready for another round of _Beat the girl_. Only, this day, Jenny had the strange feeling that Vegeta was going against his own rules and easy on her. But maybe he just didn't want to ruin her last gi. 

Closing her eyes and expanding her senses, Jenny tried to pinpoint Vegeta's location and a small smirk tugged at her lips, when she had found him. Right now she kind of wanted to be able to do this teleportation technique that Gohan had told her about. This would have been really cool to just appear next to Vegeta and use the moment of surprise to attack him.

She had to blink a few times, as the harsh noonday sun was burning down on her and then took off into the direction where she could feel the other Saiyajin. However, he was already waiting for her and before she could avoid an attack, she was already plummeting to the ground again. Only this time she was able to catch herself before she hit the ground and sent a ki-blast at him, which managed to distract him momentarily, long enough to lunge at him at bring her knee up to hit his jaw. Vegeta's head flew back, but his hand shot forward at the same moment to grab her ankle.

Her ki rose higher and golden flames appeared around her body, as she struggled to free herself from Vegeta's iron grip, but to no avail. Vegeta only smirked as similar golden flames started to surround his body. "Not bad. But not good enough." Jenny's eyes widened, as Vegeta extended his other hand and a blue ki-ball appeared in his palm. Her struggling increased and she didn't even notice, when he finally let go of her, as at the same moment the ki-ball hit her at full force and she was once again sent spiraling towards the ground.

Coughing hard due to the whirled up dust, she sat up and regarded the imprinted form of her body in the sandy earth. She didn't know how many of them or how many craters were already spread all over their training grounds. She had somehow made it a habit to slam into it a couple of times a day, or make that an hour. But she didn't give up, at least not that easily, no matter how humiliating the sparring matches with Vegeta turned out for her.

This was the reason why she got up once again, when she saw his golden tipped boots marching towards her through the dust and got into another fighting stance. The golden aura around her flared up and more dust and small pebbles rose into the air.

She was ready.

But not for what happened next, because both of their heads suddenly jerked to a spot in the forest, where they had sensed a strange, though not remarkably strong, ki. They both got into a fighting stance, ready to attack if this being was a threat and waited. After only a few seconds, a small man stepped out of the thicket. He was about as large as Jenny, with rose-colored wrinkly skin and pointy ears. He was wearing yellow clothes that clearly didn't belong on earth and a large brown hat. His long and bushy white hair went almost past his shoulder blades.

"Who are you?" Vegeta immediately demanded to know.

"My name is Hoi," he introduced himself with a light bow in front of Vegeta. "And I know, who you are, Prince Vegeta."

Vegeta's body tensed. If this being had heard of him, it clearly hadn't come to them only to chat. Instinctively he stepped forward, putting himself between this Hoi and Jenny. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to ask you a favor," he began, and, since neither Vegeta nor the girl interrupted him, he continued. "Earth will be in danger very soon."

"No!" Jenny cried, not wanting to believe that after almost a year of peace, Earth was once again threatened.

"Something evil, a monster by the name of Hildegarn, that's capable of destroying entire galaxies, is approaching this planet now."

Vegeta only snorted. "You talk big, old man. We've defeated already far worse beings than this Hildegarn. If it comes, we'll deal with it, just like we always do."

Shaking his head, Hoi said, "You misunderstand me. There's only one person who can defeat Hildegarn, and he's sealed in this musical clock." He pulled out a larger golden box that was engraved with elegant patterns. "His name is Tapion the Brave and his tale is known on many planets. He saved Konacksei in the Southern Galaxy about one thousand years ago."

"And now you want us, or rather me, to open this box to free this Tapion guy?" Vegeta asked suspiciously. Something about this story was familiar to him and his feeling told him that something wasn't right.

Hoi nodded and handed him the box. "If you are able to break it, Earth will be saved."

Vegeta eyed the contraption in his hands warily. _Tapion. Konacksei. Hildegarn._ There was something, he knew it. But what was it? Something about magicians and a statue. And dark magic. _Of course!_ His grip around the musical clock tightened as he glared at Hoi. He was one of them. They had magicked this statue to life and therewith created the menace Hildegarn. It had terrorized Konacksei until the warrior Tapion and his brother, he believed it was, had stopped it with some flutes and then some priest had sliced it in half. If his memory of this story served him correctly, then the two parts of the monster had been sealed away in Tapion and his brother and then the warriors had also been sealed away and sent to different parts of the universe. One of those boxes must have landed on Earth.

Tossing the box to Jenny behind him, he said, "Get this away from here."

"Why?" the girl asked confused.

"Because this old man is trying to trick us," he told her. "Am I right, Hoi? I guess you have already found a way to release one part of the monster and now you need our help to release the second part. As soon as both parts of Hildegarn join, the monster will be close to unbeatable."

A malicious smirk crept onto Hoi's face, as he answered, "You're not as stupid as I believed, Prince. But you're wrong with one tiny thing – the halves by themselves are already close to unbeatable. As soon as Hildegarn's whole again, he will be unbeatable."

"Well," Crackling with his knuckles, Vegeta took a step forward. "I'd really like to test that theory of yours. Bring it forth, whatever half it is." Without turning around or taking his eyes off his opponent, he said, "Brat, leave. This fight might get serious."

"I'm not leaving." Crossing her arms over her chest, Jenny defiantly glared at Vegeta's back. "I can help. I've gotten a lot stronger since Buu."

"Go. Home," he hissed through gritted teeth. "This is no place for a child. You'll only get in my way."

Grumbling and a bit hurt by his words, Jenny mumbled, "Alright", and slowly rose into the sky. Why didn't he understand that she only wanted to help? If this monster was really as bad as this old man said, Vegeta might need any help he could get. She had always thought that he saw her as equal and not as a child. He had never treated her differently after they had found out about her possessing in fact the powers of a Saiyajin, had always trained her hard and had always worked her to her limits and beyond. "If you die, I'm going to kill you," she threatened, before she took off into the direction of Capsule Corporation.

Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her words. He was relieved that she was still joking even though he must have hurt her feelings. He didn't doubt that she could hold her own in another battle, but the opponent that he was going to face in a few moments was ferocious. He would need all of his concentration in this fight and worrying about her would only distract him. "What are you waiting for, Hoi? I don't have all day."

"If you are really that eager to join your forefathers in hell, Prince Vegeta, I won't deny your wish." Hoi raised his hands with his palms pointed to the sky. Suddenly a large dark round portal opened and the wind picked up. Lightning hit the earth more than once and many trees went up in flames. "Here it comes…"

Vegeta took a step back, as first one and then the second leg came through the portal, followed by a long pointy tail. Everything sitting above of the monster's waist, or what should be there, was covered in purple clouds and, Vegeta guessed wryly, that Tapion must be harboring the upper half of the monster's body – the legs alone were already as long as a high building. Well, at least he only had to worry about not getting stomped by these huge feet and getting hit by the even longer tail. This was much better than looking out for claws or fangs. "Alright, bring it on," he mumbled as the golden aura around his body flared up and his ki rose to incredible heights. A terrible scream erupted from his throat, as he passed the barrier between the first and the second level and blue flashes settled in his aura.

Vegeta was the first to attack.

* * *

Jenny was sitting on the windowsill in her room and stared worriedly out of the window at the night sky, hoping to spot a glowing figure flying towards Capsule Corporation. The musical clock lay forgotten next to her and she let out a deep, concerned sigh. It was already about three o'clock in the morning and about two hours ago she had last felt the two enormous kis. 

Ever since she had left the soon-to-be battlefield she had kept track of Vegeta's ki and, after its appearance, inevitable also of Hildegarn's. Even after Vegeta's ascension to the second level of Super Saiyajin at the beginning of the fight they had been evenly matched. Jenny shuddered to think of what they would have done if Hildegarn had been whole. From the distance while she had been _fleeing_ to Capsule Corporation, she had only been able to see a pair of huge dark green legs and a long tail and if this sight had been any indication to what Hildegarn usually looked like, she was glad the she hadn't needed to look at the whole monster.

The fight had been going on for several hours, none of them ever gaining the upper hand, until suddenly first Hildegarn's and then Vegeta's ki had vanished. _Not vanished,_ Jenny tried to tell herself. _Vegeta's ki is just too low for you to feel. He will come home any minute now._

But the clock chimed four and he still hadn't returned. Jenny had been growing agitated for the last few hours now and she couldn't wait any longer. She needed to get out and look for him. Jumping from the windowsill, she dashed out of her room and almost past the living room. Much to her surprise, her grandmother was still sitting there, obviously still awake for the same reason as Jenny.

"What are you doing?" her grandmother's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"I'm sorry, grandma. But I can't wait any longer. I need to find him."

Her grandmother had reacted surprisingly calm, when Jenny had stormed through the building after Vegeta had sent her home and she had told her in a rant what had happened. Mrs. Briefs had only put a comforting hand on her shoulder and said that Vegeta could take care of himself and then offered her something to eat. But Jenny had declined – the battle for the fate of Earth and probably the universe was again in full swing and she couldn't even think of food in a situation like this. Instead she had just retreated to her room and followed the fight through their kis.

"Alright," Mrs. Briefs relented. "But be careful."

Giving her grandmother a soft smile, she mumbled, "Always" before running along the halls and out of the front door, only to collide with someone and send both of them sprawling on the ground.

Dazed for the split of a second, Jenny didn't even realize what had happened, until a groan underneath her alerted her of the presence of somebody else. She scrambled off this person and with wide eyes took in the sight of an extremely battered and bruised Vegeta. Only the pants of his blue gi were left and even they were mostly torn. His whole body was littered with bloody gashes and scratches and both of his eyes were almost swollen shut. He seemed to be barely conscious and his ki was extremely low, but he was alive.

Crying out with joy, she lunged at him, momentarily not thinking about his injured state and, wrapping her arms around his neck, she hugged him tightly and sobbed, "Vegeta! You're alive."

"Brat," he grunted in pain, but, nevertheless, a small smirk was on his lips. "Get off."

"Oh, sorry… It's just…" She wiped at her eyes, first now noticing the tears and quickly blinked them back and smiled at him. "Grandma! He's back!" Gently putting one of his arms over her shoulder, she rose a few feet into the air so that Vegeta was almost standing straight. "Come on, let's get you inside."

_

* * *

_

_April 12, 776_

_After his battle against Hildegarn, Vegeta is now recovering (too bad we yet again used up all of our senzus during training). It might take a couple of days, but soon he will be back to his normal annoying and grumpy self. No, scratch that, he already is annoying and grumpy, I believe nothing, not even yet another near-death-experience can stop him from being this way. But that's what I like so much about him. Not his annoyingness or grumpiness, mind you, well, maybe a bit, but his ability to bounce back like this. But this is just Vegeta for ya._

_I already talked to him a bit earlier this evening, before grandma banned me from his bedroom for today. He told me what has happened during the battle, or rather, a short version of this. He said that he quickly found Hildegarn's weak spot. When the monster attacked, it also became vulnerable to attacks and this was one of the reasons why it took Vegeta so damn long to finish it off. Believe me, I don't think I'd be patient enough to wait for the monster to attack me before I attack. The other reason was that this thing was just so incredibly strong._

_But he has done it. In the end, Vegeta has managed to pulverize Hildegarn, after almost the whole forest we have trained in was destroyed. Well, at least now no one will complain about the many crates or girl-shaped imprints in the ground._

_Oh, I almost forgot… Hoi… He's also dead. Vegeta told me that he has been too excited by the battle that he hasn't watched his steps and suddenly found himself underneath one of Hildegarn's huge feet. Squashed like a fly – I like that. Anyone who dares to threaten this planet deserves this fate. _

_And then, before grandma sent me to my room, Vegeta said that we still needed to bury the musical clock somewhere so that no one would ever be able to find it. I guess we're going to do it as soon as Vegeta's again on his feet._

_Well, our training was now also cut short and I'm still banned from the GR, so I'm kinda bored out of my mind. Okay, after grandma and I brought Vegeta to his room and tended to his wounds, I also went to my room and finally went to bed. The sun had already started to rise again and I was dead tired. Still am a bit now, actually, but I think I'll first have a small late-night snack._

_I can't wait until Vegeta's again out of bed and ready to continue our training. Although I fear that he won't hesitate to make up for our lost time. Something tells me that our future training will involve a lot of gravity, a lot of beating me senseless and a lot of, well, beating me senseless._

_So, if I don't write for a while, the one who'll read this entry someday will know that maybe I just needed some time to regain consciousness…_

_

* * *

_

_August 14, 776_

_Today was a really weird day. Somehow something must have gone wrong in the Afterlife, because suddenly many dead persons, from both Heaven and Hell, appeared on Earth. Actually, it was kinda fun to beat some of the self proclaimed Big Bad's asses. Even Vegeta got some fun out of this and I bet, while he'd rather have fought my opponents, it had also been good for his ego to beat the crap out of his._

* * *

It had started with a report of strange sightings at first. Jenny had snorted, when they had said on the radio during breakfast that dead people had come back to life. But then, as they day slowly progressed, the sightings increased to a worrisome number. But there was nothing she could do, or rather, was allowed to do. When she had tried to sneak out to investigate earlier that morning, Vegeta had simply grabbed her arm and dragged her into the gravity room for some training. 

It was during lunch that Vegeta suddenly jumped up, cursing loudly in a couple of alien languages. Jenny looked at him with wide eyes, as she had also felt this incredibly large ki appear out of nowhere. She didn't know it, but according to the look on Vegeta's face, he knew exactly who had just shown up.

"Vegeta?" Jenny asked concerned. "Who is it?"

"Cell," he answered simply, already on his way out of the kitchen. The girl wanted to go after him, but he turned around and said, "You're not strong enough to fight him. Stay here."

"NO!" she yelled. This was already the second time in a couple of months that he said that she was too weak to fight. "I'm coming with you this time! You can't always shut me out, when there's a threat to the Earth! I'm a Saiyajin, a Super Saiyajin for Dende's sake! I'm strong and I know how to fight!"

"You stay," he ordered, shoving her back down on a chair. Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at her. He didn't have time for a big scene. Cell was back and he had no idea how this could have happened and he was the only one who was able to stop him. And he had to do it soon, if he didn't want to risk any casualties. "You wait for your grandmother to come home. You won't attract any attention, that means no raising your ki or, even worse, going out to fight. Cell is able to sense kis, and if he finds out that…" He shook his head and turned around. He didn't have time for this. "Cell killed your father and he was a Super Saiyajin. Only someone who has reached the second level is able to defeat him and this rules you out."

"But…"

"Don't you understand? You are strong, but by far not strong enough to face someone like Cell. You won't stand a chance against him! I won't let something happen to you until your time comes!" Without another word, Vegeta stormed out of the building and took off into the sky. At moments like this he was glad that the last refugees that had taken up residence at Capsule Corporation after Buu had finally moved out last month.

* * *

When he had left the city behind, he turned Super Saiyajin and gained at speed. It didn't take him long to arrive where Cell had appeared and not moved from since then – the site of the Cell Games. _Figures,_ Vegeta only thought, as he landed in front of Cell. Where else would the Jinzoningen want to fight? 

"Hello Vegeta," Cell greeted him smirking. "It's been a long time."

"What are you doing here, Cell? Why have you returned?" the Saiyajin demanded to know.

Shrugging, Cell replied lazily, "No idea. I heard there was some abnormality in the Afterlife and suddenly I found myself here. Actually, I believe it's good that I came back, because now I can finally rid the universe of the last living Saiyajin. It was rumored that Son Goku's and your family died a year ago, is that true?"

"It's true," he admitted grudgingly. Cell didn't need to know about the brat. It would only complicate things further, if he went off to find her. "But I have a surprise for you Cell. Nine years have passed since the brat defeated you and I have used those years to train harder than ever. And last year I got the chance to finally become what I should have been a long time ago – the strongest living being in the universe."

"What are you talking about?"

"This!" The aura around Vegeta flashed brightly and his muscles bulged slightly, as he transcended the first level and reached the second one without problems.

Startled, Cell took a step back, as images of an eleven years old boy, surrounded by a golden aura and blue flashes flashed in front of his eyes. "This is not possible."

"Not probable." Vegeta gave him a superior smirk and got into a fighting stance. "I promise you, Cell, this time, I'm going to be the one to kill you."

* * *

Jenny was pacing in the living room, slowly running a hole into the soft carpet. The TV was running, but she didn't watch it. She had only switched it on to be up-to-date to the _living dead situation_. The sightings were getting more and more frequent. People had been interviewed and had told the reporters that they now finally had the chance to talk to those killed by Buu one year ago. They called this a miracle. 

But Jenny knew better. Something must be seriously wrong at Emna Daiou's, if something like this happened. He and his men usually had a good control over the dead at the check-in station, so it must be something extremely serious. And even though she knew she shouldn't, Jenny had hoped the whole morning that one of those mysterious _living dead_ was a member of her family. However, she understood that, if something was wrong in the Afterlife, her family would be the first to help there.

It was only in the back of her mind that she followed the fight Vegeta versus Cell and it was clear to Jenny that Vegeta was winning.

_Not strong enough! Pah! I'll show him not strong enough!_

This was so not fair! While Vegeta was out there, having most likely the time of his life, she was stuck here at Capsule Corporation, for the second time already, when something evil appeared.

_Why doesn't he trust me?_

She should be out there and help protect the people. With Cell's appearance it was only all too clear that not just people from Heaven had returned, but also from Hell. And her biggest fear was that, somehow, Buu also found a way to return. His ki wasn't there, yet. But that didn't mean he wouldn't just appear out of nowhere like Cell did.

Suddenly, Jenny was jerked out of her thoughts, as the phone rang and at the same moment, as she turned her senses away from her inner rant and the fight between Vegeta and Cell, she noticed another large and unfamiliar ki not that far away. It wasn't as large as Cell's, but still too dangerous to Earth and her inhabitants to ignore.

But what should she do now? Vegeta had told her to stay…

The ringing of the phone didn't stop, interrupting Jenny again in her musings and she thought it would be better to answer. Maybe it was important. "Hello?"

"Jenny! Oh thank Dende, you're home!" a breathless voice on the other side said.

"Grandma? Is something wrong?" At this moment, an explosion could be heard through the receiver and Jenny flinched, immediately expanding her senses to look for her grandmother. Her heart skipped a beat, when she noticed that it was dangerously close to this large ki that she had just discovered.

"Where's Vegeta?"

"Not here," she only answered, while her thoughts were running wild. Her grandmother was in danger and Vegeta was off somewhere, fighting Cell. She was the only one who would be able to help her. "Grandma! Run away and hide! I'm coming!" Jenny didn't hear anymore if Mrs. Briefs answered or not, as she hung up and dropped the receiver on a sideboard on her way out. Her decision was made. No matter what Vegeta had said, she would now go out there and fight!

_

* * *

_

_Damn it!_ Vegeta cursed, as he now also felt the very familiar ki appear at the Western Capitol. _Frieza!_ He needed to finish this fight now, or else his hometown would be history.

His momentary distraction earned him a bruised rip, as one of Cell's blows got through. "What's this, Vegeta? Tired already?"

The Saiyajin snorted, "No, I just decided that I should finish this now." _What's that? Brat, what are you doing? I told you to stay at Capsule Corporation!_ But apparently Jenny was ignoring his orders, as she was now on her way to meet Frieza.

But Vegeta wasn't the only one who had noticed the moving of another larger ki. Cell glared at Vegeta, as he murmured, "You told me you were the only survivor. Why is there another larger ki moving towards Frieza?"

The girl was a Super Saiyajin, he shouldn't forget this. Kakarotto had _only_ been a Super Saiyajin, when he had first defeated Frieza. It was a hard decision to make. Let the girl fight a battle on her own or should he destroy Cell now and then take care of Frieza?

_I'm a Saiyajin, a Super Saiyajin for Dende's sake! I'm strong and I know how to fight!_

She was strong, he had to admit. Stronger than Kakarotto after his first transformation and definitely determined enough to face opponents far stronger than her. Maybe this fight against Frieza might be good for her, good for her confidence. It might help her to push her further in her strive to become better. He needed to have a little more faith in her.

"Actually," Vegeta answered at length, "there's one more Saiyajin. Kakarotto's daughter is now off to fight Frieza and believe it or not, she will win. This means that I'm all yours and don't have to worry about him." But still, keeping track of her ki wouldn't do any harm.

* * *

Jenny landed in an alley close to where she was feeling this ki - though now that she was closer, she was also able to sense three more kis, only that those were not as high as the first - as not to raise any suspicions among the civilians. She had hoped that everyone would have fled when she arrived, but it was not so. Muttering under her breath about stupid humans, she ran onto the street where a couple of civilians were still huddled together between crumble buildings and burning cars and also for the first time spotted the being with the large ki about forty feet away from them. 

The being was not overly large, a bit shorter than Vegeta she guessed, and looked a bit like a lizard with a long tail, only that it's skin was a silvery white with purple spots on its shoulders and head. A frown settled on her face, when she spotted the three beings behind him – one was just huge with purple skin, tail, a battle armor including a cape, a strange contraption over his one eye and horns and the others would pass as humans, if it weren't for the brown furry tails wrapped around their waists. _Saiyajins!_ One was large and bald and the other a bit shorter with long black hair. Their kis were mediocre compared to the lizard and the large guy with horns seemed to be a bit bored.

"Jenny!" Her attention was diverted from her opponents, when her grandmother called out to her. She was among the group of civilians.

"Grandma! What are you still doing here?" the still blond girl asked, as she hurried up to the group. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched the aliens, just in case. "I told you to run."

"I tried, but…" the blonde woman sighed, but was relieved that Jenny was now there. She was confident that this girl would be able to help them.

"It's okay," she told them. "You can leave now. I will take care of them."

A snicker from the group caught her attention and she whirled around to the lizard. "Is something wrong?" she asked annoyed, not wanting to show that she was just a bit nervous about the upcoming fight. She hadn't fought in a serious battle since Buu and she remembered only too well how that had turned out. But she also knew that she had been training hard under Vegeta this last year and before under both him and Gohan. Those two Saiyajins were a piece of cake, but the other guys worried her a bit, but also just a bit. Compared to her highest level as Super Saiyajin, they were still a lot weaker.

"Well," the lizard said haughtily and took a step forwards. "I find it hard to believe that a little girl like you should be able to _take care of me_. Father, what does your scouter say?"

The purple alien pressed a button at the contraption and it beeped twice. He laughed, as he took it off and tossed it to the smaller of the two, his son obviously. "See for yourself."

A smirk crept onto the lizards face, as he saw the pitiful number on the small screen. "Three! Her power level is three and she really believes that she would stand a chance against us."

"And who are you exactly?" Jenny asked now, trying to buy time for the group behind her to disappear. She chanced one glance back and saw that they were indeed fleeing one by one.

The lizard bowed low in front of her. "I'm sorry, Miss," he mocked her, "I forgot my manners. My name is Frieza and this is my father Cold and the Saiyajins Nappa and Radditz."

Jenny couldn't help but giggle loudly, almost holding her sides, when she heard the name of the lizard. "Y-you're F-frieza!" she gasped through her fit of giggles. She tried to get them under control, but the giggles just burst out again. This must have been the most hilarious thing she had heard in a long time. This was the Frieza Gohan had told her about? Somehow she had imagined he would be stronger. Even if he were still able to raise his ki a lot higher, she would still be able to beat him. Alright, so she might break into a sweat, but still…

"I believe this girl is making fun of you, my Lord," Nappa remarked, completely stunned by this girl's strange behavior.

Frieza gritted his teeth. How dare this brat mocking him, his name and his family? Behind the girl he saw the blond woman she had spoken to when she had arrived leaving with another woman and a small boy, and, wanting to show her not to mess with the almighty Frieza, he extended a hand and shot a ki-blast at them. When the smoke cleared, he was ready to see some burned and smoldering bodies, but what he saw surprised him. The girl was floating in front of them, only that her hair was now black. She had taken on the full blast herself and was not in the least injured.

"This was not nice," she mumbled, as she landed again on the ground and then called without turning around, "Grandma, go home. I follow as soon as I'm finished with them."

"Who are you?" Frieza demanded to know, when the last civilians had fled and his men and the girl were now alone.

The girl smirked, as she looked at him and only said with a small formal courtesy, "Jenny."

The large guy, Cold stepped forward now. If his annoyed frown was any indication to his mood, Jenny knew that her mockery of the house of Frieza had worked very well. "I believe my son wanted to ask you, what you are."

"Oh this…" After a small shrug, Jenny clenched her fist and let the golden aura of a Super Saiyajin explode around her. "I'm your worst nightmare. A Super Saiyajin."

A collective gasp went through the group of four, when Jenny had revealed her true nature. Frieza stomped his foot, though Jenny didn't know if it was because he was angry or because he was offended at yet again having to lose against a Saiyajin – only that this time this Saiyajin was a small girl. "This is not fair," he whined.

"Whom are you telling this?" she replied, thinking of how Vegeta had treated her before he had left to fight against Cell.

"Nappa! Radditz! Get her!"

With an almost inaudible bored sigh, Jenny charged two ki-blasts in her palms and, when the two Saiyajins were close enough, released them. Nappa and Radditz were pulverized instantly. A pout settled on her lips, as she gazed again at the two Icejins. "Bored now."

All of sudden, before she could attack them, Jenny felt a warm and comforting, yet extremely powerful ki coming from… everywhere. It was all around her and felt somehow familiar. It was… Gohan and yet it was not. It was mingled with another ki, which she barely recognized as Goku's. Whatever they had done to achieve this, it must be really powerful when she could feel it even on Earth.

A wicked grin appeared on her face, as she now lunged at Frieza, knowing very well that, even if she somehow – for whatever reason – failed, her big bro would take care of this situation in the Afterlife. But before she had fully reached him, she jumped aside and in front of King Cold. "Peep-bo!" And a second later, King Cold was history, pulverized just like Radditz and Nappa had been merely seconds ago.

Now only Frieza was left and he took tentative steps backwards, as she walked up to him. "N-nice little girl… You really don't want to do this, do you? A girl like you shouldn't need to kill."

Jenny tilted her head to her left side and eyed him almost innocently. After having defeated the two Saiyajins and this lizard's father almost effortlessly, she wasn't worried anymore that Frieza might be able to defeat her, not that she had been that worried before. "Tell me, Frieza, I never thought you'd be a coward. Come on, show me your true fighting strength so that I can finish you off and go home."

"Who taught you?" Frieza wanted to know, stalling and hoping that he might find a way to flee.

She only shrugged again. "My big brother Gohan and Vegeta, why do you ask?"

"Vegeta taught you?" he asked baffled. "But I killed him on Namek. He's…"

"Very much alive."

Both heads whirled around and then saw the Prince of Saiyajins floating a couple of feet next to them. "Vegeta!" Jenny yelled, not really knowing if she should be happy or annoyed that he had come – she hadn't even noticed that he had killed Cell, while she had been bickering with her opponents.

"Vegeta!" Frieza hissed through gritted teeth.

"That's me," Vegeta only smirked and then turned to Jenny. "What are you waiting for, brat! Kill him now, if you still want to do it, because I believe that your father and your brother will make sure that the dead return to the Afterlife shortly."

"Alright!" Turning her attention back to Frieza, she had a copy of Vegeta's smirk on her face. Somehow, after having gotten the proof that Vegeta thought her capable of defeating Frieza on her own, she felt even more powerful. "Let's end this!"

The split of a second later, she had her fist embedded in his stomach before he could even react and knocked the wind out of him. Frieza doubled over and Jenny used this chance to bring her fists down on his back, sending him crashing to the ground. She waited patiently for him to return to his feet, before jumping up and whirling around, her foot connecting hard with his jaw and he once again found himself on the ground. Somehow, this reminded her of her and Vegeta's training lessons, only that she was then the one to hit the ground constantly.

Again, she waited until Frieza was again standing, but this time she used the chance to bring her hands together at her side and to gather some ki there for the final attack. Frieza turned around, ready to strike, but the last thing he saw was the smirk on the girl's lips and the blue energy in the palms of her hands, as the girl yelled, "Kamehameha!" and blasted him straight back to Hell.

The last thought on his mind was a whining, "Not again", before he found himself again at Emna Daiou's check-in station.

_

* * *

_

_After I had killed Frieza, Vegeta hadn't said a word, not even during our short flight home to Capsule Corporation where grandma was already waiting for us. First when grandma got back inside, announcing happily that she was going to prepare a huge dinner for us, and Vegeta was sure that we were alone, he put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him and saw a sight that was truly rare. Instead of the usual scowl, sneer or smirk on his face, a tiny smile was tugging at his lips, as he said, "You did good today." Well, I believe many who don't know Vegeta wouldn't think much of this praise, but for me it means the world. I mean, this is such an unlike-Vegeta-thing to do that I first got over my surprise, when he had already disappeared inside._

_Yeah, this is how the day ended, okay, it's not over yet, but this day had been rather eventful. Kicking Frieza's ass is not something you have the chance to do very often. But today had another nice side-effect. For the first time in months I felt again closer to Gohan. While I have been down here, fighting my battle, he has been up there, fighting his. I only wonder what has happened up there, but I believe I will never find out, not until I get there, which will be a very long time from now._

"Jenny? Could you please come downstairs?"

_Oh well, gotta run. Grandma called me over the intercom. Wonder what she wants…_

Slightly confused, since they had already eaten dinner and Jenny had wanted to go to bed within the next fifteen minutes, she trudged downstairs and found both her grandma and Vegeta sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Sit down, there's something I, or rather we, want to tell you," her grandmother said softly, but sounding a bit nervous.

Eyeing them warily, Jenny sat down. She wondered what this was about. She hoped they wouldn't tell her off for heading into battle on her own, because, really, what other choice had she had? She couldn't have let her grandmother die, while waiting for Vegeta to arrive. "What is it?", she asked eventually.

Mrs. Briefs shot a nervous glance at Vegeta, but he was just sitting there, as usual with his arms crossed over his chest. "Well… I went into town today, because I had to meet someone…"

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Meet someone?"

"Yes… I met the principal of Western Capitol Elementary School to enroll you. You will start next week."

Jenny could only gape at them.

* * *

**Another A/N: Just for your informations... Four other chapters for this story are already finished, but those chapters are set, when Jenny's already in her teens. Well, in one chapter she's seventeen years old and the other three are chapters leading up to the final battle. I just wrote them down, when my brain was suddenly assaulted with ideas for them, so at least, then you'll have quicker updates!**

**ChibiChibi**


	35. Part III: The Lure of the Blood

**A/N: Well, here's the new chapter! Didn't I tell you that the updates would be at least a big quicker? Well, okay, I didn't, but voila, here it is! Again not really short and, oh, with a surprise at the end! Vindali, you asked about the four chapters that I have already finished. Well, one is still for Part III but the others are all for Part V of this story, so it will still take some time, even with the chapter for Part III.**

**And now, have fu-un!

* * *

**

**Part III**

**Chapter 34: The Lure of the Blood**

For the following days after Mrs. Briefs' rather surprising announcement that she had, after consulting Vegeta, enrolled her at school, Jenny had become the epitome of an eight years old girl who didn't get what she wanted. Jenny just couldn't believe it! That her grandmother might have gotten the idea to do something like this was understandable, but that Vegeta agreed with her! Her blood was boiling with rage and she clearly showed them what she was thinking of their _brilliant_ idea.

She flat-out refused to come out of her room most of the time, sneaking into the kitchen when she was hungry and Vegeta had to drag her bodily into the gravity room. Not that she was making it easy for him. Even after he had managed to get the kicking and screaming girl into the gravity room, she just sat down on the floor, sulking. No matter what he did, she didn't respond and she also didn't defend herself, when Vegeta attacked her and tried to engage her in a sparring match.

Jenny gave her grandmother the same silent treatment, whenever the woman wanted to talk to her. Sometimes, Jenny felt a small twinge in her heart, when she noticed the sad and disappointed look Mrs. Briefs was giving her on those occasions. But the girl didn't give in. She just couldn't forgive her grandmother for doing something like this without even asking her. Not that she'd have said yes, no, she had much more important things to do than go to school.

_"Jenny, look, you'll never have any friends, if you just stay at Capsule Corporation."_

Pah! She didn't want friends. She didn't have time for friends. She needed to train, to prepare, but she couldn't tell her grandmother this. Jenny knew that she only had her best interest at heart, but her best interest was to be good enough to fight that one battle sometime in the future. Friends would only hinder her.

_"You're still young. You should enjoy your life, meet people your own age, despite the circumstances."_

Every chance at truly enjoying life had been destroyed the moment that Buu had wiped out almost her entire family and when the Kaioushin had dropped the prophecy on her. But her grandmother obviously thought that life was still throughout enjoyable, even though Buu had destroyed so much and, again, she didn't know of the prophecy.

Jenny remembered how hard it had been for Gohan to adjust to school and then, everything had still been alright. She didn't see the point of going to school. She could just as well study at home, just as she had done it the whole previous year and even before, with Gohan's help. Neither Bulma nor her grandmother had ever thought about sending her, Goten and Trunks to elementary school, not even when Bulma had talked Gohan into attending Orange Star High.

So, she could study at home, didn't need friends and could enjoy her life while training, but Mrs. Briefs didn't want to hear any of that. The older woman just stuck to her decision, no matter what Jenny did. And since it was two adults versus one child, Jenny was definitely on the losing side. Tomorrow would be her fist day at Western Capitol Elementary School and she wasn't looking forward to it at all.

* * *

Jenny was awoken rather cruelly the next morning, when someone pulled her blanket off, grabbed her by her pajama top to drag her into the bathroom and shoved her into the already running ice cold shower. This someone had been Vegeta, who was neither smirking nor smiling. Actually, he looked rather angry with her. "Get ready and then come downstairs." Jenny didn't even need to know him that well to hear the _or else_ in his voice. Her temper only flared up again, even though she knew it wouldn't help at all. 

She, of course, hadn't set the alarm clock for this morning, a last futile attempt to get out of this predicament. See, where it got her. Jenny shivered and quickly adjusted the temperature of the water until a hot spray rained down on her. Knowing better than to make Vegeta even angrier by letting him wait too long, she got ready in record time and soon found herself in the kitchen.

Jenny dropped the schoolbag unceremoniously on the floor before she slumped down on her chair. She ignored both her grandmother and Vegeta, when she filled some pancakes on her plate. Her movements were jerky and she felt again the anger at her two guardians rise. How could they do this to her? She violently stabbed the pancakes with her fork, not really hungry at all, just angry.

Her grandmother sighed, but Jenny kept ignoring her, just as she had already done the days before. She had barely eaten anything, when a quick glance at the clock in the kitchen told her that it was about time to leave. The fork clattered on the plate, as she dropped it and slid from the chair. Without looking back, she seized her bag and was almost out of the door, when her grandmother's voice stopped her.

"You forgot your lunch." Mrs. Briefs tried and failed to smile encouragingly, as she gave the glaring Jenny a capsule. "Vegeta'll bring you to school."

"So that I won't run off?" Jenny spat defiantly and turned on her heels. She blinked, when she noticed a suspicious wetness in her eyes. No, she wouldn't cry, even if it was because of the rage within her. This resolve strengthened, when she heard footsteps behind her. She ignored them, ignored him and threw the front door shut in his face. But, if Vegeta had gotten the hint that he should not follow her, which he undoubtedly had, he didn't care.

Almost the whole way to school, Jenny walked a few feet ahead of him. She didn't look back once, always looked straight ahead. There, at the end of the street, she could already see the entrance to the school grounds. Other children were already there, lingering at the open gates, obviously waiting for friends. Sounds of laughter drifted to her, a sound that she didn't hear too often anymore. Jenny envied those children. Even though they had probably lost family members or friends, they didn't carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

They were nearly there, when Jenny suddenly felt a hand grab her shoulder. She didn't want to turn around, but Vegeta simply made her. "Listen brat," he said gruffly. "I don't care if you want to go to school or not. Your grandmother and I, we decided that you should go there and this is what you will do. You will behave, because, I swear that you will regret it, if you don't. Your grandmother has gone to great lengths to enroll you, seeing as term has already started, and, as you know, she almost got killed."

"I saved—"

"I don't care if you hate me," he interrupted her calmly. "But your grandmother deserves more than that. She wants you to have a life—"

"I don't—"

"To do more than just fight. You hurt her more with your behavior than you probably believe. She only wants what's best for you."

"I know—"

"As you've probably already figured out, your grandmother and I decided to share the responsibility of raising you. While I was going to train you and teach you the ways of a Saiyajin, your grandmother was responsible for everything human. Going to school and having friends is a part of it."

"But—"

"And for once I agreed with her fully. To become great you need to learn more than what books can teach you. Think about it. And now go. It's time." Vegeta let go of her shoulder and motioned with his head towards the gate. The look on his face was unreadable, almost expressionless, which was rather unusual, as he sent her off. And even when Jenny looked back one last time before entering the school grounds, nothing had changed.

* * *

Vegeta watched Jenny go until she had disappeared on the school grounds, his face schooled into an indifferent mask. Yes, he was angry with her, angry about her behavior of the last few days. And also a bit concerned. The way she had acted, not just since the announcement but also the weeks and months before, was somehow disconcerting. The girl had grown confident of her abilities; she knew that she was getting better and stronger, and with this came a certain arrogance that he knew only too well. 

He had noticed this before, but hadn't wanted to acknowledge this fully, not until the fight against Frieza. The cockiness she had displayed then, first ignoring his orders to stay at home and then taunting and playing with Frieza before finishing him. The same kind of arrogance had killed her father, only then it had been her brother and he had just gone through a drastic transformation.

Unfortunately Vegeta had thought, before he had seen with his own eyes, how she had mocked Frieza, that a fight against him might boost her confidence. How wrong he had been. And still he had praised her after this. Well, arrogance aside, she had fought well, even he couldn't deny this fact.

But of one thing he had been completely sure at the end of this strange day – the woman had been right, when she had approached him with the idea of sending the girl to school. Even though he had, at first, agreed reluctantly, after all, he knew that Jenny wanted to train hard because of the prophecy, he had then thought it to be a good idea. The girl needed other influences than his and the old woman's to keep her well grounded.

And the last few days had only strengthened their decision, when they had been forced to experience how little the girl seemed to think of them, how little she thought of authority figures. At the beginning Mrs. Briefs had reassured him that this was just the normal behavior of an eight years old sullen girl, but as the days passed, he believed it was more than that. She wasn't just sullen, she was clearly angry and he was sure that it was the temper of the Saiyajin within her. It had come to the surface during the fight against the dead, tasted the blood and didn't want to let go.

Vegeta sighed, as he turned around to go back to Capsule Corporation. This was for the best. The girl might not understand it yet, but sometime she just had to realize that it would only help her. He had watched people succumb to darkness, he himself had been one of them, and something drastic had to be done to save Jenny, so that she wouldn't have the same fate.

* * *

Jenny trudged along the corridors, following the signs on the walls that were leading to the principal's office. Her grandmother had told her to go there first, to introduce herself. Then she would get her timetable and meet up with the teacher for first period. The school itself seemed huge compared to the number of students she had seen until now. She saw many unused lockers and most of the students seemed to be huddled together, making some corridors appear vast and empty. 

But the students she saw had one thing in common. Most of them were smiling a joking, others engaged in conversations with friends or classmates, but all of them seemed to want to make the best of the situation and attempt to live a normal life. Apparently she was the only one here against her will and it showed on her face. A deep scowl had already scared away a couple of students, who had wanted to help her, as they hadn't seen her at this school before.

Finally she stopped in front of an open door, and, heaving a long suffering sigh, entered the antechamber of the principal's office. There was a middle-aged woman with short brown hair and round glasses sitting at a desk, brooding over some papers – the only person in this room – so Jenny went to her and announced her presence by clearing her throat.

The woman, Mrs. Makino according to the nameplate on the desk, looked up and immediately smiled kindly, when she saw the girl in front of her desk. "Hello. Can I help you, dear?"

The scowl on Jenny's face deepened. If there was one person, who was allowed to call her 'dear', it was her grandmother, and Jenny denied even her this privilege at the moment being. "My name is Son Jenny. I'm supposed to start at this school today."

"Of course. I've been waiting for you." Jenny wished to wipe this smile off the woman's face somehow. "Everything's ready for you. I've got your timetable and Miss Katayama will be here shortly to introduce you to your new class. If you'd just wait for a moment?"

Mrs. Makino motioned to a couple of chairs at one wall and Jenny sat down on one of them, arms crossed over her chest and the look on her face as defiant as ever. She followed the principal's secretary with her eyes and watched, as she took a folder out of one of the cabinets. Seeing her name on the cover and then the pitying look the woman gave her after having looked at one of the sheets, she had to suppress the urge to just storm out of the room and go home.

A few minutes later, another, younger woman stepped into the room. Jenny guessed she was about thirty, with long blond hair, wearing dark blue jeans and a white blouse. "Ah, Miss Katayama," the other woman said, still smiling. "This is Jenny. She will be your new student."

"Hello Jenny," Miss Katayama greeted her amiably. "How are you?" But Jenny only glared at her. The teacher appeared to be unaffected by the girl's hostile behavior, as she just took the timetable from Mrs. Makino and then said, "Well then, Jenny, shall we?"

Jenny didn't listen to the woman, as the just babbled on, while they were walking to the classroom. The blue linoleum on the ground was far more fascinating than anything the teacher might have to say to her.

"So, here we are!" Miss Katayama announced cheerfully, as she stopped in front of a door that was labeled with the number 126. "This will be your classroom, at least for the coming school year. As it is, the others know each other already, since term started already two weeks ago and most of them had already been together in one class last term, but I wouldn't worry. I'm sure they'll welcome you with open arms. Come on, I want to introduce you."

She opened the door and Jenny followed her somewhat reluctantly. Immediately upon stepping into the room, all heads of the ten students turned to her curiously. She ignored them, already looking around for the seat farthest away from all of them. Maybe, if her grandmother and Vegeta saw that she wasn't making any friends, they would take her out again. Yeah, this was a thought. Maybe she should also make sure that her marks were the worst of all of them, just for good measure. Let's see how bad she could do compared to the other students in third grade.

"Class, this is Jenny. She will join you from now on. It'd be great, if you welcomed her warmly and give her every help she needs. Jenny, why don't you sit down at the window, next to Sasha." A pale boy with black hair waved at her and motioned to the seat next to him. Not the seat she would have chosen, but at least it was next to a window. After she had sat down and thrown her schoolbag on the windowsill, her teacher said, "Well, Jenny, why don't you tell us something about yourself, so that we can get to know you a bit better?"

Jenny kept silent, even as she felt every single eye on her. She would make sure to be the hardest case of a student that her teachers had ever encountered.

Much to her annoyance, her teacher still didn't seem to be fazed. The woman just kept smiling at her and eventually said, "Well, what about your full name or your age for a start? I'm sure the others are also interested in your hobbies."

Name, age and hobbies? She could do that. Jenny smirked, as she finally said, "Son Jenny, eight years old, Martial Arts."

Several students gasped at the last announcement and immediately murmurs broke out. Some couldn't believe that a scrawny girl like her could fight. "Oh! Just like Mr. Satan!" a brunette girl with pigtails exclaimed. "Did you start because of him? I'm sure he's your idol, isn't he?"

Jenny looked at her, the expression on her face being a mix of disbelief and amusement. She still hadn't forgiven Satan for once again using a situation like Buu for his fame. Suddenly, she snorted and shook her head. "Satan's a fraud. He could _never_ be my idol. I learned to fight, because it runs in the family. My parents, my brothers and other people I know are all fighters. My father won the Budokai once – that was before Satan participated, otherwise this weakling would have never become the _World Champion_."

The whole class was silent, completely and utterly stunned. The students and even Miss Katayama gaped at her and Jenny enjoyed it immensely. And then something happened. The first student began to snicker, followed by a second one and soon the whole class was laughing. Jenny didn't believe this. Did they truly think that she was joking? Her head whirled around and her eyes landed on the teacher, who was also chuckling. Anger rose in her and before she knew what she was doing, she stood.

"You think that I'm kidding?" she roared over the laughter. The class quickly fell silent again and the students stared at her as if she had grown a second head. "Satan didn't defeat Buu! My father did! And he also never killed Cell! That was my brother's doing! He's just a pathetic weakling, claiming the fame for something other people have done!"

"That's enough Jenny," Miss Katayama said. She wasn't smiling anymore, instead the woman looked at her sternly. "I know that you've lost almost your whole family. Maybe they even died trying to protect others, but to claim that Mr. Satan is a liar is inexcusable. I believe, we've heard enough of your stories. Let's now start the lesson, as always with a prayer, asking God to help us and guide us through the hard years to come."

Still outraged, Jenny watched how the students around her and also Miss Katayama folded their hands and closed their eyes for a silent prayer. Crossing her arms over her chest and scowling deeply, she listened as two or three students mumbled words that meant nothing to her.

Their teacher was the first one to open her eyes again and immediately gazed to Jenny, who only glared back. The woman sighed and silently walked over to the girl. The others, who had also finished their prayer, followed her with their eyes, wondering what was wrong with the new girl. "Jenny, don't you believe in God?" she asked softly. "It's understandable, if you don't, after everything that has happened to us, and believe Earth to be godforsaken."

"Oh, I believe in God," Jenny answered smirking. "I just don't see the sense in asking a dead person to help you and guide you."

"God isn't dead!" the same brunette girl from before cried out. "He's eternal! He can't die!"

"Well, he died. Killed by Buu," Jenny informed her coolly. "I could show you where he lived, but since his Lookout was also destroyed, blown to itsy bitsy pieces, along with its inhabitants, it isn't possible anymore. So, you see, Earth really _is_ a godforsaken planet."

"That's enough!" Miss Katayama now finally snapped at Jenny. "It's one thing to call our savior Mr. Satan a fraud, but to say that God is dead, killed by Buu… I'm sorry, but you'll have detention after school with our guidance counselor. I will inform him of your case during break." After she had gone back to her desk, she turned her attention to the other students. "Please open your textbooks now at page twenty-three. We will continue, where we stopped last lesson."

Grumbling under her breath, Jenny rummaged through her bag, searching for the textbook she needed in this class. There hadn't been many books that Mrs. Briefs had needed to purchase for school, seeing as Gohan had probably the largest collection of schoolbooks that existed. This book was one of his and Jenny couldn't help the small smile, allowing it to calm her blood a bit, as she noticed the small doodle of Shenlong next to the text.

* * *

The breaks and also lunch were a lonely affair for Jenny. For one, she refused to sit with anyone and even if she had sat down next to some of her class, she doubted that they would have talked to her at all. Well, she could live with that. That was what she wanted, right? If she continued to behave like this, it would only be a matter of time until she was expelled. Maybe a few more stories of her life would help to accelerate proceedings.

* * *

After classes were finally over that afternoon, Jenny found herself on the way to the office of the guidance counselor. She knocked at the door and waited the few seconds until a male voice told her to step inside. An elderly man with grey hair, a mustache, silver rimmed glasses and a kind smile was sitting on a leather chair and motioned for her to sit down in the stuffy brown armchair on the other side of the desk. 

"Hello Jenny," he greeted her friendly, when she had sat down. "I'm Mr. Kinley… Now, what brings you here?"

The girl shrugged indifferently. "You tell me."

"Well, your teacher, Miss Katayama, talked to me during break," he said. "She told me some interesting things that you've said during class. May I ask you something? Your father, he died before you were born, didn't he?"

"Yes…" Jenny answered warily, not really knowing what he was getting at.

"And your brother?"

"Buu."

Mr. Kinley looked over his glasses at Jenny, studying her expression before he asked, "Could you describe the circumstances of your father's and brother's deaths?"

Jenny tilted her head and returned his look, wondering for a moment how he wanted her to answer this. In the end she simply replied, "Cell killed my father and as I already said, Buu my brother."

"I guessed as much, but _how_ did they die? In which situation? For example, were they in hiding when they were attacked?"

The girl looked at him with a defiant glare, as if saying that alone the prospect of her father and brother hiding from a threat was preposterous, simply insulting. "They were fighting. As I already told Miss Katayama, most of my family consisted of fighters. They would never run away and leave Earth to its fate. They'd rather die."

"And that's what they did, isn't it? You say they fought against those monsters, but they died. They died and left you alone. Your file says that your mother died when you were born and that you and your brothers lived in the care of Bulma Briefs from that moment on. But both of your brothers died, when Buu attacked, as did Mrs. Briefs. Almost every person that you cared for died and left you alone. It's only natural that you make up stories to make them appear like heroes, so that it seems to you that they left you to save the world. It makes it easier, doesn't it? To pretend?"

"I'm— That's— I'm not alone!" she sputtered, not believing what she was hearing. "I've got my grandma and Vegeta! And I'm not pretending! My father and Gohan and also Goten, Trunks, Krillin and Piccolo, they all died to save the world! Without them, without my father and Gohan, it wouldn't exist anymore!"

"I see…" the guidance counselor only said and scribbled something – Jenny believed she made out the word _neglect_ - on his notepad. When he finally looked up again, he removed his glasses from his nose and sighed. "Jenny, let me be honest with you. I believe that you're simply lonely. Have you ever talked to your grandmother or to Mr. Briefs about this? Do they know that you make up stories about your family and that you stopped believing in God after Buu?"

"I didn't stop! Dende's dead!"

"Yes, Miss Katayama told me that you think that God, or, as you may call him, _Dende_, was killed by Buu. But isn't this just an excuse to stop believing?"

He looked at her sympathetically, Jenny, however, didn't say anything, she just kept glaring. If he didn't want to believe her, fine! But to treat her like this, to act as if he knew her problems! He had no idea! He had no idea how she felt, how it felt to be one of the main reasons that so many people had died. He didn't know the weight of the prophecy. He knew nothing! Nothing about her family and nothing about her!

"Believe me, Jenny. You're not the only one who doesn't know how to deal with a situation like this, but I wonder how your guardians didn't notice this. Talk to them about your problems. Tell them how you feel about the loss of your family, how lonely you are, because this is the first step to get better. I, myself, will write a letter to your grandmother and Mr. Briefs with my assessment of this situation." Mr. Kinley put his glasses back on his nose and took a pen. "Please wait outside for a few minutes."

* * *

Jenny almost didn't dare to step inside, when she finally got home from school. She hadn't dared to take a look at the letter that the guidance counselor had written, but she was sure that whatever it said, it wasn't positive. Of course, she absolutely abhorred the idea of school, but she didn't want to get her grandmother and Vegeta into trouble. 

Somehow, when she had been sitting outside of his office to wait for the letter, thinking about the whole situation, she had started to feel guilty. The anger, the boiling blood that had fueled her all those days suddenly wore off, leaving her weary and scared.

When she had started her whole _Come on, expel me_-campaign, she hadn't thought of the fact that it might all fall back on her guardians. She wouldn't have even thought of this possibility, if Mr. Kinley hadn't mentioned it and hadn't seen this word _neglect_ on his notepad. _I wonder how your guardians didn't notice this._ He blamed Vegeta and her grandmother for her behavior, probably for not spending enough time with her or something like that, but he couldn't be more wrong. Jenny had never been mistreated by one of them – her continuous training sessions with Vegeta not mentioned. Actually quite the contrary was the case sometimes. But still, if she had acted a bit differently, they wouldn't be in this mess now.

Jenny had been selfish to think that her teachers would put the full blame on her, an eight years old girl. From now on, no matter what the letter said, she would need to do her best to avoid trouble. After this day, after everything that she had messed up – hadn't both her grandmother and Vegeta told her repeatedly to keep quiet about the truth of the Cell Games, Buu and their abnormal life in general? – she swore to herself that she would try to keep her temper in check and do what was expected of her.

As usual, Jenny found her grandmother in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Fortunately Vegeta was in the gravity room and didn't seem to have noticed, or cared, that she was back from school. So she could give her grandmother the letter without Vegeta finding out so soon.

"Where've you been so long?" Mrs. Briefs sounded tired and she didn't look up from the sauce that she was stirring.

"Detention," Jenny mumbled, suddenly feeling a bit ashamed. "I said some things in class and my teacher sent me to see the guidance counselor. He gave me this letter for you." Jenny took the by now somewhat crumbled envelope out of her bag and gave it to her grandmother without meeting her eyes. "I better go to my room, do my homework…"

Once she was sitting in her room, Jenny put the schoolbag next to her desk and took her assignments out of it before she sat down. Opening the book on the right page, she also opened her notebook and began solving the math problems.

Time flew by as Jenny allowed herself to be consumed by her homework, keeping her mind from wandering to the fateful letter. She struggled through some of it – history for example -, but other stuff was coming to her quite easily. It was mostly subjects like math that she had almost no problems with, which was actually no wonder, when she thought about how much time she had spent in Bulma's lab over the years.

"Jenny, dinner is ready," sounded Mrs. Briefs' voice over the intercom. Jenny sighed, as she put her pen down and stretched. She was almost finished, maybe about ten more minutes after dinner to do the last exercises.

The silence that hung over the kitchen during dinner was almost unbearable. No one, not even Vegeta said a word and for once Jenny was too cowardly to ask what was written in the letter. Sometime during the last few days, a rift had appeared in her and Vegeta's relationship. It almost seemed as if his trust in her had suffered a lot.

Her appetite hadn't improved at all over the course of the day, so Jenny spent again most of the time shoving her dinner around on her plate. She threw a few quick glances at both Mrs. Briefs and Vegeta, but while her grandmother's face was incredibly pale and she looked even more tired than before, Vegeta's face was once again completely unreadable. It was scaring her somehow.

Jenny helped her grandmother clean the kitchen afterwards, hoping against hope that this might at least make up a bit for her behavior of the previous days. She still wasn't looking forward to going to school, especially after today, but if they wanted her to go, she would, without a fuss this time. Even without knowing the content of the letter, Jenny had learned the hard way that a few wrongly chosen actions or words could do much damage.

"Grandma?" Jenny asked eventually, timidly. "What did the letter say?"

The older woman sighed and turned to her. She wasn't smiling at all. "Go get changed. I believe Vegeta's expecting you in the gravity room."

"Yes grandma…" Jenny knew when her grandmother didn't want to talk about things and this was one of the most obvious gestures to show her this. It hurt. It hurt to hear the disappointment in her grandmother's voice.

After she had changed into her gi, Jenny half-heartedly went to the gravity room. The door slid open, before she could even enter the code and she didn't look up, when she stepped inside. Vegeta was obviously already waiting for her. Wincing, she remembered what Vegeta had said before she had gone to school, how she would regret it, if she didn't behave. Well, she guessed she was now facing her punishment.

Instead of the expected blow, Vegeta just asked, "Your grandmother and I, what did we do to deserve this treatment from you?"

"I don't know…" Jenny whispered and immediately felt the tears in her eyes well up. Somehow, hearing this disappointment in Vegeta's voice was worse than hearing it in her grandmother's. A sharp pain shot through her jaw and she flew through the air until she collided with the wall and slid down. She didn't get up again.

"We tried to raise you, teach you everything we know, lo-love you and how do you thank us? By making everything even more complicated!"

A crash made her flinch, but Vegeta had only destroyed one of the training bots. He was already panting heavily, though he hadn't done anything exhausting yet. Apparently, he was trying to keep his anger from exploding.

"What did the letter say?" Jenny almost wished she hadn't asked, as Vegeta whirled around and stalked towards her. She closed her eyes, again expecting to be hit, even though she would have preferred this to his quiet and disappointed voice. When he was angry, she could deal with it. Bearing his yelling and even his blows was much easier than this.

"This counselor accuses your grandmother and me to have neglected you. The school will get in contact with something called social services and then they'll decide what to do, if something like today happens again. One of the measures he mentioned was taking you away to live with a foster family."

"But…" Jenny said, upset. "Can… can they do this?"

"Obviously…"

"But I—" She shook her head, trying to get rid of the tears that were now starting to run down her face. Taking her away from the only family she had ever known, just because she had messed up once? "I don't – I didn't – I'm sorry – I don't want to leave!"

Vegeta smiled at her, though it was a sad smile. Again an expression that wasn't usually found on his face. "Then, I guess, you know what you have to do."

And then he left her, alone in the gravity room with her thoughts. Her tears were still flowing freely, but her resolve to not let anything like today happen again, was only strengthened. She wouldn't let them take her away! Even if she had to bear going to school everyday, suffer her classmates and the prayers every morning. Telling them and Mr. Kinley that she had just made up everything would be one part of it and then the other would be keeping quiet about her past and, if she had to, feed them some pretty lies about her normal life.

In addition to that, Jenny needed to do everything in her might to rebuild the trust between her and her guardians. But she was confident that she could do this, it might just take some time.

* * *

It was later at night when Jenny finally went back inside. She still needed to finish her homework and it was already getting extremely late. Her grandmother and Vegeta were most likely already in their bedrooms, so she hoped she managed to sneak in without waking anyone. However, her attempts were futile, when she saw the light of the TV flicker in the living room. Curiously she went inside and saw her grandmother lying curled up on the couch, fast asleep. 

Crouching down next to the couch, Jenny carefully shook her shoulder. "Grandma?"

The woman's eyes fluttered open and she sat up sleepily. "Jenny? How late is it?"

"Late," the girl smiled. "You should go to bed…" Chewing on her lower lip for a few seconds, Jenny eventually decided that she needed to tell her. "Grandma… Vegeta told me what was in the letter… And… I promise, I won't give them a reason to even think about taking me away from you."

"Oh Jenny," the woman sighed and engulfed her granddaughter in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, grandma. I know I messed up. But I'll try to be good from now on. I promise. I love you. I was just…"

"Don't," Mrs. Briefs said. "Don't try to justify your actions. You were angry, I understand, but there was no reason to act like this all the time or do what you did today at school."

"I know," Jenny said guiltily. "I didn't think—"

"That's right," Mrs. Briefs interrupted. "You didn't think. Just, try to keep your promise, okay? And we'll be good. If you want, we could talk about this tomorrow. It's late and we should go to bed. You still have to go to school tomorrow."

Jenny groaned, but she was smiling, glad that her grandmother was again talking to her. "Okay…"

"Oh, Jenny, before I forget. You're grounded for the next three weeks!"

* * *

That same night, after Jenny had gone to sleep, Vegeta was again floating in front of her window, watching her sleep through a gap between the curtains. 

He was still worried, because no matter what she had promised, both herself and her grandmother, he knew that it would be hard to keep her promise. The blood of a Saiyajin was not so easily tamed. If aggravated, it was easy to lose control over the situation and do things you'd later regret.

This is what had happened during the last few days, Vegeta guessed. Jenny had listened to her instincts, instead of her mind, and this is where it got her. She felt remorse now for her actions, better late than never, but it shouldn't have even come to this.

Vegeta wondered if it still would have happened, if she hadn't fought Frieza the same day that they had made this announcement. The battle must have exhilarated her, heightened the perception of the Saiyajin inside of her and therefore made her vulnerable to what it thought was an attack. Her blood had reacted at once, having made her react like she did.

They needed to be careful. He needed to keep an eye on her, on her reactions. She was a half-blood and he had seen what happened, when a half-blood lost control over the Saiyajinside. As a full-blood he didn't have the problems, because he _was _the Saiyajin. There wasn't an eternal battle being fought within him, no Saiyajin that wanted to conquer the Human.

Vegeta would never be able to imagine how hard it must be to keep a steady balance between the two sides and to have this battle fought within him. But this is what made the half-bloods so strong – and dangerous. When released, the Saiyajin would lash out, relishing its freedom and therefore be more powerful than a Saiyajin who hadn't been locked in the whole time and suppressed by the human side of the body.

No matter what a half-blood did to keep the balance between the Saiyajin and the Human, they would always fight for dominance and because of that, always be unpredictable. He had seen it in Gohan after his second transformation and in his own brat and the twins, when they had turned Super Saiyajin for the first time. It had allowed them transformations that full-blooded Saiyajins needed to train for long and hard, before it was even possible to transform.

The girl had been the first of the three devils, even though she was the youngest. Her improvements during training were scary sometimes, though he guessed that it would still take some years until she ascended again. He wanted to put that thought off as long as possible. Besides, for the second level some kind of trigger was necessary, and this trigger wasn't your normal everyday anger.

But still, her blood, the fact that she was a half-blood, or a hybrid, made her dangerous. He needed to be there to talk or beat some sense into her, when the Saiyajin once again decided to show itself and take control over her actions. Even if she messed up again, he wouldn't allow social services to take her away. If they did so, against her will, they might as well doom Earth.

Because, one of the things that experience had taught him, was that there was probably nothing more dangerous than an angry unrestrained Halfsaiyajin. The lure of the blood would be simply too great to resist in a situation like this.

**

* * *

Okay, uhm, this chapter hasn't exactly turned out as I wanted it too, maybe because I was still influenced by a certain book that had been published last Saturday. But I like it this way as well, maybe even better than the original idea… **

**Now, on another note, seeing as thisfanfic is now (almost) exactly (fanfictionnet gives me two different publishing dates – ****07-20-02**** and ****07-21-02****) three years old, I thought I give you a small preview of one of the chapters that are already finished. This chapter will still be in Part III (this part), but at a much later date… There's still so much that has to happen before this (there are still a few more years to cover)… Anyway, here it is:**

_Suddenly, as he was walking past a dark alley, he could hear someone whimper and noises as if someone was fighting. Expanding his ki, he could just feel two humans, one only a tad bit stronger than the other, but if there was some fighting going on and he could save a life, he shouldn't hesitate. Taking a few steps inside and waiting until his eyes had adjusted to the shadows, he finally saw them. But what he saw surprised him – a young woman, no, a girl that couldn't be older than eighteen, according to what he was able to see, was holding a middle-aged man by his throat pressed against a wall. The girl, who was wearing a long black leather coat and had long blond and wavy hair, had a superior smirk on her face and he could smell the fear of the man. _

_Drawing his sword, he called, "Let him go."_

_He noticed her tense for a second, probably because she had been caught, but she didn't turn her head. "Sorry, can't do that."_

_"I warn you," he took a few steps closer, sword poised in his right hand, "let him go and I won't hurt you."_

_"Oh puh-lease," she half-whined, half-groaned, but clearly sounding annoyed, "as if you could hurt me." She now finally sneaked a glance at him, but had to squint against the glaring sun. However, as she noticed the sword gleam in the sunlight, she sighed and let the man go, who quickly scurried away. As she was glowering at the disappearing man, he could hear her mumble something like _Damn weasel!_ under her breath, before she turned her attention back to him. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this – how could she just turn her back on him, when he had a weapon pointed at her? Either she was incredibly stupid or she knew exactly what she was doing. "So, you want to fight?" She reached with both hands over her shoulders and pulled two swords, one long, one short, out from their hiding-place underneath the coat. "Let's fight."_

**So, curious?**


	36. Part III: The Trials of Love and Life

**A/N: Sorry for the wait… I've been working almost two weeks on this chapter, never getting it right and often starting again from scratch until I had suddenly had a huge epiphany Sunday night (rather 2 o'clock in the morning), while I've been on the 10 years wedding anniversary of some neighbors. I haven't been thinking of this and then, suddenly, it was there! I would have started to write then and there, but with attending a party and having no notebook I had to wait until the next day. Oh, and this chapter is split into two parts. It would have been too long to post as one and it also would have taken longer, if I had finished it completely. So, here's the first part…**

**As to your question about the preview, Vindali: This scene will still take place in the third part of the story, but it will come into play a couple of years from now in the storyline and there're still so many other things that have to happen first. For example the thing with the swords. Oh believe me, I've still got so many things planned for the characters… _laughevily_**

**But now, have fund with this chapter!

* * *

**

**Part III**

**Chapter 35: The Trials of Love and Life**

"Come on, son! I know you can do better than that!" a grinning Son Goku said, after he had once again easily dodged an attack performed by his oldest son.

The two Saiyajins were on a meadow near their house on the Dai Kaiou's planet. It was later in the morning and the sun was steadily rising higher at the sky, already burning mercilessly down on them. The Tenkigods seemed to be in a very good mood today, but those who lived on that planet (or in general on the different planets in the Afterlife) usually learned quickly that this could change very quickly.

As it was, the moods of those gods decided about the weather. Blizzards or thunderstorms were signs for bad tempers, while sunshine and warmth indicated the contrary. For those who were used to the four seasons, like the earthlings, it took some time getting used to this. One day you could enjoy the sun to its fullest and the next day you couldn't leave the house because of some mighty snowstorm. But after more than one year of living through it, it didn't bother them anymore. It was just another of those things that were different in the Afterlife.

"Sorry, dad," Gohan mumbled, as he wiped some sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. His dark hair was swaying in the light breeze, as he looked at his father with an apologetic expression on his face.

Goku dropped out of the fighting stance and tilted his head to one side. His son was behaving weird, for a few days already. He always appeared to be somewhere else with his thoughts, but Goku couldn't fathom why Gohan was like this. "Alright, Gohan, what's bothering you? Out with it!"

Startled, Gohan blushed and began to scratch the back of his head – a typical sign of either nervousness or embarrassment or both. With his eyes lowered, he just said, "Nothing important, really… It's just…" He heaved a deep sigh. "Videl's birthday's coming up in a couple of days and I don't know what to get her. It's harder this year, because of… you know…"

The older Saiyajin only blinked in surprise, before he just began to laugh. He didn't want to hurt Gohan's feelings and he knew that it was important for his son, but at the same time he was relieved that it was _just_ something as mundane as this. However, when he noticed the slouched form of his son and the red spots on his face, he tried to stifle his laughter. "Sorry Gohan," he chuckled. "I just thought it was something serious…"

"This is—"

"Serious, I know," Goku cut him off, flashing him an understanding smile. "For you, I mean." Sitting down, he motioned to Gohan to join him. The young Saiyajin appeared to be a bit confused, but sat down next to his father nonetheless. "I believe it is in my job description to help you with problems like this, but unfortunately I'm absolutely clueless in the field of dating."

Gohan chuckled slightly, as he remembered the tale of how his parents got together. Honestly, how could someone think that a marriage was something to eat? Even _he_ wasn't that clueless.

"We first really got to know each other after the wedding and I strongly believe your mother felt remorse afterwards for _forcing_ this on me, though she never told me this."

Gohan looked at his father, stunned. He had never heard this part of the tale before. "How did you know? I mean, that mom felt bad about the marriage?"

"I… just knew. I felt it. It was weird at this time, because I didn't know _how_ I could possibly know this, but after Vegeta came to Earth, everything made sense," Goku told him.

"The bond," his son concluded, with a pensive look on his face. "You two already shared a bond."

Goku smiled at his son, as he said, "And for a long time, already. I think the foundation was already established the first time we met and she almost split my head in two with that infernal blade on the helmet she had worn then."

The older Saiyajin paused a bit and looked at the blue sky and the fluffy white clouds, relishing in the memories of his and ChiChi's time together. It hadn't been easy, especially in the beginning, as he had had no idea what being a husband meant. The first clue had been dropped at the wedding, when he had to kiss her but everything after the ceremony, when they had returned to Gyuu Mao's castle, had been extremely awkward.

Sharing one bed was something Krillin had told him, but he hadn't understood the other hints his friend had dropped then. So, when he had first stepped into their assigned bedroom and found ChiChi sitting on the bed with a nightgown that had barely covered anything, he had quickly averted his gaze and looked anywhere but at her. He had been blushing furiously the whole time with a mysterious fluttering feeling in his stomach, and stuttering that he would be back, when she was dressed decently.

However, before he had reached the door, ChiChi had grabbed his hand with a hurt look on her face. Goku had hugged her then, because he knew that husbands hugged their wives, if they needed to be comforted and this was, what he had wanted to do. The wish to apologize had been great, but Goku had had no idea what he had done wrong and so he had asked her. ChiChi had then only shaken her head and said that he hadn't done anything wrong. There had been a smile on her face, but Goku had still been able to feel the hurt and disappointment.

After having slipped out of his embrace, she had thrown over another, longer nightgown over the tiny piece of clothing and led him to the bed, climbing in first and then patting the space next to her, telling him to join her.

They first night they had spent with each other, they had been barely touching, except for a fleeting goodnight kiss on her cheek. Fortunately things had progressed between them afterwards, especially after they had moved into their house that Goku had built in the 439 Mountain Area. The more they had gotten to know each other the easier the camaraderie between them had gotten. A friendship had begun to grow, but with this friendship also this fluttering feeling had come back, stronger than ever before and Goku had quickly found out that he liked watching her, be it while cooking dinner or at night, when she was asleep.

It had been a spur of the moment action, when one day, a few weeks after the wedding, Goku had felt the urge to do something different than simply watching her prepare their dinner and suddenly, out of their own accord, his legs had begun to move towards her and he had spun her around. The surprised look on ChiChi's hadn't lasted long, because his lips had suddenly met hers in their first real kiss since the wedding. Suffice it to say, the dinner had been burnt.

Goku had liked this _interaction_ very much, as had ChiChi, if the huge grin on her face afterwards had been any indication, so kissing her had become one of his favorite pastime activities, next to fighting and eating. Since he had still been new to this whole thing, ChiChi had taken the lead, when she had started to long for more than kissing her husband. So slowly but surely she had introduced him to the world of sexuality, but even though her body had yearned for it, she hadn't dared to take the last step.

The Saiyajin didn't know, who had been more surprised, when it had finally happened, he or ChiChi. He had just been lying in their bed, waiting for his wife to get ready, when she had come into the room, wearing midnight blue cotton pajamas with her long black her running down her back. She had been humming an unfamiliar tune with a small smile on her lips, as she had crossed the room to sit down at the vanity and taken out the brush for her hair. Goku's eyes had not once left her, mesmerized by the woman he called his wife. The fluttering feeling had returned at full force, but at the same time a warm feeling had spread through his whole body and a wide smile had tugged at his lips. Somehow, something had been different that night, though Goku still couldn't say what had caused the change. He had only known one thing – he was finally where he belonged and he felt whole.

"I love you."

The words had left his mouth, before he had even thought about saying them. ChiChi had frozen, almost losing the grip on the brush and had turned around to face him with wide and disbelieving eyes. She had just been about to open her mouth, probably to say something to contradict him, but Goku had cut her off, when he had crossed the room, pulled her out of the chair and kissed her. Once he had again pulled away from her, he had repeated, firmer and with more conviction,

"I love you, Chi. I may not always be a good husband, but all I can do is try. It's still new and it's terrifying sometimes, but when I look at you and see you smile, I just _know_ that we can make it. I didn't truly realize it until now, but this, what we have, is the best that's ever happened to me. You're the part that's been missing in my life all those years, the part that not even training or fighting could fill. You make me complete, Chi."

It had been in this night, following this declaration during a rare show of insight from Goku, that they had made love for the first time and Goku had marked and claimed her as his mate, as his instincts had told him to do. He hadn't known until years later, what it meant, having only felt that his connection to ChiChi had become much stronger. And nine months later, Son Gohan had been born, much to his parents' delight.

"You see," Goku continued at length with a dreamy smile on his face, as he turned again to look at his son, who had a rather thoughtful expression on his face, "despite the rather… unusual circumstances of our marriage, we were still meant to be together. Maybe your mother knew, when she asked me, if I wanted to marry her. Maybe she didn't. I never asked her and it isn't important anymore. I love your mother, even though I've never been the best husband and made many mistakes. Staying here after Cell was just one of them, but probably the biggest."

Suddenly, Goku again began to laugh, a carefree sound that was carried away by the wind. Gohan only looked at him with a raised eyebrow and began to choke, when, almost knocking the wind out of his unsuspecting son, Goku slapped him heartily on the back.

"I didn't help you at all, did I?"

Gohan cracked a small grin, as he shook his head. "Not really, dad."

With a small sigh, Gohan lay down with his arms crossed behind his head as makeshift pillow. Somehow, he had never expected that having a girlfriend would be this difficult. Not that he didn't like having Videl at his side, no, he loved it very much. She was his best friend after all, she understood him when no one else did and she had been the one to pull him out of his shell. She was passionate, witty, intelligent, funny, and sarcastic. Sometimes she was annoying as hell and even scarier as his mother, but still, he didn't want to be without her anymore.

So finding the perfect birthday present for her was all the more important. Gohan wanted to show her how special she was and what exactly she meant to him. Maybe he should have just asked his mother, or even better, Bulma. They had to know what girls liked. But then again. Videl was no ordinary girl. She didn't like pretty clothes, make-up or perfume. She loved fighting, having already gotten in more then one brawl with some of the fighters on this planet, after they had insulted her strength, or rather the lack thereof. Even though she had lost most of those fights, seeing as only the strongest fighters of the whole universe were allowed to visit this planet, she had never lost her pride. Oh no, Videl truly wasn't like other girls.

Still, Gohan was no closer to a solution. Maybe some classic weapons? No, Videl didn't like using them in a fight. A new gi? No, this was something friends would buy her. But he was more than that. He was her boyfriend, so he needed something better, something more personal. Only what?

"Your mother likes flowers," Goku suddenly said. "Flowers and chocolate. Nothing too fancy. For her birthdays I usually pluck some wildflowers and buy some nice chocolate. Nougat. She loves nougat. I don't know, if this helps you, but I believe that Videl's a lot like your mom, so…" Goku trails off, when he saw the look of affection on his son's face. "What are ya thinking of?"

"Videl loves white chocolate bars with Mini Smarties. Unfortunately, this flavor doesn't exist here in the Afterlife." Gohan chuckled, as he said, "You should have heard her, when she found out. Imagine to spend an eternity without your favorite sweets. She's been complaining about it for days afterwards and still holds a grudge against the sweets industries here."

Goku appeared to be lost in thoughts for a short moment after Gohan had told him this, before a huge grin spread over his face. "Then, why don't you get her some?"

Son Gohan only stared at his father with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Huh?"

* * *

„Come on, brat, concentrate!" Vegeta barked at the floating girl in front of him. 

Jenny was hovering in the middle of the gravity room, legs crossed in Indian style and eyes closed in what appeared to be strained concentration. Her usually blond hair had turned black, as she had transformed, and her outfit consisted of a black pair of shorts and a white T-shirt.

"You're not trying hard enough!"

"I am!" she hissed, opening one eye to glower at the other Saiyajin. "It just isn't working." Sighing, Jenny also opened her other eye, uncrossed her legs and landed with both feet on the ground. "And I really dunno how to find that balance. I already told ya this about a thousand times!" And, with a small pout on her lips, she added, "Can't we just fight?"

"This look on your face might work with your grandmother, but certainly not with me." Vegeta's face was set in a firm scowl, as he was looking at the girl. The pout vanished immediately, after she had noticed that it really wouldn't work, but instead a look of desperation had taken its place.

Somehow, Vegeta could sympathize with her. They'd been working on this for several weeks already and had made no improvements. None at all. It really was tiring. When Vegeta had first thought about training Jenny to keep the balance between the Human and the Saiyajin and therewith minimize the chances that something like a couple of weeks ago (or something worse) happened again, he hadn't imagined that it would be this difficult. Apparently it was simply impossible to find the perfect balance.

"Why not, Vegeta? Why can't we just train like we always did?"

"Because this is more important," he snapped.

With a scowl on her face, Jenny folded her arms over her chest, unknowingly mimicking Vegeta's stance. "Yeah, I know… But you said yourself that you weren't sure, if this was going to work. So why bother any longer?"

Oh yes, he had said this, but now he wondered, why. _Because you wanted her to know the whole truth,_ his inner voice reminded him, much to his chagrin. He had fought long and hard with himself and then, about one week after her first day at school, had decided that there was no way around it. Even though the girl had behaved at school, she still had deserved to know what had made her act like this. So, one afternoon after training, he had told her.

Her reaction had been as expected. Denial having been the first one, questions about why Gohan, Goten and Trunks didn't have those problems (to which he had just needed to mention Cell to make her understand that her older brother indeed did have those problems) had followed shortly after and then, in the end, resignation. It was truly remarkable that a girl her age understood so much, but her brother hadn't been much different at her age. Once again, he put his entire blame for this on the Saiyajin inside of her.

Not that this was entirely a bad thing, as the Saiyajin had by all means also good sides. She just needed to be able to control it, which brought them back to the reason, why they were doing this in the first place.

"Because we don't know, what will happen, if you lose complete control!" Snarling, Vegeta stepped up to her until only merely inches were separating them and Jenny had to crane her neck to look up at him. "You lose control over the Saiyajin and go on a killing spree, how would you like that? There're no Dragonballs, so no chances of resurrecting those you killed. People would fear you, just like they feared Buu and Cell and I would be forced to hunt you down and most likely kill you."

"B-but you would stop me, before this happens, right? Before I kill anyone? You will be there to hold me back, right?" Jenny now looked at him with wide dark eyes, as her imagination went into overdrive and presented her with many pictures that weren't pretty at all. A menacing look on her face, as she is going through the streets and relishes in the smell of blood and the sight of destruction all around her. Shaking her head, to get rid of those images, she whispered, "You're gonna be there, aren't you?"

Sighing, Vegeta closed his eyes and stepped back. "I can't promise anything," he mumbled, as he turned around and walked to the door of the gravity room. "You better get changed now. You have to leave for school soon."

He didn't look back, as he heard the soft footsteps behind him. "So, after school, we're gonna continue?" Jenny's voice sounded hopeful, so Vegeta nodded.

"After you did your homework. Your grandmother will have my head, if I train with you before. Dende knows, she can become as scary as her daughter." Glancing down, as she passed him to go back to the main building, he saw her smile up at him, though the smile was slightly dimmed. "And maybe we'll also spar."

With this almost-promise in her mind, Jenny hurried to her room to change and get her things for school. Her mood was now already a bit lighter than it had been just minutes ago, but still, those scary images loomed over her like a dark and heavy cloud. This afternoon she would try even harder than before, if it was possible. She wanted to do anything to keep this nightmare from coming true.

But first, she had to tackle another obstacle and live through several hours of boredom (either because she already knew the things her teachers were trying to teach or because the subjects were simply incredibly dull) without acting up or getting any bad attention once. She had quickly learned to distinguish bad attention from good attention. Bad attention was what she had gotten on her first day at school, but good attention was, when she contributed to the lessons with good ideas or correct answers. She had even aced the first pop quiz on math and received a chocolate cookie as reward. However, this was only one more reason for the other kids to not talk to her.

After her first day, when Jenny had – if with some reluctance - tried to talk to them and say that she was sorry for her behavior, she had been ignored by most of them. Others had started to bully her, calling her a freak and a liar and because of the fact that the news of the new girl had traveled quickly, all the other pupils had already heard of her stories and stayed away from her. Usually this wouldn't bother Jenny that much, as she still believed that she didn't need friends, but her grandmother had looked so sad, when Jenny had told her about the other kids that the girl had started to feel bad. She had tried, really, to somehow connect to them, but how could there be a connection, when they ignored her?

"Jenny, hurry, or you're going to be late!"

"Coming, grandma!" A now again blond Jenny called back, as she slung her bag over her shoulders and nearly flew down the stairs. After a quick wave and a 'be good' from Mrs. Briefs, Jenny was gone.

The woman let out a small sigh, as she turned back to the cupboards to find out, what kind of groceries she needed to buy later that day. "She's trying so hard," she said, not once turning around, when she heard the steps behind her.

"This is all she can do," Vegeta answered, as he sat down on his chair.

"But it isn't enough."

"It'll probably never be."

They were talking about two completely different things, but at least they could relate somehow. However, while Mrs. Briefs only feared that Jenny might not find any friends and would be lonely, Vegeta's fears were worse. What he had told the girl was true. If they ever got into the situation that Jenny might be a threat to the world, he mustn't hesitate to stop her, no matter how. And if it meant to kill her, this was, what he had to do.

He could only hope that it would never come to this.

And somehow, Vegeta wished that he had the chance to get some information about this inner conflict from someone who had experience with this, but unfortunately the only person who could help him was dead.

* * *

Jenny was sitting in her classroom, second period and desperately waiting for the class to end. Heaving a small sigh, she looked at the clock over the black board and noticed, much to her delight, that it was only five minutes until the fifteen minutes break. Her teacher for this class, an old man who had come out of retirement because of the lack of staff, just droned on about some math problems that she had already solved two years ago, thanks to Gohan. 

Seconds appeared to be minutes and minutes appeared to be hours, as Jenny repeatedly looked at the clock, but finally, when the bell rang and the other students all stormed into the hall, Jenny lingered behind and left last, putting on her blue denim jacket.

With her second breakfast safely stored inside a capsule, Jenny left the school building and went to her favorite spot in the schoolyard. It was underneath a large and old chestnut tree, which leafs had already turned a brilliant golden and red color, floating to the ground when hit by a stronger wind. The air was slightly chilly, especially since the sky was covered with a heavy and dark cloud. Not many students were outside, but it didn't bother Jenny anymore as much as it had a few weeks ago, when she had tried to find, if not friends, then acquaintances among the other students.

Still, a small sad smile tugged at her lips, when her eyes wandered over the other students, who were happily playing or talking with their

friends. They didn't pay her any heed, which was a welcome change to the name calling that she had already experienced too many times. _Stupid Saiyajin_, she cursed inwardly and turned her full attention to her second breakfast.

* * *

While she was heartily devouring the large stack of sandwiches that her grandmother had prepared for her, she didn't notice the person, clad in blue jeans and a black sweater, outside the schoolyard. He was watching her from behind a tree through the high fence that separated the school grounds from the rest of the city, with a deep frown on his face. 

When he had followed her from Capsule Corporation to this school, he hadn't expected this sight. Jenny usually was a happy and carefree girl, easily worming her way into the hearts of the people who got to know her. But this, this was different. This was not the easygoing girl he knew. This was a sad and lonely girl, who had built a high wall around herself.

The most striking change was the look in her large blue eyes. Most of the sparkle that had always been there, was gone, replaced by something a girl her age shouldn't know. It was a look of someone who had to grow up too fast, a look he knew only too well. A large part of her innocence had been stripped from her. All those years he had tried to prevent even this, but it had happened anyway and it saddened him.

Nearly one and a half years. How could not even eighteen months cause such a drastic change? Buu and the consequences of the battle against him couldn't be the reason, at least not entirely. Jenny had seemed fine, when he had last seen her, so what had happened?

But then, with a small smile on his face, he also noticed the other things. Jenny had grown a lot over the past months and some of the chubbiness in her face had disappeared. Her hair was also longer, going down almost to the waist in a thick braid. Seeing her now, he was sure that in just a few years, she would become a beautiful woman. Only one thing hadn't changed at all, he thought with a light chuckle, when he saw her devouring her stack of sandwiches – her appetite still seemed to be the same.

The bell to announce the next period came too soon for his liking and he watched with regret, as Jenny put the last sandwiches back into the capsule, got up from the ground and, after having dusted herself off, returned into the building. He really would have liked to talk to her, but it wouldn't be good for her. Besides, he still had other things to do before he left again.

Running a hand through his unruly black hair, Son Gohan turned on his heels and disappeared in a dark alley, taking off into the sky unnoticed.


	37. Part III: Changes

**A/N: Sorry Vindali, and all my other readers, that it took me so long, but I hope the length of the chapter makes more than up for it! The reason for the delay my move to my first very own apartment this weekend and other personal stuff. Even though there won't be much of Jenny in this chapter, I hope you'll like it anyway… Oh, by the way, another chapter of the final battle is finished!**

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* * *

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Part III

**Chapter 36: Changes**

It was a short flight until Gohan reached his destination. He touched down again in a deserted alleyway and walked the rest of the way through the town. He passed a well-known building and had to smile, when he felt two familiar kis inside. Apparently Erasa und Sharpener had survived the attacks, something Videl would surely be happy to hear.

The building was just as he remembered it, as it seemed as if it had somehow managed to escape Buu and the smile on his face widened, when he remembered the short time he had spent there. At first, he hadn't liked it at all, but then he had made his first friends, if a bit reluctantly, had gotten two new secret identities and, not to forget, he had met Videl.

However, his destination was on the other side of the town, so Gohan left Orange Star High behind and went on through the streets of Satan City. He passed the bank, where he had stopped several bank robbers on his first school day and other places that held memories for him.

Several people he met gave him weird looks and pointed at his head, or rather, at the halo floating above his head, but this didn't bother him. The halo was something he and the other had quickly gotten used to so he barely noticed it anymore.

While he was walking through the streets, Gohan saw that the destruction in this city wasn't as bad as in the Western Capitol, but he still felt a pang at his heart, when his eyes landed on a destroyed building or house, knowing that, if he and the other fighters had just done a tad bit more against Buu, if they had just taken the threat of Babidi and him a bit more seriously, nothing of this might have happened. But it was too late now. None of them could change what had happened so many months ago and Earth's inhabitants seemed to have learned to live with this.

He reached the mansion about half an hour later and, even though he could have easily flown there, he had enjoyed the walk and the memories. As usual some reporters were milling around and Gohan, not particularly fond of meeting any of them, just moved too fast for them to see and appeared on a balcony on the first floor on the other side of the large house. Fortunately the glass door was standing wide open, allowing Gohan to step inside without breaking anything. He was standing in what appeared to be the largest living room he had ever seen – even the one at Capsule Corporation was smaller – and, spreading out his senses, he found the ki he was looking for down the hall.

Leaving the living room and following the corridor, Gohan finally found himself in front of a wooden door. He knocked shortly, as the politeness that his mother had taught him kicked in, and opened the door to reveal another large and dark room with a large screen at one wall, showing scenes from a children's birthday party. His attention was immediately drawn to the small black haired and blue-eyed child that was sitting at the head of the table with a huge cake in front of her. Behind the girl two persons were standing, a man and a woman. The woman looked at lot like the girl, with the same straight black hair and the sparkling blue eyes and the man was no other than,

"Mr. Satan?"

The very same man as in the video, just a bit older, jumped out of the front seat and whirled around startled, when he heard someone calling him. His eyes rested on the teenager and his brows furrowed, when he tried to remember, where he had seen him before. "Who are you? What do you want? And how did you get inside? I warn you, I'm Mr. Satan, the—"

"Strongest man on Earth. I know. Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you," Gohan told him with a slight grin, stepping closer. "My name is Son Gohan and I—"

"Son Gohan?" Mr. Satan cut him off, finally recognizing the young man in front of him. "B-but you're dead! Why are you alive?"

Gohan took a few more steps towards him, but stopped, when Hercule Satan began to stumble backwards, his face ghostly white, and raised his hands to indicate that he really meant no harm. "I'm dead, that's correct, but I was allowed to return to Earth for a couple of hours. I'm here because of Videl…"

"Videl? What's wrong with my girl?"

"Nothing's wrong," he quickly reassured the girl's worried father. "It's about her birthday in a few days." Gohan's gaze wandered again to the screen, as it showed how the birthday girl furrowed her brows in concentration, apparently to think of a wish, and blew out the three candles on the cake. The sound of applause could be heard through the speakers and the young child squealed in delight, when she was handed the first piece of the cake. Gohan smiled, when he saw this scene. "You should know that Videl and I, we've been dating for a couple of months and I—"

"You!" Mr. Satan cried outraged. "Dating my daughter? I would never allow anyone weaker than me to go out with my daughter! You may not forget who I am! I'm the defeater of Cell!"

Gohan grinned, as he pointed out, "Actually, that was me."

"Oh, right," Satan mumbled, remembering what Videl had told him in the course of the one night she had been allowed to visit him in his dreams. "Well, so you and my little girl are going out. Do you love her?"

"Very much," Gohan replied, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy under the scrutinizing gaze of his girlfriend's father. Somehow he had always imagined that meeting his girlfriend's parents would be slightly different. However, that was before he had met Videl Satan. Meeting her had truly turned his world upside down. "And because of this I want to give her something special for her birthday. Well, actually it began with an idea of my dad to come to Earth to get plenty of her favorite chocolate, which doesn't exist in the Afterlife."

"White chocolate bars with Mini Smarties?"

"Exactly those," the Saiyajin confirmed Videl's father's words. Somehow, after only really talking to him for a few minutes, he began to receive a complete new impression of this man. He would have never thought that Mr. Satan knew the favorite chocolate flavor of his daughter. "However, the more I thought about it, the more another idea started to grow. I decided to give her something personal, something from home. And I need your help for this. Of course, if you want to, I could give her something from you. I'm sure she'd be happy to get a present from her father."

"So, something personal, you say?" Mr. Satan asked thoughtfully. "How long do you stay here?"

Shrugging, Gohan answered. "Until late afternoon I guess. There are still some other things that I have to do—"

"Like buying the chocolate."

"Like buying the chocolate," the teenager agreed grinning. "If you had the things ready by three o'clock this afternoon, it would be great."

* * *

It was already a lot later than Gohan had thought it would be, when he was finally on his way back to Capsule Corporation. Mr. Satan had insisted that he stayed a bit, so that they could get to know each other a bit better, before he returned to the Afterlife. Gohan was surprised that Satan was actually alright after having talked to him for almost two hours, and he was glad that he had nothing against his and Videl's relationship. This had always been a thing that had bothered Gohan a bit, that they had never really had the chance to get her father's _blessing_. He only silently wondered if Mr. Satan had always been like this, or if the changes in him had been caused by Buu and losing his only daughter.

Gohan flew quickly and didn't even bother to be careful, as he just landed in the backyard of Capsule Corporation in front of the gravity room. Jenny's ki was still at school, Mrs. Briefs's somewhere in town and he could feel Vegeta's in there. A low chuckle escaped Gohan's lips. Where else had he expected to find Vegeta?

He punched in the code and smiled in relief, as the door slid open. He had almost feared that Vegeta had changed it over the course of the last months. Fazing again out of sight, he slipped through the door and watched from under the ceiling, as Vegeta stopped his training and turned to the door.

"Who's there?" he demanded to know, sounding annoyed. Vegeta quickly checked the kis of his family and found them at school and in town. His body began to tense, as he couldn't feel anyone near the gravity room. "Whoever's there, show yourself. I warn you, I'm the—"

"Strongest man on Earth, yeah, I know. Heard this already from someone else today, but the difference is that you're saying the truth." Gohan chuckled, as he let himself drop behind the other Saiyajin. The grin on his face got even wider, when Vegeta suddenly spun around and lashed out at him. However, the teenager easily caught the fist, seeing as Vegeta hadn't put any real force behind it.

After the young man had released his fist, Vegeta straightened his body and smirked. The only thing that indicated the Prince's astonishment of finding the other Saiyajin on Earth was the slight and quick widening of his eyes, when he had recognized him. Crossing his arms over his chest in their usual manner, he said, "It's really you, brat. I don't want to appear rude, but why are you here?" he asked with a smirk on his face, which only supported the underlying sarcastic tone of his voice. "And what happened to your ki?"

Gohan shrugged. "Short visit to take care of some personal stuff."

"Such as?" the Prince asked with a raised eyebrow, as he was walking to the main control to switch of the gravity and grabbed a towel to dry his face.

A sheepish smile spread over the teenager's face, as he began to scratch the back of his head. "It's about a birthday present for Videl."

Vegeta snorted. "So you're finally together. Have you mated already?"

Completely caught off guard by this blunt question, Gohan blushed a deep red and lowered his gaze. "Well, uhm…"

"You haven't. Boy, you've got to have some self-control." Shaking his head, Vegeta only smirked at the teenager's embarrassment and used the time to eye the boy carefully. He had grown again an inch or two in the course of the last eighteen months, now being about as large as his father, and Vegeta wondered silently, if the boy had also gotten stronger. "But I'm sure you're not here in my gravity room to talk about your _love life._ So, spill it, it's about the brat, isn't it?"

Gohan nodded seriously, the blush slowly fading. "I have seen her this morning, at school. She didn't seem to be… happy."

"Why didn't you talk to her?" Vegeta asked gruffly, now opening a bottle of water and taking a few large mouthfuls.

"I…" Sighing, Gohan ran with his hand through his hair. "I don't want her to find out that I'm here. Hence the lack of my ki. I believe it would be too hard for her, if she saw me now only to say goodbye again in a couple of hours."

"You should have more trust in her."

"Stop it, Vegeta, please. Just tell me what's wrong with her. What's happened that made her so sad?"

"The girl had some problems at school." At Gohan's confused look, Vegeta explained, "Saiyajin related problems. She… lost control over it for a short time, making her defiant and rebellious."

Gohan paled, when he heard these tidings. He knew only all too well what could happen, if a hybrid lost control over the stronger and more primal part of this body. "Did she… did she hurt anyone?"

"Only her social life at school," Vegeta said, not believing it necessary to tell him about the threat of social services. "She's got to visit the guidance counselor at school once a week, but that's all. We're working on finding the balance between the Human and the Saiyajin, but—"

"It doesn't work, right?" Vegeta only nodded. "Yeah, I know this problem. Finding the balance, it's, I dare say, impossible."

"I thought so," the older Saiyajin admitted, sounding a bit defeated. "The girl is usually quick at picking up new moves or mediation techniques, but we've been at it for weeks and there are no improvements."

"And there won't be. Piccolo tried to do the same training with me directly after Cell, but we only found one way to solve the problem. The only thing Jenny can do is try to control her feelings and accept the Saiyajin as a part of her. The worst thing she could do is starting to fight against it." Gohan sighed and once again ran his hand through his hair. When he had decided to come back for a few hours, he hadn't expected this. "I wished that she wouldn't have to go through this. Losing control over the Saiyajin isn't pretty. Goten and Trunks have been spared until now, but apparently it's a problem all Human-Saiyajin-hybrids have to live with. Once something triggers the Saiyajin, it's ever present. Only the trigger seems to differ from hybrid to hybrid."

"Apparently," Vegeta agreed, thinking about what Gohan had told him. He could guess what had triggered the Saiyajin in the teenager – the transformation to the second level in the battle against Cell.

_Damn!_ If there truly was no other way, he had to keep an eye on the girl. She had already made huge improvements in their earlier training to control her emotions, but still, it had happened.

Her Saiyajin had been set off in the fight against Frieza somehow, or maybe even before, when he had forbidden her to fight. Maybe it was also a number of things that had cumulated to wake the Saiyajin in her, he didn't know.

The only difference between then and now was that she knew of the problem. She knew what might happen if she lost control and hopefully this knowledge would be enough to help her to avoid this.

"But this isn't everything, is it, Vegeta?" Gohan pulled him out of his thoughts, after having watched the silent Saiyajin for a while. "There's something else, something even more important. Jenny's different and it isn't just the Saiyajin in her."

Sighing almost inaudibly, Vegeta pondered if he should tell the brat what he had overheard more than one year ago. The Kaioushin was stupid to not having told them yet about Jenny's destiny. They were her family and so much had gone wrong already due to the god's failure. Deciding that they would find out eventually, Vegeta said, "Shortly after Buu, the brat had a visitor – the Kaioushin. I overheard their conversation. He has told her about a prophecy that's concerning her and then asked her to keep it a secret."

"A-a prophecy? About Jenny?" Gohan asked stunned. "What is it about?"

"It's not my place to tell. Give this information to your father and ask him to talk to the Kaioushin. I'm sure that, if confronted, this so-called god will tell him."

"I'll do that." A small smirk tugged at Gohan's lips. "And if the Kaioushin doesn't want to, I'll find another way to persuade him. No one, and when I say no one, I mean it, dares to mess with my family. Not even a god."

Vegeta smirked. "I knew you had it in you."

"I'm just protecting my family," Gohan replied with a shrug, now again with a small grin on his face. "Well, I guess I gotta go again. I still haven't done everything I've come back for. It was good to see you again, Vegeta, you and Jenny. But please don't tell her that I was here."

"I won't."

"Thanks," the teenager answered relieved, though also a bit sad. "And also thanks for telling me about her problems. I'd just wish that she was happy again."

The last sentence was a silent plea and the teenager hoped that the Prince of the Saiyajins would understand it. He couldn't stand it, if Jenny remained as miserable as she had been today. The girl still had her whole life to look forward to and no matter what this mysterious prophecy said, she deserved to live this life to its fullest without regrets.

Turning to the open door, Gohan took a few steps, before he looked back and said, "We'll meet again, Vegeta. I'm sure of this."

"Just make sure that you continue your training, brat," the other Saiyajin replied smirking. "I plan to fight you someday, when I'm finished with your father. That future-mate of yours better understands that, before she takes up too much of your time." Gohan nodded at him with a small grin, before he continued his way to the door, but was again stopped by Vegeta's voice. "Before I forget – is there a bond?"

"There is," Gohan threw over his shoulder, as he left the room, but before the door slid completely shut behind him, the teenager could have sworn that Vegeta had mumbled,

"Good for you."

* * *

The teenage Saiyajin smiled brightly, as he shot through the sky. The wind was whipping past his face and the sun was shining down on his face over the clouds. It was great to finally see a blue sky again, as the sky in the Afterlife was either black at night or of some strange pink or purple color during the day. But he had to return soon, so he wanted to savor this as long as possible. Who knew, when, if ever, he could see this sky again.

Gohan had resisted the urge to fly by Jenny's school to see her one more time, instead reminding himself that he still needed to buy the chocolate and that he would most likely have to go to several stores to buy as much as he had planned to purchase. Before he had left the Afterlife to visit Earth, he had exchanged the Mice (the intergalactic money; small white stone coins) that he had won during several smaller tournaments in the Afterlife, for his own currency on Earth.

With the huge quantity of chocolate bars safely stored away in several capsules, Gohan was now on his way back to Satan Mansion. It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon and he hoped that his future father-in-law would be ready, because Baba would appear half past three to get him.

The door to the balcony was still open, so the teenager set down there and entered the living room after having knocked at the glass to alert Mr. Satan of his presence. The self-proclaimed savior of the world was sitting in an armchair, obviously already waiting for his daughter's boyfriend. Next to him on the table Gohan could see a small case that was specially made to contain capsules.

"Mr. Satan," Gohan said, as he stepped closer to the man. "Do you have everything?"

Hercule Satan smiled toothily, as he picked up the case and gave it to Gohan. "There are five capsules in there. Four of them are filled with some of Videl's personal stuff. And the fifth one is from me for her birthday."

The Saiyajin returned the smile and pocketed the case, making sure that it was safely stored in his jeans, along with the chocolate. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I'm sure Videl will be happy."

However, Satan suddenly shook his head. "No, young man, _I_ have to thank _you_. You told me that a dead person only has twenty-four hours to return to Earth and it means very much to me that you're sacrificing some of your precious time to do something like this for my daughter. You really _are_ in love with her and I _know_ that you will make her happy."

Gohan was dumbfounded to hear something like this coming from Mr. Satan, the man that he had, if not downright hated, at least disliked for a long time. A small blush crept on his cheeks and his hand wandered to the back of his head on its own accord, as he stared at the ground, embarrassed. "Well, uh… thanks?"

"No need to thank me for saying the truth, for once," the older man added with a thoughtful frown. Then, he suddenly extended his hand. "Just promise me that you'll take care of her."

"Don't worry, I will," Gohan pledged and shook the offered hand. "I would never forgive myself if something happened to her."

"I know," Satan laughed, slightly sheepishly. "It's just, sometimes Videl just doesn't want someone to take care of her. She's a strong girl and she's incredibly stubborn, just as her mother was."

"Son Gohan?" they both suddenly heard a raspy voice from the balcony. "It's time to go."

Gohan looked around to Uranai Baba floating on her crystal ball and then glanced at the watch around his wrist. Was it already so late? He hadn't even noticed how quickly the time had passed. "One second, Baba!" he called over his shoulder, before he again turned his attention to the man in front of him. "Mr. Satan, it was nice to have gotten to know you."

"Likewise," Satan only responded. The world champion inclined his head and Gohan returned the gesture, before the young man turned around to go to Baba. "Son Gohan," he said suddenly, causing the teenager to look back once again, as he was already halfway on the balcony. "I'm- I'm sorry."

* * *

Gohan had a happy smile on his face, when he arrived again on the Dai Kaiou's planet. Somehow it felt good to be here again, though this feeling was somewhat unexpected. Had he truly come to accept this place as home already? He was immediately greeted by two whirlwinds, who were throwing themselves at him and firing him with questions.

"Where've you been?" – "Have you brought us something?" – "Any presents?" – "What've you been doing?" – "Can we get something to eat?"

The teenager laughed at the last question of his little brother and finally realized, why he had been happy to be back here. This place was his home, because the largest part of his family was here on this planet. Everyone he loved, except for Jenny and, he admitted grudgingly, Vegeta, was at this place.

"Let's go home," he said to them, after having peeled both hyperactive demi-Saiyajins off him. "I'm sure mom does have some small snacks for you."

He raced the boys to his family's house, where all three of them rushed through the door, Gohan having allowed Goten and Trunks to win their small competition. ChiChi looked at them with a disapproving look on her face and dangerously clicked her tongue. "What did I tell you about running in the house?"

"Sorry, mom," Gohan and Goten mumbled immediately, while Trunks only said sorry.

The teenager ruffled through both boys' hair, much to their dislike and went up to his room to hide the capsules until Videl's birthday in three days in his underwear drawer. He still needed to plan how to hand her the presents, as he didn't think that this would be something he should do with the whole extended family being present. But that could still wait a bit, Gohan decided, now with a serious expression his face. Right now, he needed to talk to his father.

Jogging back down into the kitchen, he saw that the boys were now happily munching away on some cookies, while his mother was nowhere in sight. He spread out his senses and found her in the garden, on the other side of the house. After having stolen a cookie from Goten, who was now complaining loudly, Gohan hurried through the backdoor and saw that his mother was hanging clothes on the clothesline. "Hey mom," he said. "I'm gonna see dad."

"Alright," ChiChi said, "but be back in time for dinner. And while you're at it, take your father with you."

"Of course," Gohan replied and his aura flashed around him, whirling up some dust, before he took into the sky. A sheepish grin appeared on his face, when he looked back and saw his mother shaking her fist at him, as now some of the clean clothes were lying on the ground. Hopefully, she had cooled down until he was back.

* * *

Gohan found his father only a few minutes later. Son Goku was lying in the grass at the lake, enjoying the warm sun on his face. "How was your day?" the older Saiyajin asked, before Gohan could even make his presence known.

"Pretty good, actually," he replied, sitting down next to his father, who was now leaning on his side with his hand resting on his propped up elbow. "I got the chocolate, some personal stuff from Mr. Satan for Videl, I talked a bit with him and found out that he isn't that bad once you get to know him, I saw Jenny and I talked to Vegeta."

Goku's eyebrows rose slightly, as he noticed that Gohan's eyes had become a bit darker, when he had mentioned his daughter and Vegeta. "Did something happen?" he asked worried, now sitting up completely.

"Yes, and no," the teenager answered vaguely. "They are alright, but Jenny had some problems with her Saiyajinside. But I'm sure that she'll be able to deal with it. The thing I wanted to talk to you about is something else that Vegeta told me. It's about the Kaioushin."

Gohan now had his father's full attention. Whenever the Kaioushin was involved, it was either something extremely important or bad. "Go on."

"A few weeks after Buu, he paid Jenny a visit and told her something about a prophecy. She isn't allowed to tell anyone else about it, but Vegeta overheard and told me to ask you to confront the Kaioushin about it," Gohan recounted, and then, after a short pause, said, "Vegeta sounded worried."

Goku stared at his son. Hearing the words Vegeta and worried in the same sentence was somehow strange and yet, he had seen the connection between the Prince and his daughter with his own eyes. It wasn't that unlikely, but if Vegeta was actually letting his worry shine through, it really must be important.

Suddenly an almost forgotten memory fought its way back into the Saiyajin's mind. Hadn't the Kaioushin said at the Budokai that there were some matters he had to discuss with him and ChiChi? Almost one and a half years had passed since then and the Kaioushin hadn't approached him yet with whatever he had wanted to talk about after Buu and after everything that had happened, Goku simply hadn't thought of this again.

Anger rose in him. It almost appeared as if the Kaioushin had kept them in the dark willingly, most likely hoping that Goku would forget about their conversation in the whole chaos about Buu. At the Budokai, he had wondered, if the Kaioushin was somehow involved in his wife's death, but what if ChiChi's reason for being here was somehow connected to this strange prophecy Gohan was talking about?

"Dad?" Gohan asked worriedly, when he noticed the rising ki, as his father tensed remarkably and clenched his fists almost hard enough to draw blood.

The older Saiyajin looked at his son and there was an expression in his eyes that Gohan usually only saw during battles about life and death. His father was dead serious and determined, but he was also clearly enraged. "I will talk to the Kaioushin," Goku informed him. "And you will come with me."

* * *

The Kaioushin didn't know what hit him, when one of his servants suddenly announced that he had two visitors. He had been so absorbed in his paperwork that he hadn't even noticed the strong kis that were now standing in his foyer. Putting his pen down with a sigh, he wondered what the two Saiyajins might want. There were still many important things that he had to do today, so he hoped that they hadn't just dropped by for small talk.

After having asked his servant to show them to the parlor, he just finished the paragraph he had been writing and also got up from his chair to leave his office. Taking the shortest way through the maze of hallways of his large mansion in the Afterlife, he hurried to the parlor, only to find father and son already present. They were sitting in two of the large red armchairs and the Kaioushin noticed at once the grim looks on both faces. This worried and at the same time scared him a bit. He could only remember one time, when the seasoned warrior had had this expression on his face, and this had been during the fight against Buu.

"Son Goku, Son Gohan," he inclined his head in greeting and sat down in the remaining armchair across from both of them. "Is something wrong? Did something happen on Earth?" he asked Gohan, referring to the few hours he had allowed the Saiyajin to spend on the planet.

Father and son exchanged a quick glance, before Goku simply asked, straight to the point, "Were you somehow involved in my wife's death?"

The Kaioushin's heart sank, when he heard Goku's question. He _had_ meant to talk to Goku about this after Buu, but then everything had gone downhill and later he had decided to keep his secret just a little longer, seeing as the Z-Warriors, as they somehow liked to call themselves, had already gone through so much. Only that this 'little longer' had now turned into one and a half years.

But now, it seemed, it was finally time for the truth. "Yes," he admitted, not daring to look at them. "And no."

"What do you mean?" Gohan demanded to know, as he was slowly growing even angrier at the Kaioushin than he already was. His father had told him on the way to the mansion about what the god had told him at the Budokai and his own suspicions. "Is it the prophecy? Did she die because of it?"

Looking up sharply, the Kaioushin breathed, "How do you know about the prophecy?"

"I've got my sources," Gohan only said and crossed his arms over his chest. "We know that there is a prophecy about Jenny. The only thing we don't know is what it says."

The god's mind was running wild. How could they know about this? The only people, who knew that a prophecy existed, were the ones working on translating it, Kibito, himself and the girl. As far as he knew, none of the translators had ever encountered any of the Saiyajins, he trusted Kibito and the girl had promised that she wouldn't tell anyone. Apparently, she had lied to him. "Did you speak with your sister, while you were on Earth today?"

Gohan shook his head. "The only persons I talked to were Mr. Satan, some shop assistants and—"

"Vegeta," the Kaioushin concluded. Jenny didn't betray his trust. Vegeta must have been there, when he had told the girl about the prophecy. He truly hadn't expected this. This changed everything.

"Yes, Vegeta," Goku now said, starting to sound impatient, and showed a side of himself that barely anyone knew. His eyes were cold and his voice even colder. The Saiyajin was slowly getting sick of being kept in the dark about things that concerned his family and friends. "Vegeta told Gohan that there's a prophecy about Jenny, but he also said that I should confront you about the contents. So tell me, is this prophecy the reason for ChiChi's death?"

Once again sighing loudly, the Kaioushin got up from the armchair and went to a glass cabinet. Opening the door, he took a bottle filled with purple liquid and three small glasses out and placed them on the low table in front of them. First after he had filled the three glasses with this liquid, he leant back in his chair and, after having taken a sip from the liquid, stated, "Again, I can only say yes and no."

"This doesn't make sense," Gohan shook his head in disbelief. He somehow got the feeling that the Kaioushin was trying to stall. But the more the god was beating around the bush the more he wanted to know everything, and, just as he had already told Vegeta, he would make him speak, if he was unwilling to share information. "How can the prophecy be the reason for mom's death and at the same time not? How can _you_ be involved in her death and at the same time not?"

The Kaioushin winced, when he was assaulted by Gohan's thoughts and feelings. The boy was truly serious about hurting him, if he didn't tell them what he knew. "It's a longer story, but if you're willing to listen, I'm going to tell you everything." When he noticed relieved that the teenager seemed to have calmed down a bit after his proposal, he took another sip of the fake kind of courage and began his tale.

He began the tale with a general explanation about prophecies, before he continued with the contents of the one about Jenny, as far as they were known until now. Both Saiyajin listened intently and the Kaioushin tried to quell the fear within him, when both of their faces were contorted into deep scowls and he noticed their tightly clenched fists, as they obviously tried to keep their powers in check.

Since Buu he finally knew what those Saiyajins were capable of, and he didn't want to be at the wrong end of their wrath, so he quickly recounted everything that had happened from the ritual and how it was disturbed by Babidi until now, not leaving out a single thing. ChiChi's role in this took some more time, as he wanted to make them understand that it wasn't _really_ his but Babidi's fault that the woman had to bear two Saiyajins, something which was physically impossible for a normal human woman.

Both Goku and Gohan were silent after the Kaioushin's tale. It truly was a lot to take in. Gohan buried in face in his hands, as he thought about what Jenny had to go through. His baby sister was carrying the weight of the world – both her world and another world, if he had understood the Kaioushin and his explanation to her dreams correctly – on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," the Kaioushin apologized, as he looked at Gohan, who wasn't looking at him, and Goku, who only regarded him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You're sorry?" the teenager suddenly exploded. He jumped up from the chair and his power level skyrocketed, as he just turned Super Saiyajin. "She's only eight years old, for Dende's sake! She was seven, when you dropped this on her! Are you insane? It's no wonder that she's so depressed!"

"Gohan, please," the Kaioushin pleaded, trying to reason with the outraged teenager. "Calm down. I had no other choice. She was blaming herself for everything that Buu has done, for everything he has destroyed and everyone he has killed. She needed a new purpose."

"But what if it hadn't worked? If your little revelation had given her the rest? She's just a child! No child should have a responsibility like this!"

Sighing once again, the Kaioushin simply replied, "I had to take the risk. She's the world's only hope."

Gohan took a threatening step towards the god, his anger and ki by now so high that he had passed the next level without even noticing it. "You've no idea, what it means to be the world's only hope _and_ to know that you're it, do you?" Motioning with his arms around the room, he spat, "You just sit around here in your fancy mansion, and use your pawns, use _us_, to make the universe a better place instead of doing it—"

Putting a hand on Gohan's arm to keep him from doing anything he might regret later on, Goku said firmly, "Gohan, that's enough."

"Dad! Jenny's my sister and he's—"

"She's also my daughter," his father interrupted him calmly and somehow these words and his father's blazing eyes, showing his son that he was just as angry as him, helped Gohan to calm down. The teenager left the second level and eventually also the first level, causing his hair and eyes to return to their normal color. "I know what you're feeling and I'm sure the Kaioushin is aware of the mistakes that he has made. He knows that he's to blame for this and I guess that from now on, he will consult us first, before he takes any other steps regarding Jenny."

The Kaioushin felt the older Saiyajin's burning eyes on him and somehow this was by far scarier than having a powerful Super Saiyajin as opponent. "Of course," he only mumbled, lowering his head.

Clapping him on the back, Goku said to Gohan, "Let's go home. I'm sure your mother must have dinner ready by now."

"Alright," Gohan answered, scowling at the god. "But I'm not hungry."

Goku only nodded at him sympathetically. If he was completely honest with himself, he also wasn't hungry, but ChiChi had cooked for them and he couldn't disappoint her by not eating anything. With his hand still resting on Gohan's back, Goku put two fingers at his forehead and concentrated on the ki of his wife. However, before they disappeared, he turned once again to the god. "Kaioushin, I hope you remember my words. If you ever again keep something like this from us, I promise you'll regret it."

With those parting words, the two Son's vanished, leaving two fully filled glasses behind.

Only a split second later, they arrived in front of the Son home. It was already dark outside and the lights were burning inside. Goku was already halfway at the door, as Gohan's voice stopped him. "Dad? Are you gonna tell mom?"

Son Goku didn't hesitate, as he replied, "No."

Once again with his typical carefree grin on his face, Goku opened the door and stepped inside. Admiring his father's ability to pretend that everything was alright, Gohan also tried to school his face at least into a more neutral expression, before he entered his home, where no one knew about what they just found out.

* * *

"Happy birthday!" a couple of voices sounded in the morning three days after Gohan's trip down to Earth. Only that Videl didn't know that this had happened three days ago, as she groggily opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. It took her few seconds to realize that this wasn't a dream, but that four black-haired persons were standing in the door to her room, the smallest one of them holding a cake adorned with eighteen candles in his hands.

"Wha—?" she asked, throwing the Son family a confused look.

"Happy birthday, sis!" Goten yelled and ran up to her, not caring about the cake, which Gohan only barely managed to catch, as his little brother threw it in the air, before the young Saiyajin tackled Videl.

Yeah, right, Videl belatedly realized, as she was nearly crushed by the optimistic boy. Today was her birthday and she turned eighteen.

"Goten, get off her," Gohan said laughing, for what seemed like the first time in days to Videl. She watched her boyfriend curiously, as he first put the cake on the desk in her room and then grabbed Goten to put him back on his feet behind him. After having given her a quick peck on the lips, the teenager took the cake and placed it in her lap. "Happy birthday, Videl," he mumbled softly and kissed her again, this time a bit longer, actually until ChiChi pointedly cleared her throat behind them.

"Gohan, don't forget that we also want to congratulate Videl," she said scowling, but there was a merry twinkle in her eyes.

Gohan grinned sheepishly and backed off, allowing his parents to step up to his girlfriend. He watched with a smile, as both his mother and his father hugged her tightly and wished her well, before they all took a step back and looked at Videl with expectant gazes.

"Come on, dear," ChiChi encouraged her. "Wish for something and blow out the candles."

Videl furrowed her brows in concentration, reminding Gohan very much of the video he had seen at her father's, before she blew out all eighteen candles at once. No matter how hard Videl always denied it, she certainly was cute and even though she had grown up too fast, a bit like him, she had retained some of her childish innocence, which she usually hid under a thick layer of sarcasm, when she met strangers. Only around her new family she had begun to open up, especially around Gohan.

The Son family applauded and ChiChi then ushered all of them out of the room, claiming that Videl needed to get ready for her special day and that they would get a piece of the cake tonight at the party.

Party? She didn't know anything of a party, Videl thought puzzled, as she saw Gohan winking at her before he closed the door behind himself to give her some privacy to change.

By now, it wouldn't bother Videl anymore, if Gohan saw her wearing less than her underwear, but the teenager was too much of a gentleman to push her. It was getting annoying, really. They were already together for several months and they hadn't gone much further than making out and some light touching.

They even shared a bond, for Dende's sake!

She remembered the day that they had discovered this as if it had happened yesterday. It had all started out small with Videl suddenly feeling emotions that weren't her own.

The first time this had happened had been rather embarrassing, as she, Bulma, ChiChi and a rather reluctant Juuhachigou had decided one night to watch some sappy movies, while Gohan had been with his father and their friends to have an 'all men's night out'. It had been towards the end of the first movie, the main actor had just died a heroic death, when she had suddenly burst out laughing, earning strange glances from the other three women.

Other times, she had simply felt frustrated, sad, happy or angry for unexplainable reasons. Then, when she had suddenly started to hear Gohan's voice in her head, she had believed that she had gotten crazy. Some of the things she had heard had actually caused her to blush, especially since all of those naughty things had been about her.

As she hadn't wanted to talk to ChiChi about this, she had instead entrusted herself to Bulma, who had simply nodded and said that she had seen it coming for a long time. She then had explained about the bond a Saiyajin shared with his mate, the bond that represented dedication, respect and the thing they on Earth and on some other planets called love. "The bond is eternal," Bulma had told her. "It shows that you're the one and only for Gohan. Of course just, if he returns it, but I don't doubt it." The blue haired woman had then informed her of the effects a one sided or denied and rejected bond would have – pain and most of the times death.

Videl had waited for a few days, watching Gohan intensely, before she had finally confronted him. It had been incredibly awkward at first, as Gohan admitted that, yes, he had felt her emotions and heard some of her more personal thoughts, just like she had. Eventually a smirk had crept on his face, as he had stated that she wouldn't get rid of him that easily now and that he liked it that way – this had been a small part of Gohan that had been developed under her influence and with the help of his Saiyajinside.

Relief had been the most prominent of her feelings at this moment, as she had just flung her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him. She didn't know, what she would have done, if the bond had been one sided or if Gohan hadn't wanted this.

However, bond aside, Gohan hadn't made any moves towards the last step in their relationship yet and Videl hadn't either, because she feared that he might not be ready for it yet. They were still young, after all, but still his touches were always making her feel as if she were on fire and the hardest part was always, when they just stopped at it and her body was yearning for more.

She _was_ ready and she wanted to cry it out to the world, so that her boyfriend would finally get it, but she kept quiet, for his sake. Videl knew that Gohan had been raised quite conservatively, even though he had spent about half his life at Capsule Corporation, and that his parents weren't exactly the best role models for building relationships, seeing as they had first started _dating_ after their wedding.

This was mostly frustrating and Videl didn't know if she could take it much longer. Actually, she wondered more, how Gohan managed to control the Saiyajin in him. Apparently his self-control had grown much ever since the incident in _that_ house. Besides, he had made it a habit to stay away from her during full moon nights, but would he also stay away tonight? If her calculations were correct, the full moon would come out tonight. She hoped not, because today was her birthday and, not caring if she sounded selfish, she wanted to spend the day with the one person she loved the most – Gohan.

With a heavy sigh, Videl swung her legs over the edge of the bed and got up, scuffling over to her closet and taking out some sexy underwear (well, she could always hope), a pair of blue three-quarter jeans and a white tank top before going into the bathroom.

* * *

The party was already in full swing, just as Videl should have suspected it to be. It was held outside the Son's home with all of the family's and now inevitable also her friends attending. The weather was still pretty good, so they had decided to hold a barbeque with the most delicious things that Videl had ever tasted. After dinner, they had cut her birthday cake and several other cakes to satisfy everyone, who was present.

It was already dark, had been for one hour already and then had been the last time, when she had seen Gohan. She sighed, as her gaze wandered over the table with her opened presents. She had gotten one from everyone, only her boyfriend's was still missing. One tiny part of her mind tried to tell her that Gohan had planned a surprise for her, that he wanted to give her his present in private, but she didn't want to believe this. Gohan had disappeared because of the full moon, she was pretty sure of that.

Somehow, this hurt.

"Don't you like this party, sis?"

Videl looked up startled from the glass in her hands, only to gaze into the large dark and innocent eyes of Goten. After the new Son home on this planet had been finished and she had moved in with the family, the young boy had immediately adopted her as his big sister. At first, it had been strange for Videl, but Goten was simply too adorable and she had always wanted to have a smaller sibling.

"The party is great," Videl said, hoping that the Saiyajin wouldn't notice how fake the smile on her face really was.

Goten eyed her for a few seconds, before he replied with a shrug, "But you look unhappy." Suddenly, a huge smile spread over his face and he grabbed her hand. "Come on, sis! I've gotta show ya something!"

Before Videl could even react, the young boy had pulled her up and seeing as he was much stronger than her, she wasn't even able to pull her hand away. She just barely managed to put her glass on the table, as she was already dragged away from the others and along a path that Videl already knew by heart – it led to the lake, where they usually went to go swimming.

"Goten, where are we going?" she panted, as the Saiyajin was simply too fast for her and she had trouble keeping up with his speed. But as he was still holding her hand, she had no other choice but to give everything she had.

Flashing her a bright grin, Goten called over his shoulder, "You'll see!"

They didn't need long to reach the lake after a quick run through the small forest behind which the lake was lying. Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open, when she took in everything in front of her. Directly at the bank of the lake, Gohan was standing, having a large smile on his face, next to a blanket on the ground and brightly burning candles placed around it.

Videl barely noticed that Goten had let go of her hand and had disappeared again, as her full attention was on Gohan. The first thing she noticed at him was that he had changed clothes and was now wearing dark blue jeans and a black short-sleeved shirt instead of the black jeans and white T-shirt he had been wearing before at the party.

"G-Gohan," she stuttered, as her voice failed her. This was incredible! So he hadn't run off after all.

"Hey Videl," Gohan was still smiling – a true smile, unlike the forced ones of the last couple of days – and held out his hand. Almost of their own accord, Videl's feet began to move towards him and she took his hand. His grip was firm, but at the same time loose, she couldn't describe it, as he led her over to the blanket and motioned for her to sit down.

After she had taken her spot on the blanket and Gohan had joined her, she finally managed to ask, her voice filled with curiosity, "What's the meaning of this?"

Gohan blushed a bit and Videl noticed that he was now nervously fidgeting with his hands. "I wanted to surprise you. Here, your present." He gave her a small longish box and Videl raised her eyebrow at this. "This isn't the only one, I promise, but the others aren't really from me. Come on, open it."

Gohan's heart nervously fluttered beneath his chest, as he watched his girlfriend opening the small box, studying her face for any kind of reaction. Much to his relief, a small smile spread over her face, as she took out the single chocolate bar, and her eyes were twinkling like the ones of a child. "Where did you get this?"

"The same place, where I also got your other presents," he answered mysteriously, now already feeling a bit more confident. "By the way, I got many more of that in my room. This one bar is just representing them. Do you now want to see your other presents?"

Nodding eagerly, Videl expectantly held out her hands, much to Gohan's delight, as he suddenly broke out laughing. Yes, deep inside, his girlfriend was still a child. Her eyes narrowed, believing that he was mocking her, but then he suddenly gave her a small capsule case with a blue ribbon around it. "What is this?"

"Open it and you'll see…"

After having taken one more glance at Son Gohan's mischievously twinkling eyes, Videl turned her full attention back to the case. She carefully untied the ribbon and then opened it, to find five capsules inside, numbered from one to five. Thinking that she should start with the first, she took it out and pressed the button, before she threw it to the ground.

Some smoke rose up, as the capsule opened and Videl gasped, when she saw what was now lying in front of her. "Tigger!" she cried out, as she grabbed her favorite small plush tiger from Winnie the Pooh. Gohan grinned, as Videl pressed the cuddly toy against her chest. "How?" she asked, turning to Gohan.

"It will be explained later. Now, open the last ones."

Capsules two until four contained several more of Videl's favorite things. Some cups she had won during Martial Arts tournaments, some of her favorite clothes, a couple of books, photo albums and even more stuff. Videl had already tears in her eyes, when she held the last capsule in shaky hands, not knowing what to expect. With a quiet 'poof' the capsule disappeared and revealed another box, wrapped in colorful paper and a ribbon. Carefully Videl unwrapped the box and lifted the lid. Her hand flew to her mouth, as a small gasp escaped her lips. Gohan glanced into the box and saw a picture frame with one photo. There he could see Mr. Satan, a rather pale looking woman, whom he recognized as Videl's mother and an about seven years old Videl, who looked rather disheveled.

"Oh my…" Videl mumbled, as she gently took the picture frame out and held it in trembling hands. Tears sprung into her eyes, as memories of the moment this photo had been taken resurfaced. It had been only a few weeks before her mother had died of cancer. She and her father had just been training a bit, although it had been more fooling around than actual training, when her mother had suddenly appeared with her camera, activated the self-timer and then joined them. This photograph showed her family before it had been ripped apart and her father had gone through the drastic changes that had made him to the man he was today.

"You forgot something," Gohan softly reminded her, as he took an envelope out of the box. Videl regarded the envelope curiously and her hands began to shake even more, as she took it from Gohan and opened it as well. Gohan simply watched her, giving her the space she needed, as she began to read the letter.

All kinds of emotions passed over her face, while she was reading the few pages that Hercule Satan had written for his daughter. There were silent tears, homesickness, a grin or two, some smiles and also laughter. Videl was also laughing, when she finally put the letter aside, much to Gohan's surprise.

"What's so funny?" Videl was already holding her sides, not being able to say anything, as she simply handed her boyfriend the last page of the letter and pointed to the bottom, where the letter said with a large PS:

_If this young man ever hurts you, betrays you, makes you cry or even worse, touches you at inappropriate places, robs you of your virginity or just looks at you the wrong way, I'm going to hunt him down and kill him, no matter if he is the defeater of Cell or not!_

"So, uh, if I ever hurt you or make you cry, I won't even defend myself against him," Gohan said completely serious, but then a mischievous smirk tugged at his lips. "However, he won't be able to stop me from looking at you, touching you or…"

"Robbing me of my virginity?" Videl provided grinning, when Gohan hesitated. She noticed that her boyfriend immediately blushed and she didn't know if she should feel annoyed by it or think that it's cute. However, seeing as it was her birthday and that she had gotten the best present _ever_ from him, she decided that it was cute and immediately flung her arms around his neck. "Thanks," she mumbled into his shoulder. "Dad said in the letter that you went down to Earth just to get those presents for me… You've no idea just how much this means to me."

Gohan cleared his throat, somewhat nervously. "Well, I also talked a bit to Vegeta and saw Jenny from afar, so it wasn't just—"

"I don't care," she only said. "You went down to Earth and got me all those things, you _talked_ to my father and I don't care if seeing Jenny and Vegeta were also reasons for you to go to Earth. They're your family, after all." Suddenly, Videl frowned and she pulled away from him, as something dawned on her. "What's wrong with your sister?"

Gohan looked at her, startled. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't been yourself since you've come back from Earth. Something must be wrong with her."

"It's nothing, really," he lied, scratching the back of his head. "She just had some troubles at school and I'm worried about her. You know me."

"Listen, Gohan," Videl now said seriously. "I barely know Jenny, but I know that she's strong, smart and incredibly stubborn. I'm sure that whatever problems she faces and will have to face, she'll be able to deal with them."

"I know," the Saiyajin admitted with a heavy sigh. A heavy silence fell upon them and Gohan already felt bad about it. This was Videl's day and he was ruining it because of his problems. This wasn't fair to her. She deserved so much more.

It had already been extremely difficult for him to be present at all because of the full moon and what it might tell the Saiyajin in him to do, because he was still, despite the hints that she had dropped, unsure if Videl was ready for _it_, and he didn't want to hurt her. But he had meditated straight for almost one hour before Goten had brought Videl to the lake. All of this, just for her. And here they were, not talking to each other, because he had said the wrong thing.

A few minutes passed and Gohan suddenly looked up from his lap, when he noticed out of the corners of his eyes that Videl had gotten up and was now pulling her tank top over her head. His mouth went dry, as it dropped to the ground and she turned her full attention to the buttons of her jeans. "What are you doing?"

"I want to go for a swim," she answered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And hopefully get your mind off the things that trouble you."

Oh yeah, she was definitely successful, as the body part in the lower regions of his body immediately reminded him of its presence, banning all thoughts of Jenny from his mind, when her jeans slipped to the ground. The Saiyajin in him immediately began to roar, calling out one thing – _Mine!_ But Gohan used all of the self-control he had gathered during meditation to keep the beast under control. "N-now?"

"Why not?" Videl finally stood in front of him, only dressed in black panties and a matching bra. Throwing him a smirk, she ran over to the lake and jumped in, headfirst. She remained under water for a few seconds and eventually emerged a few yards away from the bank. "Come on, Gohan! What are you waiting for?"

Was she crazy? If he joined her now, he couldn't guarantee for anything! And she knew that! What the hell was she playing at? Was she— Was she actually trying to seduce him?

Was she maybe readier than he thought she was?

"Gohan!" she called again and waved. "I'm waiting!"

Her short hair was dripping wet, tiny water droplets running down her radiant face and as soon as his mind wandered to what exactly the water was concealing, the battle against the Saiyajin was almost lost. Just with the tiniest bit of self-control left, Gohan gave in and at last got stripped down to his red boxer shorts. It only took a few more seconds, until he, too, was in the water and appeared directly in front of Videl.

They were both floating in the water. Only inches were separating them and he could feel her warm breath on his face. Small goose bumps were visible on her shoulders, but Gohan barely noticed the coolness of the water, as his body was on fire. He looked into her eyes and noticed at once that they were a lot darker than before, filled with desire.

"Videl…" A hiss escaped his lips and he closed his eyes, as Videl raised her hand and gently pulled him closer into a kiss.

"Shush!" she murmured against his lips. "Don't say anything. Don't think. Just enjoy."

As if he could do much thinking in the current situation. Whereas their make-out sessions were getting more intense with each time, the full moon multiplied each sensation she was causing within him tenfold.

He was only able to feel. Reason stood no chance now. The Saiyajin had won.

He was lost. Lost within her. Lost in her touches, her kisses, her being.

Groaning, he mumbled her name and pulled her even closer.

She was his!

* * *

Videl awoke sometime later, feeling soft grass underneath her body. Sleepily, she opened her eyes, noticing that it was still night and gazed fondly at the arm that was wrapped around her, holding her hand. A soft breath tickled at her neck, as she was pressed against a hard and muscular chest.

As the blanket that was covering them had slipped a bit, Videl used her free hand to tug it up again to her chin. It certainly would be too embarrassing, if someone found them in this position without something covering their bodies.

There was a low murmur behind her and she felt that Gohan buried his face even deeper in the nape of her neck, still fast asleep.

A satisfied smile appeared on her lips, as she mumbled, "Love you, too," and dozed off again.

This truly had been her best birthday, ever!


	38. Part III: The Field Trip Part I

**A/N: Uhm, okay, uh… I'm incredibly sorry for the long delay of this chapter! Real life's a b---- sometimes. University really is a lot more stressful than I had imagined and I also wanted to finish my other story "The Treasure of Power" first, but somehow it took me incredibly long to write that last chapter. Do you forgive me? If not, I can understand it, but the only thing I can do is to try to update more often. The only problem now is that exams are coming up and I need to study a lot, write essays and so on. I can only try and I may not forget the other two English stories that also need to be updated and my stories usually take turns at that. **

**Well, I don't want to bore you any longer with my apologies… As you maybe see at the title, this chapter is also just the first part of the field trip – the second part will be in the next chapter – because I didn't want to let you wait any longer. Besides, I really should learn that not all chapters need to be 8.000 words long, that 4.000 are just as good.**

**Before I forget... I just recently discovered that I made a mistake with the stories chapter - I mixed up the words alternate and alternative, so I corrected it. Yeah, I know, very timely, but better late than never, huh?**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter! Have fun reading it!**

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Part III

**Chapter 37: The Field Trip – Part I**

Jenny stared at the slip of paper with disbelief shining in her eyes. _What the hell is this?_ she wondered, reading and rereading the first few lines again and again and still not trusting her eyes. She barely noticed the excited chatter that had broken out around her, as she once again looked at the with snowmen, Christmas trees and Santa Clauses too cheerfully decorated note. _This really gotta be a joke._

A field trip?

To a ski resort of all places, when more than half of the class didn't even know how to ski. She included.

Looking at the date the teachers had set for the field trip, she frowned. That's in one week. Couldn't they have told them sooner? The note also said that no one should worry about the costs, as the trip was sponsored by the Western Capitol's mayor. Apparently, he wanted to give the young children something to look forward to in times like these.

Even though Buu had been gone for almost three years already (_Three years_, Jenny thought startled. _Has it really already been almost three years?_) people still had a lot of problems. Poverty was one of those, among many others. Jenny was lucky. The former vice CEO of Capsule Corporation had taken over after Bulma's and her father's death and a sum large enough to easily provide her grandmother, Vegeta and her with everything they needed, was put into Bulma's, or now Vegeta's, account each month. So she didn't need to worry about money, unlike some of her classmates – another reason for them to not like her, after they had found out, who her stepmother really had been.

"Class!" their teacher, Miss Katayama, shouted over the noise, though there was a bright smile on her face. "I know this is a huge surprise and a bit unexpected. The mayor also apologizes for the short notice of this, but he hopes that you'll be happy about his little present."

"Little?" one of the boys yelled excitedly. "This present is brilliant!" Almost all of the other students immediately agreed with him.

Only Jenny was still staring at the note. She would be gone for a whole week! This meant a whole week spending with the rest of her class, with children who didn't like her and teachers who would watch her every move. A whole week without proper training! Vegeta wouldn't like that.

But the worst thing still was the date of the field trip. December 10th to16th. They couldn't have chosen a more inconvenient date, could they? Not only that it was shortly before Christmas, but she would also be gone on Trunks' birthday, a day that she'd rather spend at Capsule Corporation along with her grandmother and Vegeta. She knew it sounded stupid, but she didn't want them to be alone at that day – even though Vegeta would most likely disappear again, just like he had done for the past two birthdays of his son.

"Alright!" Miss Katayama's voice tore her out of her thoughts once again. "Please give this note to your parents or guardians and then bring the bottom part back with a signature of your guardian. I really wish that all of you would come to this field trip. This is a great chance for you to get out for a week and have some fun."

Get out and have some fun. Jenny was sure that those would be the words her grandmother would use to convince her to go to this fieldtrip. And the girl couldn't even refuse. The teachers and the guidance counselor were still keeping an eye on her, so she would have to be on her best behavior for the whole week.

The bell rang shortly after and Jenny heaved a quiet sigh of relief that she could now finally go home. She gently folded the note and put it in the front pocket of her bag, while the other pupils were already leaving the room. As usual, Jenny took her time, as she put everything into her bag and got up. Just as she had wanted to leave the classroom, a voice held her back.

"Jenny?" her teacher asked softly. "May I speak to you for a moment?"

A large lump appeared in Jenny's throat, as she just nodded silently and walked up to the teacher's desk in front of the classroom. Her thoughts were running wild. What could she have done this time? She hadn't spoken out of line for once, hadn't started any fights, hadn't even broken her pretense to pray every day… She couldn't think of anything that she could have done.

"Yes, Miss Katayama?" she finally mumbled, not really daring to look into her teacher's eyes.

The young woman in front of her sighed. "Don't worry, Jenny. You're not in trouble."

"I'm not?" The girl looked up startled. There was an amused twinkle in Miss Katayama's eyes, though Jenny believed that she could see something else in them as well. Pity? Her eyes narrowed. Jenny didn't like to be pitied. Was she really appearing to be that pathetic that she needed to be pitied by her teachers?

Miss Katayama shook her head, as she explained, "No. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the field trip. I know, and to be honest, I can even understand to certain degree that you're not looking forward to it. It has been impossible not to notice that the other children avoid you and that you avoid them. I'm not going to coddle you and say that this isn't your fault, because it is, even if not entirely. However, I wanted to ask you to talk to your stepfather about the field trip. We still need a couple of chaperones and since I haven't met your stepfather at all, since you've come to this school, I really would like to use this chance to get to know him. As you maybe know, your grandmother has always been the one, who's come to the teacher-parent-interviews."

Jenny stared at her, her mouth hanging open. Her teacher really wanted Vegeta to be a chaperone on this field trip? Was she suicidal? No student, or teacher for that matter, would survive this week! "I'm… I'm not sure if this is a good idea," Jenny said, stumbling over her own words, as she was trying to explain to her teacher what she thought about this, hoping against hope that she might convince her to let go of that crazy idea. "Vegeta isn't really the most… social man. He... doesn't get along with strangers. Also… the timing of the field trip isn't the best. You see, it's his son's birthday that week and ever since Trunks is dead, he usually tries to avoid people at that day."

The look on her teacher's face was now a compassionate one, as she nodded. "I understand. Those days are a hard time for all of us. But please ask him anyway, will you? You could tell him that other parents will be there as well. Maybe that will help you to convince him."

With a defeated sigh, Jenny nodded. What else was she supposed to do? She would ask Vegeta, he would say no and she would relay this to her teacher. Mumbling a quiet goodbye, Jenny slung her back over her shoulder and left the classroom to go home, do her homework and then, during training, confront Vegeta.

There was no way that he was going to say yes.

It was as easy as that.

* * *

Jenny should have known that her life would never be that easy. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. With wide blue eyes, opening and closing her mouth like a fish, she stared at the Saiyajin in front of her. No, no, no… This had to be a dream. That's it! She must be dreaming! 

She pinched her upper arm and winced, when it actually hurt. Damn it! No dream! Vegeta was still casually leaning at the wall of the gravity room with a bottle of water in his hand and a towel around his shoulders, looking at her with his typical smirk on his face. He was enjoying this! He was enjoying dropping bombshells like this one on her. Oh, how she wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. A few well placed curses and a right hook wouldn't be too bad, but instead she only managed a weak, "C-come again?"

"I said," he repeated, slower, as if she had trouble understanding normal spoken sentences, still smirking at her, "that you can tell your teacher that she can count me in."

Finally, Jenny broke out of her stupor and stemmed her hands into her hips. "Who are you and what have you done to Vegeta?"

Vegeta only chuckled and put the bottle at his lips, taking a few mouthfuls, before putting the bottle on the floor and wiping his mouth with his gloved hand. He had expected this reaction. Had it been only a few weeks ago that she had asked him, he would have certainly begged off, but now, after the last teacher-parent-interview that the old woman had attended, things were different. The brat's teachers wanted to get to know the man who had so much influence on her and maybe this would be the perfect chance to get this done.

However, this didn't mean that he liked it, especially when he considered the date of this field trip, but the sooner he got over with it, the better. At least they would stop pestering him, when this was over, he hoped. It should be possible to survive a couple of nosy Humans for a few days. He had, after all, lived on this planet for more than ten years already.

With a smug look on his face, Vegeta eventually answered, "I tortured him, killed him and then ate his intestines."

"Eww…" Jenny wrinkled her nose. "That's gross."

"You've got to live with it," Vegeta deadpanned. He took the towel from his shoulders and let it drop to the ground. "So, the break's been long enough. Get ready. I want you to master that energy attack I showed you yesterday."

Grumbling, the girl also took off her towel and, after having taken one last sip from the water bottle, put it aside. Following him to the middle of the room, she immediately felt the rise of the gravity and unconsciously transformed into her Saiyajinform, when she came to a halt in front of Vegeta with about twenty feet separating them. "You're really serious, aren't you?" she asked, as she got into a fighting stance. "About you playing chaperone, I mean…"

"Dead serious," he replied. When he noticed that the girl was still eyeing him warily, Vegeta let out a silent sigh. He couldn't believe that he had really gotten this soft that he was trying to appease her qualms. "Don't worry. Your teachers only want to get to know me."

_That's exactly what I'm worried about_, Jenny thought, as she already had to block one of Vegeta's attacks. Now, more than ever, she just wanted to stay home. This just couldn't end well. It simply wasn't possible. One whole week in company of people who would want to know everything about him. Vegeta didn't know what he was getting himself into. But he wouldn't listen to her anyway, so the only thing she could do was worry and pray to whatever high god had taken watch over Earth after Dende's demise that nothing too bad would happen. Maybe Vegeta would really try to be nice for once, so that it couldn't get worse than having a few offended teachers or chaperones, when he lost his temper just a bit.

"Besides, did you really think that I would let you go one week without training?"

Jenny muttered a few well-chosen swear words under her breath.

She was wrong! It could get worse!

* * *

"Have fun and be good," Mrs. Briefs told Jenny, as they were standing at the train station and waited for their train to arrive. The older woman was hugging her granddaughter tightly, undisturbed by the hustle and bustle around them, as the other children also said goodbye to their parents or guardians. 

As Jenny had found out the day after the announcement of the field trip, the mayor had apparently invited the whole school, which would be all kids of the Western Capitol ranging from the age of six years to eleven years. About one hundred children all at one place. It certainly was no wonder that the teachers needed as many chaperones as they did, because they were clearly too few to restrain so many children at once. Jenny didn't think she would ever forget the grateful and happy look on Miss Katayama's face, when she had returned the slip of paper with Vegeta's signature and told her teacher that he would accompany them.

And there he was, standing next to her dressed in black jeans, boots and a flight jacket made of leather with a duffel back slung over his shoulders. He had his hands buried deep in the pockets of the jacket and already had a disgusted sneer on his face, as he was watching the hugging families around them. This was going to be fun, Jenny thought, as she slowly withdrew from her grandmother's embrace. "It's not me, you need to worry about," she said with a side-glance at Vegeta. A low growl escaped his throat, as he heard this, but Jenny only grinned at him innocently.

"Whatever," Vegeta said gruffly. Noise filled the station as their train finally ran in. "Let's get on the train, before all the good seats are gone. I don't want to sit next to some noisy, or worse, whiny child."

Jenny rolled her eyes and quickly waved to her grandmother, because Vegeta was already dragging her towards one of the open doors at the train. Honestly, what had he expected? Only because she was quieter and more mature than most of the other children, he shouldn't have assumed that all of them were like her. None of them had the weight of two worlds on their shoulders and certainly none of them had Saiyajinblood flowing through their veins.

When the train lurched and began its journey towards the snowy mountains, they finally found an empty compartment and, after having taken off her jacket and having put her backpack and jacket on the luggage rack, Jenny slumped down on one of the seats next to the window and curiously watched Vegeta doing the same. She frowned. "Aren't you supposed to sit with the teachers and other chaperones or something?"

Vegeta simply shrugged indifferently. "No one told me where I had to sit. It's quiet here, so I'm going to stay."

"I could start being noisy and whiny." Jenny flashed him a challenging smirk.

There was a dangerous glint in his eyes, as he returned it. Vegeta had risen to her challenge and leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest. "Do you want to get rid of me?"

With a shrug, Jenny cocked her head to one side and replied, smirk still in place, "Maybe… However, Miss Katayama still hasn't met you and I just wondered when you'd go to introduce yourself."

"Brat," he snorted. "I'm the Prince of all Saiyajins. I don't need to go to introduce myself to a mere human. Your teacher has to come to me if she wants something."

At exactly that moment, the door to their compartment slid open and none other than Jenny's teacher Miss Katayama stuck her head inside. A smile lit up her face, when she spotted Jenny and Vegeta and opened the door further to take a step into the cabin.

Jenny couldn't help the grin that flickered over her face, as she saw how her teacher was wistfully eyeing Vegeta's very obvious muscles underneath his tight black sweater. "Hello, Miss Katayama," the girl tore her out of her thoughts, sparing Vegeta any further embarrassment. For now. _Maybe_, she thought, her eyes twinkling mischievously, _this is going to be more fun than I thought._

"Hello Jenny," the young woman said dazedly, not once removing her eyes from the man, who was apparently the girl's stepfather. Had she known that this man was this attractive, she would have invited him much sooner.

Jenny had to stifle a snicker, as she noticed that Vegeta's face got darker with each passing second that her teacher was spending to openly stare at him. "Miss Katayama, this is Vegeta. Vegeta, this is Miss Katayama, my teacher."

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Briefs," the woman breathed, extending her hand. The hand was floating in the air for about thirty seconds – Jenny really should have stopped the time with her watch – until her teacher noticed that the man in front of her obviously wasn't going to return her gesture. A deep blush crept on the woman's cheek, as she lowered her hand and cleared her throat. "Well… uhm… the other teachers and chaperones are in the saloon coach down the train to get to know each other and… uh… discuss further things about this field trip." Vegeta didn't move, raising a brow, as if asking her, how this concerned him. Miss Katayama became even more flustered, as she explained, "The-the others are waiting for you, so that we can start. You-you are of course allowed to return here, when we're finished."

"Why didn't you say so?"

Jenny could almost see how her teacher's legs turned into Jell-O upon hearing Vegeta's deep voice, no matter how mocking it sounded. With his behavior, he was getting back at her for staring at him. The Saiyajin got up from the seat, his muscles playing underneath the sweater while doing so and brushed past her into the student packed corridor. The girl almost expected Miss Katayama to faint, but the woman only mumbled, "Hello, salty goodness!"

Jenny clamped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from bursting out laughing, especially when the tips of Vegeta's ears turned slightly red. First, when the door slid shut again and she believed that the two adults were out of earshot, she gave in to the fit of laughter.

* * *

Vegeta gritted his teeth, as he determinedly strode along the corridor in the train back to his and the brat's compartment. What in hell had possessed him to agree to this? He should have stayed home. He didn't know, how to survive a whole week with those people! Not just were they overly cheerful, no, they were also all extremely curious, especially the women, who had of course known that he was a widower and obviously thought that he should be ready to move on after two years, seven months and three days. 

He shook his head. This was truly pathetic. He really should stop counting the days without his mate. It would drive him insane in the end. There were now more important things to take of, like enduring this week without losing his temper and seriously hurting or, worse even, accidentally killing someone. Those females of course didn't know that he wasn't just a simple widower, they didn't know that by losing his woman, he had truly lost a part of himself. He just had to tell himself that they couldn't know and ignore them until it was all over.

Only a few minutes later Vegeta was standing in front of his and the girl's compartment. However, before he opened the door, he concentrated briefly on the brat's ki, noticing immediately that she had to be asleep. Silently, Vegeta slid the door open and slipped into the compartment, closing the door again without a sound, shutting out all the noise of the students in the corridor.

She was still alone. None of the other children had joined her. The brat had hinted that something like this would most likely happen, but he honestly hadn't expected that truly no one seemed to like her enough to at least spend some time with her.

Sprawled out on the whole length of the cushioned bench, the brat was snoring slightly with her face towards the wall. A book had dropped to the ground and Vegeta quietly bent down to pick it up. The page that was lying open displayed a bunch of math problems and he shook his head, as he turned the book around and read on the front cover that it was indeed a schoolbook – for sixth grade. She was already two years ahead of the others in her grade. This girl was truly too much like her big brother.

Closing the book and putting it on one of the empty seats next to him, Vegeta once again sat down at the window and gazed out of it. The sun was already setting again and it would soon be dark. In about two hours they would arrive at their destination, where vans would be waiting for them to bring them to the ski resort. Another half an hour later and they would be there, just in time for dinner.

Vegeta frowned. He hoped the food there would be enough to satisfy his and the brat's stomachs. Well, even if it didn't, Mrs. Briefs had packed them enough provisions to last the week.

His eyes once again wandered to the sleeping girl across from him, as she turned around, now facing him. Her arms were used as makeshift pillows and about half of her face was buried in the crook of her arm. A sigh escaped her parted lips, slightly muffled by the fabric of her sweatshirt. Vegeta noticed that she looked peaceful; there was even a small smile tugging at her lips.

The laughter of this afternoon was still in his ears. The brat probably thought he hadn't heard her, but he had and, most surprisingly, he wasn't angry. This had been the most carefree sound he had heard from her in a long time.

_What's_ _happened that made her so sad? _

He couldn't forget the boy's question. He also couldn't forget his plea, a plea that Vegeta tried to grant. Only that he didn't know what exactly would make the girl happy. Her grandmother had tried the same by offering the girl to go out, be it to the park, shopping or other things that could be defined as _fun_.

But how could they help the brat, when she always turned down their offers? The only things she ever did was going to school, doing homework and training. Only during training did she seem to perk up, so he did what he could do best – he trained with her and taught her everything he knew to prepare her for her battle and yet it wasn't enough to ensure her happiness.

There was something missing and slowly, Vegeta began to see what it was.

When he looked closely, he could more often than not see something in her eyes, something that he had gotten used to seeing, whenever he had looked into a mirror before the woman had somehow wormed her way into his life, and now again that she was gone.

It was so obvious. The only persons Jenny was close to was the old woman and he himself. Her brothers were both dead, just as her parents, though she had never really gotten to know them, and she didn't have any friends or even acquaintances at school.

It was simple, really.

It wasn't just the guilt, or the prophecy. No, the brat was lonely.

Vegeta closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the soft headrest. He wouldn't wake her yet. The brat deserved a bit more of this peace that she was experiencing in her sleep, before she was once again tossed into reality.

Meanwhile, he was going to think of a way to get her out of this situation. A small idea was already taking form in his mind, but he needed a few more days until he could be sure that this idea might help them – her.


	39. Part III: The Field Trip Part II

**A/N: Alright, FINALLY a new chapter… If I had known beforehand that university would take up so much of my precious time, well, I believe I still would have gone there… It's just a small set-back that we all have to live with, unfortunately. Whatever, this chapter has still proven to be quite hard to write. I deleted about one third of it because I just wasn't satisfied with the outcome. It's still not perfect, but I believe that this is now the best result I'd ever get of this chapter. **

**Once again, I'm sorry that it has taken so long (again) and I sincerely hope that I've still some readers left… It would be great, if you could just leave a small review to let me know that you're still there… **

**Thank you! **

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Part III

**Chapter 38: The Field Trip – Part II **

It was a cloudless night at the ski resort and the pale light of the crescent moon shone through the window into a small room. It was quite simple, furnished only with a bunk bed made of dark wood, which stood in the corner next to the door, a closet on the other side at the wall and a desk with a chair standing in front of the window. The ceiling and the floor were paneled with wooden planks and the walls were painted white. The only item that provided a bit of color to the room was the large picture of a snowy mountain with a light blue sky in the background hanging at the wall next to the closet. It wasn't much, but it sufficed for the people who were staying there for a few days.

Jenny, who was lying on the upper bed, which she had claimed the moment she had stepped into the dorm room, had her blanket pulled over her head, so that her whole body was completely covered. But she wasn't asleep. Through the blanket the soft glow of a flashlight could be seen and if you listened closely, you could also hear the sound of a ballpoint pen writing into a notebook.

This was interrupted now and then, whenever Jenny believed she heard a sound coming from the bed beneath hers, afraid that she might have awoken its occupant. She should be long asleep already, seeing as it was already close to midnight, and didn't want to be on the receiving end of the scolding, if she were caught. However, it was always false alarm, because it was usually the noise of someone turning underneath the covers or soft breathing. As soon as she was sure that she was still the only one awake in this room, she put the tip of the pen back onto the page and continued writing.

She was already at the bottom of the page, which was completely covered in her scrawl and it didn't seem as if she wanted to stop writing soon. There were so many things she had to put down, so many things that had happened during the previous days. And now she finally had found the time to do it.

_December 14, 777, _read the first line, closely followed by _I know this is hard to believe, especially after reading my rant about the field trip on the other page, but the last few days have been the best I've had in a long time… _

_Of course, the journey on the train was rather boring and I fell asleep after having gotten a bit of advanced studying in math done. Unfortunately math is nearly the only subject I'm much better at than most, all right, all of my classmates. I blame Bulma and Gohan for this – spending a lot of time with either of them must have done something to my brain… although Gohan_ always_ exceeds at _everything!_ This is not fair! Whatever… Sorry, getting slightly off topic here… _

_So, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, the train ride… Boring, but I said that already. Once or twice someone stuck his or her head into my compartment, but when they saw that it was _just_ me sitting there, they left again. I don't know when I nodded off, but I didn't even hear, when Vegeta returned from his important meeting. He only woke me a few minutes before we reached the train station and we spent the rest of the trip in silence. It was strange somehow – Vegeta was behaving strangely. He appeared to have been lost in thoughts the whole time and then those weird glances he has given me… Wiggy. It almost seemed as if he were planning something – if I only knew, what, because during the last few days, nothing has happened that might have explained his behavior. –sigh- Or maybe I'm just seeing things… _

_Well, that was the train ride… But when we arrived here at the ski resort (which is awesome by the way! It's one incredibly large house, even larger than CC, completely made of wood! The lounge and the common room are really comfortable, with fire places and comfy armchairs and couches. The dorm rooms are alright, a bit Spartan, as Gohan would probably say, but we only sleep there anyway…) So, uh, oh yeah, right… We arrived and then there was this big chaos about who should room with who (or is it whom?). The problem was that for the students there were only rooms with either four or six beds, whereas the chaperons would get rooms with two beds. After most of the students had found themselves in small groups of four or six, the chaos began anew, as a few chaperones started to distribute the keys to the rooms. _

_Take a guess – who was left at the end? Right, me! Truly every single student had a room but me. I wish I could have wiped that pitying look from the adults' faces, when they saw me standing there with only my bag thrown over my shoulder, but unfortunately I was supposed to be on my best behavior, so I didn't do anything. I just stood there and waited (more or less) patiently until they had decided what to do. Apparently the number of rooms for the students had been limited and there had been a slight miscalculation with the actual number of students – meaning there was one student to many, namely me. I remember that I crossed my arms in front of my chest, while I was watching the chaperones discuss what they should do with me. _

_I tried to catch Vegeta's eye, but he was just standing with them, not saying anything, just listening. I tried to eavesdrop as well, but unfortunately it wasn't possible, because they were whispering and were standing too far away from me to understand anything they were talking about. Sometimes I really curse the fact that I have to transform before I can access my Saiyajin powers, just like I did then. I'm sure that one of the boys would have had no problems to understand them, but of course it's different with me. What else is new? It isn't my fault that I'm as helpless and weak as a kitten, when I'm not transformed, or in my Saiyajin form, as we call it. I don't know if Vegeta knows about this, at least I never told him and he never did or said anything about it and when I train with him, it's always in my Saiyajin form – black hair, black eyes and much stronger than any normal human could ever hope to be. He had never shown much interest in me when I was still _just normal_… But all of it has changed, when I transformed the first time, as you know. _

_I'm sorry… I'm once again completely off topic. So, they were talking about what they should do about me and a few minutes later, they seemed to have come to a decision. It was their great idea that I should room with Vegeta in one of the rooms that were meant for the chaperones. Apparently, there were more than enough rooms for them, so it wouldn't be a problem, and here I am right now, lying on the upper bed, while Vegeta is snoring in the bed under me. But that has already been a few days ago… _

_As I already said, Vegeta and I got to be roommates. I had expected him to blow up at the other adults, but instead he has agreed, just like that! I still wonder, what is wrong with him. First he agrees to be a chaperone on this trip, then he's acting all strange after we got off the train and then this! If I didn't know better, I'd think he is on drugs or something. Well, but if you think that his behavior can't get any weirder, you won't believe what happened during the last few days… _

_Okay, nothing happened on the first day after our arrival. We mostly just got settled in and I spent a lot of time outside, alone, when there wasn't some group-thing I was forced to attend. The region is quite nice, mountains, woods, snow, but nothing that I haven't seen before. The other kids I saw were all hooked, but I'm not like other kids. Instead of looking for good places for snowfights, I was looking for nice hidden spots to get some training, or at least, meditation done. I have found some and already used them, but mostly on my own, because Vegeta had to fulfill his duties as chaperone. _

_On the second day we went up to the ski slope. There we could decide whether we wanted to try out to ski or to go sledging. Unsurprisingly most kids decided for the sledges, also because we simply didn't have enough time up here to get proper lessons in skiing. Only those who have already done this before accepted the offer to ski. I tried to talk Vegeta into going sledging with me, but I should have expected that he said no. I don't even know why I tried, it was just that the sun was shining and I was in such a good mood – don't ask me why, maybe it had something to do with all that cheerfulness going on around me - that nothing could have destroyed it. So I went sledging alone and it was brilliant. I always loved speed and sometimes I transformed – don't worry, my hair was safely hidden underneath my bobble hat - and used some ki to make my sledge go faster. It almost felt like flying! We were out there all day and it had been a long time ago that I had so much fun when I wasn't training. _

_However, it was on the third day, yesterday, or rather the day before yesterday, (I just noticed that it's already past midnight – Happy Birthday, Trunks! Finally eleven, huh? I hope you get many presents and have a big party in the Afterlife!) that I began to doubt either mine or Vegeta's sanity… _

* * *

Jenny was sitting on the veranda of the wooden house, watching the other children having probably the biggest snowfight ever since they had arrived at the ski resort. Some of the younger ones from first grade or so, who apparently hadn't heard of her, the _freak, liar and attention seeking brat_, yet, had invited her to join them, but Jenny had declined. She had wanted to get some studying done and maybe later, when Vegeta had time, train a bit.

Their first real training since they had arrived there had been the other night, after everyone had gone to bed. Unfortunately Miss Katayama had seen them sneaking back in sometime after midnight and had given them a tongue lashing like no other. Jenny still had to grin, when she thought about how hard Vegeta had to fight to keep control over his temper. The vein on his forehead had already popped out dangerously and Jenny had admired Vegeta for his self-control. Her grandmother had obviously talked to him about _manners_, before they had gone on this field trip to make him act like that. However, fact was that they either had to be extremely careful from now on about sneaking out past curfew or didn't try to sneak out at all.

But that didn't matter right now. Vegeta was once again off with some other chaperones to watch over something or other and she didn't expect him come back for quite some time.

A bored sigh escaped her slightly parted lips – her exercise book was lying closed in her lap, seeing as she had already finished what she had planned to do for that day – which was immediately followed by a wince, when she noticed that one of the boys on one team had left his guard down and allowed the snowball to him straight in the back. Never turn your back to your opponent – this was one of the first rules a fighter was taught. Now that she was paying closer attention to the _battle_, she noticed many openings that the other children had missed to hit one of their opponents and also how often a hit could have been avoided. Of course, she knew that none of them had any training concerning those things, but some of them were so damn obvious!

"Pathetic, isn't it?"

Jenny turned around with a wide grin on her face, when she suddenly heard Vegeta's voice. "Pure chaos," she agreed. "What are you doing back already?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, he simply replied, "I was hungry."

Giggling, Jenny turned her attention back to the snowfight. Vegeta was right. It was truly pathetic. Few of them seemed to have a strategy and if they had one, it was of little use, because they didn't know how to realize it in their fight. But then again, Jenny might not forget that those were still children, who didn't or shouldn't worry about fighting in a battle. She was the only one of them, who had to worry about this.

Vegeta looked down at the girl and immediately noticed the exercise book in her lap. She had been studying again. He didn't know, whether this should please him that she took her education this seriously, or not. Some things definitely needed to change – maybe, if his first plan didn't work, he could make it otherwise easier for her, Vegeta decided, when he felt a ki behind him. "Those kids should be taught something about strategizing and tactic."

"Why do you think they should learn this?" a deep voice asked behind them.

Jenny once again craned her neck to look around and saw an older man standing only a few feet next to them. She recognized him as one of the chaperones, a grandfather of one of the girls in her class, if she remembered correctly.

"Because they need it to survive," Vegeta answered simply, without elaborating on it.

However, the man seemed to understand. He extended his hand towards Vegeta, which the Saiyajin simply ignored, causing the man to drop it after a few seconds. "I believe we haven't been properly introduced, yet," he said, not at all disturbed by Vegeta's behavior. "My name is Armandek Grogan. I believe my granddaughter goes into the same class as your daughter."

"Step-daughter," Jenny corrected absently, a habit she had acquired quickly after people had suggested over and over again that Vegeta was her father. She had been right. This Mr. Grogan was the grandfather of Adelina, a girl in her class who had lost both of her parents during Buu's short reign of terror. Jenny didn't know her that well, but she was one of the very few children in class, who didn't call her names.

Ignoring her, Mr. Grogan continued to talk to Vegeta, "Do you have any experience with strategizing during a fight? Have you been in the army? I, myself, have been part of the Royal Army, but this was long ago. I was about your age, maybe a bit younger, when Piccolo Daimao terrorized the world the second time. I've almost died and my injuries kept me from returning to my duties. From that moment on I've been working in the offices, though I would have liked to be back out in the field."

Vegeta nodded, the only acknowledgement the old man would get for his story, though he was barely listening. The spontaneous idea he had gotten, when he had felt the man's ki – he had already overheard him telling some other adults about his _great feats_ as soldier – was slowly taking form. Noticing the girl's slightly suspicious gaze upon him, Vegeta only winked at her to let her know that he was planning something.

"You never answered my question, son," Mr. Grogan suddenly said, obviously finished with his self-praise and put a hand on Vegeta's shoulder. The Saiyajin stiffened under this touch, but the older man didn't seem to notice.

"I've fought in battles," he answered shortly, as he shook the hand off and turned around to face him with a challenging smirk on his face. "And I daresay, I know enough to teach those kids a lesson or two about strategies."

Mr. Grogan seemed to have caught on to the challenge, as he replied, "Well, I also believe that I know a thing or two about this. So…" he hesitated slightly, obviously wanting to build up some suspense, before he continued with whatever he wanted to say.

Jenny noticed that he apparently didn't have much success, because she recognized the glint in Vegeta's eyes, the glint of a predator, who had his prey exactly where he wanted it to be. A knowing smirk tugged at her lips, when she suddenly realized what Vegeta had been doing. He had manipulated Mr. Grogan, getting him to suggest something that Vegeta hadn't wanted to suggest himself. He didn't want to be the challenger, he wanted to be the challenged! The only thing Jenny didn't understand yet, was, what exactly this was all about.

"So…" Mr. Grogan said again, "…what do you think about a small competition, a friendly competition, of course? Two groups of children will face off against each other in a snowfight on our last day at the resort. But the snowfight will be a proper one, with rules and strategies. You will be leading one and I will be leading one. The students will be our armies, if I may put it this way. We have to talk about a prize for the winner and we need to run this by the teachers, of course, before we do anything, but for now, do you accept this challenge?"

Vegeta looked at the hand, which Mr. Grogan had once again extended, and eventually shook it. "I accept it, and as leader of my group, I name Jenny as my Second-in-Command."

* * *

_Would you have believed that Vegeta was even capable of this? I mean, he has practically _asked_ for doing something with a bunch of annoying children! And he even kept his word, after the teachers have given their okay to this competition!_

_The same night, the teachers have hung out lists and announced this competition. By yesterday morning, all free spots have been taken. All in all fifty kids had been allowed to participate, twenty-five in each team, and the rest would be spectators and the teachers would function as jury. _

_After we had some time off yesterday morning, the two groups should meet with their leader in the afternoon so that they would learn something about strategy and develop their own tactic. It wasn't much time to get it down properly, but the teachers say that it's just a game anyway, a friendly tournament, which would help to strengthen the bond between the children, yadda, yadda, yadda… _

_To be completely honest, if Vegeta hadn't decided that I would be his _Second-in-Command_, I wouldn't have participated at all. I don't even know, if I would have watched this spectacle. But as it is, I had no other choice but to take part in this, but somehow the other kids don't want to believe this. Maybe they think I haven't, but I have noticed their accusing looks – they think I've done this on purpose, to get even more attention. As if _I _want to have more attention than is absolutely necessary! Pah! They don't even know me! _

_Okay, I try to calm down a bit… It's just so… argh! I can't wait to finish elementary school… Maybe Vegeta and grandma will allow me to go to a school that isn't in the Western Capitol, to start over, ya know? Because, I swear, I won't let the Saiyajin get the best of me again! I will be good and I will make some friends, even though it would be just to make grandma happy. Only one and a half year to go… -sigh- _

_Whatever, I'm once again getting off topic here. So we met yesterday afternoon and Vegeta held his big speech about strategies and how important they are in a fight. I knew all of this already, especially seeing as he has given them the short version of it and I got the long one already a couple of years ago along with Goten and Trunks, so I allowed my mind to drift until Vegeta suddenly called me to the front and questioned me about a situation in a fight and how I would react. It was an easy one, so I naturally gave him the correct answer. Most kids were flabbergasted and immediately started to talk to each other, but just one yell from Vegeta silenced them at once. _

_Believe it or not, the kids listen to him – if it's out of respect or fear, I don't know, but it doesn't matter, does it? One thing I'm sure the kids liked was that he didn't treat them like children. He treated them like soldiers, yelled at them and barked out orders like a general. I would have expected that some of them would start to cry, but apparently they had too much fun playing this game – it was game for them, but I believe that Vegeta had some ulterior motive, which I have yet to figure out – to be hurt by this. _

_While I was going back to my seat, Vegeta continued his lesson about strategies in general and then told them, what kind of tactic they would employ in the _battle_ tomorrow. There was even a flipchart with many dots and arrows involved – I didn't even know Vegeta knew of its existence, but I guess he will just keep on surprising me. _

_A few hours passed and Vegeta finished this _briefing_ just in time for dinner. I knew that Vegeta would have loved to test his strategy outside before facing the _enemy_ for real, but there was no time for this. Fortunately, the other team had the same problem, so none of us would have a disadvantage tomorrow, err, today of course. _

_Yep, and this is the second reason why I think that Vegeta has gone nuts. Today's Trunks' birthday and ever since Buu, Vegeta has this habit of disappearing on Trunks' and Bulma's birthdays. Maybe it's different this year… I can only hope… _

_But even if this _battle_ today turns out to be a big disaster, I can still safely say that this trip has been a lot more fun that I have imagined. For a few days even I have managed to flee from the real world, real training and the Prophecy and a part of me doesn't want to go back, because who knows what expects me at home… _

_Whatever, I better go to sleep now… The snowfight will begin at one o'clock, after lunch, and we need to get up early for breakfast. _

_Goodnight! _

Without bothering to reread what she had just written, Jenny closed her diary and clasped the ballpoint pen to the cover of the book. Switching off the flashlight, the girl silently pulled the blanket back and put the diary under her pillow, before lying down on it and snuggling deep into the covers. She fell asleep only a few minutes later, her face peaceful and not yet knowing what the day had in store for her.

* * *

When Jenny awoke in the morning, the second bed in the room was deserted. Out of habit, she reached out with her senses and though she was a bit disappointed, she wasn't surprised by the fact that she couldn't find Vegeta. She had to hold onto the small straw of hope that he would be back on time for the snowfight this afternoon. Maybe a few hours of solitude were enough for him this year…

The morning passed, but there was still no sign of Vegeta. He wasn't at breakfast, he didn't appear at the meeting of the chaperones and he didn't come to lunch. Shortly after everyone had left the dining-hall, Miss Katayama even took Jenny aside, to question her about Vegeta's whereabouts.

"I have no idea," Jenny answered sincerely. She had tried to find him several times, the whole time keeping her senses alert to strong ki-signatures, but without success. However, she couldn't help but make one snide comment, "But I told you that he usually tries to avoid people on his son's birthday…"

"I know you told me," her teacher admitted with a sigh. "But this is no excuse for his behavior. He has agreed to be a chaperone on this trip and he has agreed to this competition. It is irresponsible of him to simply ignore his duty, just because…"

Jenny shot her a heated glare, which silenced her. Her blood began to boil and she balled her fists, hoping to keep them from shaking. "Just because… what?" she nearly growled. The rational part of her told her to calm down, that it wouldn't do her any good to argue with her teacher. She could feel her ki rise, but fought hard to keep it down. Gritting her teeth, Jenny hissed, "Just because it's his son's birthday today? His dead son's birthday?"

"Jenny," Miss Katayama interrupted her calmly, already seeing that the girl in front of her was getting more upset with each passing moment. "This is not what I meant…"

"Not?" the girl snapped and then, as if she suddenly remembered, whom she was talking to, took a deep calming breath and continued, "Vegeta isn't like other people, Miss Katayama. He doesn't know grief like we do, but this, avoiding people, is his way of dealing with this situation. He's… He's different. And often difficult. But he's trying, I can see that. That he's come along as chaperone is proof of that. He never socializes and yet, he still tolerates you and more importantly, the kids. I know that he's been close to loosing his cool more than once – patience has never been his strong point – but have you ever seen him yell at someone while we were here? So he's disappeared today, 'cause he needs some time alone to deal with the fact that his son doesn't live to see his eleventh birthday, so what? I just ask you to cut him some slack… If you just look closely, you can see that he's trying really hard to do all those things he usually despises… Though I still have not the slightest idea, why he's trying so hard…"

The last part was barely louder than a whisper and actually not meant to be said aloud, but Miss Katayama heard it. Swallowing hard, the young teacher looked down at the girl in front of her and suddenly saw her in a new light. She knew that she, as educator, should have seen the changes in the girl earlier. But what she saw now brought a small smile to her lips.

Jenny Son had truly come a long way in those one and a half years she'd been in her class. The extremely stubborn and rebellious girl, who had told nothing but lies when she had first come to school, had matured a lot. Well, Jenny was still stubborn and sometimes still rebellious, but she now knew when and how to control herself. However, the girl didn't seem to realize that she was her step-father's reason for trying to change. She would need to talk to her about it, but not now and not on this field trip, seeing as this was neither the right time nor the right place for a discussion like this.

Still, it saddened the teacher to realize that she hadn't seen those changes before. She had honestly expected Jenny to yell and rage at her, but instead the girl had stopped herself before this could happen and tried to defend her step-father by reasoning with her. This young child in front of her was far more mature than any other child she had met, even those who had lost truly everything not even three years ago.

"I'm sorry, Jenny," Miss Katayama eventually said with an apologizing smile on her face. "You're right. I shouldn't have said that. We all have different ways to deal with our loss and if your step-father needs some solitude, I have no right to judge him."

Jenny looked at her teacher startled. She had been ready for any kind of punishment for her cheek, because she didn't regret one word of what she had said, damn the consequences, but she was surprised, when her teacher actually apologized. Now she was simply speechless.

"But," the young woman continued, knowing that she still had to talk to Jenny about this, "there's still this snowfight and he's the leader of your team…"

"Well, 'bout that," Jenny said, nervously shifting with her feet. "I… I believe I have an idea… I believe we can do this without him…"

"And how do you want to do that?" Mr. Grogan's voice suddenly asked from behind Jenny. He stopped next to them and chuckled, as if he found the thought that they could even participate in this competition without Vegeta extremely funny. Jenny could have hit him for this. "I mean, your father—"

"Step-father," the girl hissed, but once again Mr. Grogan simply acted as if she hadn't spoken at all.

"—is the leader of your team, just as Miss Katayama has already said. Without leader, an army can't win…"

Jenny was slowly getting sick of his behavior, but instead of looking angry, a confident smirk suddenly appeared on her face and she crossed her arms over her chest, as she made her final decision. "Who says that we're without leader?"

"What do you mean?" the older man asked, still sounding slightly amused.

Jenny growled inwardly. If he thought that just because she was child, she wasn't a force to be reckoned with, he couldn't be more wrong. At this moment, she swore to herself and to Vegeta, wherever he was, that after this _battle_, Mr. Grogan would never again underestimate her. "You seem to have forgotten one tiny fact, Mr. Grogan," Jenny told him, her smirk not once wavering. "I'm Vegeta's Second-in-Command."

* * *

There was a huge party going on in the dining hall that night, as the winning team celebrated its victory, along with everyone else, even the other team. The only one not joining the party was Mr. Grogan, who was sitting in a corner with a sour look on his face. He seemed to be the only one of his team, who was taking the defeat of his team badly, much to Jenny's amusement and satisfaction.

Her team had trounced him and his team, even though her team had caused her some problems at the beginning. They hadn't wanted to listen to her, when she had told them that Vegeta was missing in action and most likely wouldn't be back in time for the tournament. However, after some persuasion and the reminder that they either had to accept her as leader or forfeit, they had begun to listen to her with some reluctance. First when they had really been out on the _battlefield_ and noticed how much they had to rely on her orders, the last remains of their reluctant behavior had disappeared.

After ninety minutes the jury had given the signal that the snowfight was over and even though they had wanted to wait until dinner to announce the result (each hit with a snowball was awarded with one point), Jenny had been pretty sure that they had won – and she had told her team this. She had told them that she was proud of them, proud of how well they had worked together and how well they had followed their tactic.

Jenny was grinning widely, as she left the dining hall and once again sat down on the veranda, where everything with the snowfight had begun. Rubbing her hands, she breathed onto them to keep them warm. She watched the white vapor her breaths caused disintegrate, as she thought about how she had felt, when the result had been announced at dinner and the other members of her team had run up to her and hugged her.

Never before had she felt this accepted by other children, but unfortunately, none of the children in her team were in her class at school. All of them who had participated had chosen Mr. Grogan's team and they were still avoiding her like the plague and calling her names. Even Adelina, Mr. Grogan's granddaughter, had joined them, and this dampened Jenny's mood a bit. However, she didn't want to let them ruin this night for her, so she simply ignored them with her head held high.

Soft footsteps behind her jerked Jenny out of her thoughts and she turned around, surprised to see Miss Katayama standing there. The young teacher smiled at her and crossed the last few feet between them, until she was standing next to her. "What are you doing out here?" she asked.

Jenny shrugged and turned back to look out at the night sky. "Thinking…"

"About today?" When the girl nodded, Miss Katayama said, "You did good today, Jenny. You should be proud…"

"I am," Jenny answered. "I'm proud of my team. They deserved this victory…"

"But so do you, Jenny," her teacher argued. "You led them to this victory. You should have seen yourself down there. You were incredible. This tactic was incredible."

Again, the girl simply shrugged. "It was Vegeta's strategy."

"Yes, maybe… But of what use is a strategy, if you don't know how to execute it?" Miss Katayama paused a bit, giving Jenny some time to take her words to heart. "I believe," she continued eventually, "I know now, why your step-father chose you as his _Second-in-Command_. You're good at thinking on your feet. You use your head, when other people simply use their brawns." A chuckle escaped her teacher's lips, which caused Jenny to look at her surprised. "I'm sorry… It's just… I think Mr. Grogan's ego has taken quite a beating by your victory over him."

Jenny grinned at her. "That was my intention. Or at least my motivation. Ever since Vegeta planted this idea of the snowfight into his head, he has made those snide remarks about how we would never be able to beat him and his perfect tactic. I guess I've shown him."

"That you certainly did…" Miss Katayama agreed wholeheartedly. "Come on, why don't we go back inside? It's getting cold out here…"

Getting up, Jenny shook her head with a smile on her face. "Nah, I think I go back to my room. It's already late and we have to get up early tomorrow. Besides, there's still something I need to do first…"

"Okay… Goodnight, Jenny. I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast…"

"Goodnight, Miss Katayama…"

When her teacher had again disappeared inside the dining room, Jenny walked around the building to the main entrance and followed the corridors and stairs until she was standing in front of her and Vegeta's room. She fumbled with the keys for a few seconds, trying to find the right one, before she unlocked the door and went inside. She quickly gathered her pajamas and left the room again to go to the bathrooms, only to emerge again a few minutes later.

As she put her clothes on the chair, Jenny cast a confused glance at the window, wondering if it had been open the whole time, and quickly closed it. Shivering slightly, she climbed into her bed and pulled the blanket over her shoulder, before she took her diary out of its hiding place underneath the pillow and took the pen to write down everything about the snowfight.

But as she opened the book at the next empty page, she was surprised to see something written there in a rough scrawl. In a split second Jenny had the flashlight in her other hand and switched it on. A happy grin spread over her face, when she read the words.

_Your teacher is right. You did good today. I'm proud of you. _

* * *

"We're home!" Jenny called cheerfully, as she and Vegeta stepped through the door of Capsule Corporation after a long train journey and, immediately after having pulled off her shoes and hung her jacket at the wardrobe, she stormed into the kitchen. Her grandmother had promised them that they would have dinner together, when they returned home, - Jenny couldn't wait to tell her everything about the field trip! - so she naturally expected her to be in the kitchen, cooking. A confused frown appeared on her face, when there was no one, until she spotted the note at the fridge.

_Dear Jenny and Vegeta, _

_dinner is ready and waiting in the fridge for you. I didn't feel well, so I decided to prepare everything and then take a nap afterwards until you come home. Please wake me up, when you're back, so that we can all have dinner together, just as I promised. _

_Grandma _

"I'm gonna wake her," Jenny told Vegeta, who had just entered the kitchen, before she darted out of the room, through the corridor and up the stairs, not noticing the strange look on Vegeta's face.

He had felt it the moment they had reached the compound. Something was off, he just couldn't put a finger on what exactly. Something was different, he just knew it. Deep in thoughts, he followed the girl into the house and into the kitchen, where she just stormed past him.

It was only a second later that it hit him, only a moment before Jenny's heartbreaking scream echoed through the building.

Mrs. Briefs' ki was gone.

She was dead.


	40. Part III: In Memoriam

**A/N: Once again, I'm extremely sorry for the long wait, but real life and university really take up a lot of time. However, I finished this chapter within not even three days, as the words just seemed to flow out of my fingers into the keyboard. This chapter is still a bit sad, but I promise that Jenny's life will get better soon!**

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Part III

**Chapter 39: In Memoriam**

About two hours before Vegeta and Jenny would return to Capsule Corporation from the field trip Kaiousama was found on a plane on the way to Enma Daiou's check-in station for souls. The Kaioushin had contacted him half an hour previously, asking him to collect someone from there and to bring this person to the Dai Kaiou's planet. The answer to his question, who this person was, had been grave. He didn't know her personally, but according to what he had seen, when he had been watching the earth, she played an important part in the young girl's upbringing.

A weary sigh escaped his lips, when the old plane had landed and he was allowed to disembark. Kaiousama saw her the moment he stepped into the check-in station, talking to one of the employees. She made hasty gestures and looked pretty upset, while the employee appeared to be very uncomfortable and tried to edge away from her. Not for the first time he noticed that the elder woman didn't look her age at all, but when he got closer, he saw the fine wrinkles on her face and the exhaustion in her otherwise lively blue eyes.

"Mrs. Briefs," he cleared his throat, to get her attention. Upon seeing him, Enma Daiou's employee quickly excused himself, looking relieved at finally getting away from this woman, and left them alone. "I'm here to escort you to the Dai Kaiou's planet."

She smiled at him gratefully. "Oh, are you the Kaioushin?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm not," he told her, noticing at once that her face fell slightly at this. "I'm Kaiousama. I'm sure you've heard from me."

"I have," she answered thoughtfully, but suddenly an urgent glint appeared in her eyes. "I need to talk to the Kaioushin. I need to go back to earth. Jenny and Vegeta will come back from the field trip today and if I'm not there…"

"Mrs. Briefs," Kaiousama tried to calm her down by putting a hand on her shoulder. "I understand that you're distressed, but you're dead. You can't go back to earth. However, the Kaioushin is taking care of the problem at this very moment we're talking about it. He realizes that your family on earth, especially Jenny, needs to say goodbye, so he made a duplicate of you, a clone if you will, and is putting it at the place, where you've died, right now. This means that they will find a body and be able to have a proper funeral for you."

Sniffing slightly, the older woman just mumbled, "I see…"

"Come on," Kaiousama said quietly and gently led her back to the plane. "I'll bring you to your husband and daughter now. I'm sure that they can cheer you up."

* * *

Not for the first time since they had arrived in the Afterlife almost three years ago, Bulma Briefs cursed the Tenki Gods, as she fought her way through a snowstorm clad only in a tiny red bikini. When she had gone to the lake this morning, it had been really warm, as if it were July on earth. She had spent the whole time at the lake, reading a juicy novel, getting a tan and going for a couple of swims, until it had suddenly gotten freezingly cold and the first snowflakes had started to fall. However, those few snowflakes had quickly turned into a full-fledged snowstorm, forcing her to give up the hope that those weather gods' mood would change again and to pack her stuff to return home.

Fortunately she couldn't get sick, seeing as she was already dead, but it was nonetheless very uncomfortable to walk through the icy snow like this. So she was relieved, when she saw her house appear in the near distance, knowing that it was now only going to be a few minutes until she could lie down on the couch in front of the fire, wrapped in a blanket and finish her book. She desperately wanted to know, if Suzanna and Marco were going to end up with each other or if she would choose her first love Diego over him.

However, she wasn't prepared for what she was going to see, once she stepped through the door and into the living room. Dropping everything on the ground, a hand flew to her mouth, the love triangle in her book, the terrible weather and the fact that she was nearly completely frozen forgotten, as she cried, "Mom!" and ran up to her mother, engulfing her in a tight hug. "What the hell are you doing here? Did something happen on earth? Are Vegeta and Jenny okay?"

"They are alright, Bulma dear," Mrs. Briefs answered with a sad smile on her face. "It was just my time to join you, I believe. I'm not the youngest anymore, as you know…"

Bulma nodded, wiping away the tears that were gathering in her eyes. "You're right… It's just… Jenny and Vegeta are now all alone on earth. Before, I was sure that everything would be all right with you being there. I know this sounds stupid, but who's going to take care of them now? Jenny is still a child and Vegeta's, well, he's Vegeta. He doesn't even know how to work the microwave for Dende's sake!"

"But Jenny does," Trunks, whom she hadn't even noticed yet, suddenly piped up. "I'm sure she can show dad how it works."

"Oh Trunks," Bulma sighed and kneeled down, hugging him tightly. Her son was right, in a way. She shouldn't worry so much. After all, Vegeta had already survived for more than twenty years before he had even set foot on earth for the first time. And Jenny was a smart girl, too, and she wasn't the seven years old girl anymore that she had been, when Buu had appeared on earth. She must have grown up a bit by now. Together they should be able to make it through this. As long as they didn't do anything stupid, of course, which was, knowing the two of them, actually pretty likely without someone to keep them in check.

* * *

Suki Katayama loved her job. Ever since her first day at elementary school as a six years old girl, she had wanted to become a teacher. She had simply adored her teachers and had dreamed about being adored like this for many years. So she had worked hard to get top marks at school and at university, to get the job of her dreams. And now, twenty-five years later, her wish had been fulfilled for a few years already and she loved it.

The life of a teacher was of course different from what she had dreamed of – not all pupils liked their teachers and teaching a class of children along with the preparation for the classes was extremely strenuous – but she still loved it. She loved working with children, she loved passing on knowledge and she loved to help, no matter how difficult a situation was.

All of this had been put to the test almost three years ago, when Buu had appeared and destroyed so much – she herself had been lucky to have escaped him with light injuries. It had been hard to see the aftermath, how many of her pupils didn't return to school. It had been heartbreaking to talk to the parents of those children she had taught until Buu had killed them. It had taken all of her strength to get through this hard time, but after the first hard few weeks were over, her mission had been clearer than ever. Suki Katayama had sworn to herself then that she would help those children that had survived, that she would teach them to give them a chance in the future and that she would teach them to live again.

It had worked, she had helped the kids and the kids had helped each other and begun to enjoy their lives again, until a bit more than one year after Buu one girl had joined her class. When she had met Jenny Son for the first time, she had immediately seen the anger and reluctance in her, but she hadn't been worried then. Many children, who started at school, especially those who had been home-schooled before, didn't know what to expect at first and were a bit defiant. But usually this behavior changed after the first class, once they got to know their fellow students and got to work on something.

However, Jenny Son had proven to be a difficult case. There had been a wall around her that she hadn't been able to penetrate, no matter what she had tried. And then, Suki Katayama had probably made the worst mistake in the beginning of her relationship to this girl – she had laughed at something she had said, believing it to be a joke, when it obviously hadn't been. It had been after this mistake that Jenny had started to tell those lies to the whole class and she had been forced to send her to the guidance counselor. But this hadn't been the only consequence – after this first class, all chances for a social life at school had been destroyed, even after the girl had apologized for her behavior.

After having talked to her, Mr. Kinley had come to the conclusion that Jenny suffered under neglect from her guardians, but the young woman had soon started to doubt this, after she had gotten to know the elder Mrs. Briefs. The old woman was caring and loving and the teacher didn't think that she would ignore her own grandchild, although she appeared to be a bit naïve about certain things.

Soon the mandatory meetings between Jenny and the guidance counselor lessened, as Jenny began to behave in school. Her attempts to find friends had been futile, so she had retreated into herself and didn't even try to socialize anymore. It was a bit worrying, however, it didn't seem to bother the girl. She appeared to be quite happy without friends. Somehow, Suki Katayama got the feeling that Jenny was much more mature than any other child in her class or on the whole school. Her eyes were so much older and she was so serious most of the time. Sometimes the nine years old girl acted as if she were already a teenager or even an adult.

Miss Katayama had seen the last proof of this during the field trip, when Jenny had taken over the responsibility for a group of other children and led them to a victory against an experienced veteran soldier in a planned snowfight. But she hadn't seen this only during the fight. Before, when her stepfather, who had been the actual leader of their team, had been missing in action, she had defended him by bringing sound arguments, instead of acting like a child her age would. And especially not as Suki Katayama had expected her to react. It had been at this moment that she had realized the true maturity of the girl and since then she had begun to wonder, what exactly had caused this, seeing as no other child her age acted that way.

When she had arrived home after the field trip, she had resolved to get to know Jenny better and to give her a well-deserved second chance.

But unfortunately, the girl hadn't returned for classes on Monday. And she had also stayed away on Tuesday and Wednesday, and whenever the teacher had tried to call her guardians, no one had answered. And this was the reason why she was now, on Thursday after school, standing in front of the door of Capsule Corporation, waiting for someone to open it, after she had already rung the doorbell twice.

Solid five minutes later, she rang the doorbell the third time. Again, no one answered. With an irritated sigh, she just wanted to take a look around the house, when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Whirling around, she was a bit surprised to see Mr. Briefs standing there, wearing something that could only be described as training clothes. How he wasn't freezing in this cold weather wearing only those thin black pants and the black tank top she couldn't fathom, and she instinctively pulled the collar of her coat tighter around her neck.

"It's you," he simply said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why are you here?"

"Mr. Briefs," Miss Katayama began politely. "I'm here because of Jenny. I was wondering, if she was maybe sick, because she hadn't been in school for the last few days, and no one answered, when I called."

"The girl won't return to that school of yours."

The young teacher looked at him, shock written all over her face. Now this was something she hadn't expected at all. "Oh… Are you… I mean, do you plan on sending her to another school?"

"No."

"I see…" she mumbled, though she didn't understand him at all. "May I ask, why?"

"Her grandmother died a few days ago, the day we returned from the field trip."

Miss Katayama thought that this would be all she would get as an explanation, even though she couldn't see, how this might be an explanation for the statement that Jenny wouldn't be going to any school at all.

However, after a brief pause, Vegeta continued, "It had been her idea to send Jenny to school to begin with. I had just agreed, because I thought it might be a chance for the girl to learn something about life, but over the months, I noticed that it didn't work out as I had hoped. She didn't make any acquaintances and everything she had learned at school, she could have learned just as well at home. But her grandmother wouldn't listen to me, so I decided to keep an eye on things."

"You didn't like what you saw on the field trip," the teacher concluded. "You noticed how the other kids treated her and decided to pull her out."

"Amongst others," Vegeta conceded. "The girl has more important things to worry about than school…"

"_I've got more important things to worry about," Jenny told her teacher, after a history test had been returned, in which she had received a nearly failing grade._

"That's the same she said to me a few weeks ago," she said.

Acting, as if he hadn't heard her, Vegeta just stated, "After we found her grandmother dead, Jenny said that she didn't want to return to school and I accepted her wish. This _experiment_ had been worth a try, but it hadn't worked." Uncrossing his arms, Vegeta turned to go, but before he left, he said, "If there are any forms I need to sign, bring them over tomorrow and put them in the mailbox. We'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon after the funeral. I will send them back as soon as I've signed them."

Miss Katayama nodded numbly, all of her thoughts jumbled together. When she had decided to come to this house, she hadn't expected this sudden turn of events. Apparently he didn't just pull Jenny out of school, no, they were also planning on leaving this town altogether. "Wait… please," she suddenly called after him. Vegeta stopped and turned his head towards her. "May I… May I talk to Jenny… one more time?"

Vegeta seemed to contemplate her request for a moment, until he jerked his head into the direction of the backyard. "Follow me."

She did so gladly and walked behind him until they reached a large dome-shaped building in the backyard. As far as she could see, there was just one door and the only window in the whole building was in that door. Hesitantly she stepped up to it and looked through this small round window. A gasp escaped her lips at what she saw in there. The large room was bathed in red light and in the middle of it was some kind of control panel. Small ball-shaped machines were flying through the air and firing blasts at a short dark-haired person, a girl. The girl easily dodged those attacks, fading out of sight every now and then and in the end destroying first one and then another of those machines. "What is this?" she asked astonished.

"That's a gravity room", Vegeta explained curtly. "In there you can fabricate a gravity of 500G. That's the place the girl and I train in. Right now the girl is training under 150G."

The young woman whirled around to face him, eyes wide and shaking her head. "Impossible. No one, no living person, no human could survive a gravity like this. And this girl in there is not Jenny. She doesn't look like her at all."

"Do you imply that I'm lying?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"I… No… I mean…" Grabbing her head, Miss Katayama groaned, already feeling a headache coming. She had the feeling that she was in the middle of a bad movie and no one was going to tell her her lines or how she had to act. She raised her head a bit and chanced another look into this room. Then again, this girl was about as tall as Jenny and, if not the color, the length of her hair was the same. Suddenly the woman caught a glance of the girl's face and her eyes widened again. The eyes appeared to be darker, but otherwise it was Jenny's face. "How is this possible?"

Hers and Vegeta's eyes met. A shudder went through her body, as she got the feeling that the man in front of her was looking right through her. "We are not what people might consider _normal_. It's safer for all of us, if you don't know more."

"So," she asked, when suddenly everything seemed to make a lot more sense than before and memories from three and more years ago fought their way to the surface of her mind. "Jenny hadn't been lying then? Her father really did defeat Buu? And her brother, he was the delivery guy at the site of the Cell Games, he defeated Cell? Everything she said about the battles, about god, everything is true?"

"Every single word," the Saiyajin admitted.

Tears formed in her eyes, as she looked back to the girl. Her training clothes were tattered, she was dirty and now and then she appeared to be swaying on the spot. "Since when is she in there?"

"Sunday night," he answered. "I barely get her out to eat something, let alone to sleep."

Nodding, the young teacher raised her hand to the glass, but lowered it quickly. It was hard to imagine that all of this really seemed to be true, but somehow, she believed it now. And she felt sorry. She was sorry for accusing Jenny for lying, when all the girl had done the whole time on her first day at school had been telling the blunt and brutal truth.

Jenny wasn't like other children, she had already seen this before, but she hadn't understood this fully until now. Her family had apparently consisted of warriors with a power and strength so great, which no normal human could ever rival. From a young age on she had been taught in the art of fighting, most likely to protect this planet should another threat arise in the future. So it was no wonder that the girl seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"I will bring you the forms tomorrow," she finally said, as she turned away from the gravity room. "Just send them back, when you've had time to sign them. I will inform the principal of this development and tell him that he will get those forms as soon as possible." Pulling her coat once again tighter around her body, Miss Katayama eventually said nearly in a whisper, "Jenny's a special girl. I hate to lose her in my class, but I hope that this change of scenery will help her to get over this loss. Goodbye."

Vegeta didn't say anything at first, as he watched the woman leave. Somehow, he was glad that she had come and that he had gotten the chance to explain his reasons. The death of her grandmother had hit the girl hard, a lot harder than he had expected. While he had contemplated pulling her out of school, or at least talking to Mrs. Briefs about it, already on the train ride to the ski resort, he had made his final decision at the moment the girl had buried her face in his chest, after she had found the body of Mrs. Briefs lying on her bed.

It had been an illusion to let the girl try to have a normal life – she would never have a normal life, not when reality was so close, with death and the prophecy always looming over them.

After the recent developments leaving this city was a necessity. There was nothing to keep them here anymore, apart from painful memories. It was time, especially for the girl, to learn more than what he could teach her in the safe walls of a gravity room. She needed to make her own experiences, to learn from her own mistakes. Vegeta didn't know, how many years she had still left until she would have to leave to fulfill that prophecy, so he needed to take her training up a notch or two, even though there wasn't much left to teach her.

Besides, just as her teacher had said, this change might help the girl to deal with everything bad that had happened to her in this city, all those deaths she had been forced to experience. Right now, she was in a state of denial, not willing to deal with, let alone face the fact that she had just lost another important person in her life. The sooner they left, the better. He had informed her of his plans about leaving the day before and the girl had reacted with an alarming indifference.

Yes, he decided. They needed to get away as soon as possible.

Fortunately, everything had been taken care of. The Briefs' lawyer was going to look after their property during their absence and their finances to make sure that they still had a steady income from Capsule Corporation and a small capsule house for the two of them had been organized. The only thing they had to do now was to pack their belongings and to leave – right after the funeral. It wouldn't have been fair to the girl to not give her the chance to say goodbye and find some closure.

"The girl likes you," he suddenly heard himself say. Miss Katayama stopped and turned around again. "I would… appreciate it… if you were present at the funeral tomorrow. She might… need someone… to give her strength."

Suki Katayama smiled at the man in front of her, the man who struggled with his words to ask her for something as simple and natural as this. "I'll be there," she promised, because she knew that he wouldn't be.

* * *

The weather seemed to be mocking them, Jenny thought grimly, as she looked up at the light blue sky. There was no cloud to be seen and the sun was happily shining down on them. The snow cover on the ground glistened in the sunlight, forcing her to blink a few times, as she had left the house earlier that day.

Quiet voices were talking around her, while she was staring down at the hole in the ground. A mount of dark earth was lying next to the hole, somehow disturbing the pure white all around them. Jenny couldn't believe that this was really true, that she was standing here. This would be the first real funeral she had ever attended. All the other times there hadn't been a body to bury, but this time there was. She wondered vaguely, whether her grandmother hadn't gained that privilege to go to the Dai Kaiou's planet or whether she was already there and it wasn't her body they were going to bury in a few minutes.

Tears began to gather in her eyes, tears that she hadn't shed since shortly after she had discovered her grandmother and didn't want to shed now. _Grandma's gone_, Jenny told herself, as she wiped them away with the back of her hand. Her grandmother was in a better place now – even if she weren't on the Dai Kaiou's planet, she just had to be in heaven, so there was no need to cry about it. But still, Jenny couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Suddenly someone held a handkerchief in front of her face and Jenny looked up, surprised to see her teacher standing there. "Miss Katayama," she sniffed. "What are you doing here?"

Crouching down, the young woman began to wipe the tears from Jenny's face. "I'm sorry about your grandmother," she said instead of answering her question. "She was a lovely woman. It's okay to cry for her." She got up again after she had put the handkerchief in the pocket of Jenny's denim jacket and took a good look at the girl. She was wearing a dark blue denim skirt with a black pantyhose and a black turtleneck. There were dark bags underneath her eyes, making Miss Katayama wonder, if the girl had slept at all last night, or if she had spent the whole night in the gravity room. "How are you holding up?"

Jenny shrugged, turning her attention back to the grave. "'m fine."

"Jenny," the teacher said firmly. "You are not fine."

With a deep sigh, the girl admitted, "You're right. Not now. But I will be. I have to be."

Before Suki Katayama could say something, the minister stepped up to the grave and six men carried the coffin over to them. She put a hand on Jenny's shoulder and squeezed tightly, wanting to give the girl the feeling that she wasn't alone in this, that she didn't need to put on this brave front, when the minister held his sermon and said a few personal things about Mrs. Briefs, until the coffin was lowered into the ground.

Not one word was said during this ceremony. Miss Katayama felt a light tremble underneath her hand, but one look at the girl's face told her that she didn't allow herself to cry. This girl was always so strong, even in moments, when she didn't need to be. Jenny even gave her a small reassuring smile, when the minister called her to the front so that she could be the first to throw a flower into the grave.

With her head held high, Jenny stepped up to the front, receiving the condolences of the minister and took then a bright yellow rose from the bundle that lay there. However, before she threw it into the grave, she turned to the few people who had gathered for the funeral and said, "Grandma always loved bright and colorful flowers. There was always a bouquet in the living room, every day, and they smelled so good, like summer."

Another smile fluttered over her face, as she remembered this and she noticed that there were similar smiles on the others' faces.

"She loved to spend time in the gardens, tending to the flowers, but in the past years, this time had been rare. After Buu, she helped hundreds of homeless people, giving them everything they needed, be it food, blankets, or just a friendly ear. But she never forgot her own family, never forgot me and Vegeta… After a hard day she always had the time to cook for us and play with me or to help me with my homework. I, I haven't always been fair to her, but I loved her." She looked around one more time and after having taken a deep, shuddering breath, she whispered, "And I'm gonna miss her."

The rose fell into the grave and Jenny walked back to where her teacher was standing. The moment, the woman saw her coming towards her, she crouched down again and hugged the girl tightly, as she eventually cried into her shoulder. Miss Katayama made soothing sounds and gently rubbed her back, while everyone else went up to the grave and threw a rose into it. Soon the cemetery cleared and the young woman and the girl were the only ones left.

"That was beautiful," she whispered, her own voice thick with unshed tears.

After a moment, knowing that they were finally alone, Jenny pulled back again and used the handkerchief in her pocket to wipe the tears away and to blow her nose. "Thank you, Miss Katayama," the girl mumbled, giving her a grateful smile. "But I gotta have to be strong now."

"I understand," the young woman answered and gently stroked through the girl's hair. "I may not be your teacher any longer, but if you need anything, at any time, you know where to find me…"

"Thank you," Jenny mumbled sincerely. She looked to the ground, seemingly thinking about something for a moment, but eventually raised her head again and said, "Vegeta told me that you know the truth now."

Miss Katayama gave her a soft smile, as she answered, "I do. And I'm sorry, Jenny. I should have given you more credit."

Shrugging, Jenny simply said with a small grin, "It's okay… I wouldn't have believed me if I were you, too."

They exchanged another smile and the young teacher got up again, looking around. "Your stepfather is here."

And indeed, there Vegeta was, standing under an old willow tree and carrying a large duffel bag over his shoulder. He was as usual dressed in dark colors, but there wasn't the usual scowl on his face. Instead his eyes almost seemed to express worry. He walked up to them and glanced at the grave, before turning his full attention back to them, as he pulled an envelope out of the pocket of his leather jacket and gave it to the teacher. "I signed everything."

"Thank you," Suki Katayama said. "Well then, I guess this is goodbye, huh?" Crouching down again, she pulled Jenny into one last embrace. "I wish you well, Jenny. And don't forget my offer."

"I won't," Jenny told her, when they parted and she stepped back to Vegeta.

Both adults exchanged one more look, before Miss Katayama stepped back and said, "Goodbye."

Vegeta only nodded at her and at the next moment, the young teacher, who believed that she had already seen a lot in her life, almost couldn't believe her eyes, as Jenny's hair and eyes turned black and both she and Vegeta began to float before they then took off into the sky.

She looked after the two white trails they left behind, shielding her eyes against the sun, as she mumbled one more time, "Goodbye Jenny. I hope that we'll meet again, someday. I can't wait but see what kind of woman you're going to become."


	41. Part III: A new Beginning

**A/N: Uhm, one tiny question… Is there still anyone out there who's reading this story? If there is, would you please leave a small review? Just so that I can see whom I'm still writing for… Thank you!**

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Part III

**Chapter 40: A new Beginning**

It had been a few long and strenuous days, with Mrs. Briefs' death, the funeral and the move into their new home away from the Western Capitol. It hadn't been easy to find a new place to live, a place that didn't hold too many bad memories for either of them, a place where they could start new, live and train in peace, but were still close enough to civilization. In the end Vegeta had decided on an area in the far west, at the edge of a huge forest and close to the sea. There was a village nearby, which had escaped Buu's reign of terror, and Vegeta could still easily fly to the Western Capitol if necessary.

It had taken them the whole afternoon after the funeral to settle in, unpack boxes and make their new home inhabitable. The capsule house was small, just big enough for the two of them, with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a bath with a tub and a shower, and a storage room. In addition to this Vegeta had brought along their gravity room, but he would only open this capsule, when they needed it.

During the afternoon Vegeta had kept a close eye on the girl. She seemed to be better than before. Livelier and not as cold as before. At least at the beginning. On their way to the place where their new house stood – Vegeta had brought it there the day before -, they had even talked a bit and the girl had almost seemed back to her old self. Vegeta gave that teacher of hers partly credit for that. She had been there for the girl during one of the hardest moments in her life and had given the girl the strength to go through this, to say goodbye. Something he hadn't been able to.

But as the day progressed, he noticed much to his dismay that Jenny once again began to retreat into herself. She stopped talking, became subdued again and she was often far away with her thoughts. After they had brought and decapsulized the packing cases, she managed to unpack her clothes and personal belongings in record time and then busied herself by organizing the kitchen, living room and bathroom. Whenever Vegeta suggested that they take a break, she waved him off and disappeared in another room.

During dinner, which consisted of a couple of frozen pizzas Vegeta had taken along from Capsule Corporation until they could buy their own food there, the girl barely ate anything at all. He could see the beginnings of dark circles underneath her eyes, while she was playing with her food, which was rather unusual for a Saiyajin. Under normal circumstances a Saiyajin could live about a week with no sleep at all before showing the first signs of fatigue. Her clothes also seemed to have become slightly baggier, but this might just be his imagination.

"You should go to bed," Vegeta suddenly said, as he had enough of watching the girl's behavior, obviously startling her, as her gaze jerked up from her plate. "You look tired."

Immediately Jenny's eyes were alert and she shook her head vehemently. "No, I'm not tired. Really, I'm not. I'm just not hungry." She cringed a bit under Vegeta's scrutinizing gaze and lowered her eyes, as she said, rather meekly, "Actually I wanted to ask you, if we could maybe train a bit after dinner. It's been a few days since we've sparred."

Vegeta knew exactly, why it had been so long since they had trained together. The reason for this had been the girl's reaction to her grandmother's death. She had locked herself in the gravity room and changed the code without his knowing, so the only way to get her out of the room had been to shut down the gravity room from the outside, when he had noticed that the girl hadn't deemed it necessary to take a break.

All those years ago he had hated it, when his woman had used this remote control to get him out of this room, but now he was grateful that she had built it. At least now he had some control of the girl's training, though he always had to wait until she was too weak to protest to drag her out. Then he would put her to bed or force her to eat something, but the moment he turned his back to her or decided to get some sleep himself, she was once again training.

But maybe she had given him now, with her request to train with him, a possibility to make sure that she slept more than two or three hours that night. She needed it, that was certain, and maybe she would be more reasonable afterwards.

"Alright," he answered eventually. "But first, eat up. I will first spar with you, when the pizza's gone from the plate and in your stomach. No buts," Vegeta quickly interrupted, as Jenny opened her mouth to say something, most likely to object. He ignored the glare directed at him and turned back to his own plate. "Eat."

* * *

This sparring match was probably the shortest match Vegeta had ever had against the girl.

After she had, rather reluctantly, eaten the last slice of her pizza under Vegeta's challenging glare, he had sent her to her room to change into training clothes and told her that he would meet her outside with the room, when he had changed as well. He wasn't surprised, when he saw outside that she was already waiting from him.

Jenny was already transformed, with her jet-black hair pulled back into a pony tail and dressed in a long sleeved dark blue gi. It was freezing outside, especially since there were no clouds at the night sky, but the girl didn't show any signs of being cold. Still, Vegeta thought that it would be better if they got into the warmth of the gravity room sooner than later, so he motioned with his head that she should follow him.

For a few minutes they trudged through the snow until they reached a clearing just big enough for the gravity room, with enough distance between the room and their house so that it wouldn't be damaged if the room exploded. Vegeta hesitated for a moment, glancing at the girl and only saw that she was staring at the clearing with determination in her dark eyes, before he took the capsule out of his pocket, pushed the button and threw it to the middle of the clearing. A split second later his, and apparently as of late also the girl's refuge, appeared out of nowhere.

Apparently without thinking twice, Jenny went to the door and entered the code. Vegeta swallowed hard, when he saw the sequence of numbers - _1215765_. His son's birthday. Of all the codes he had tried he had never once thought that the girl might use his son's birthday. Shaking his head, he quickly slipped inside behind her before the door could slide shut in his face and went up to the main control to enter a gravity of 300G. That should be enough.

Immediately he felt the weight trying to pull him down but a small power-up took care of that problem. The girl's ki had also risen after he had activated the gravity, staying just below the level at which she usually became a Super Saiyajin. Turning to her, Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her challenging. "How do you wish to begin?"

With a shrug, Jenny suggested, "How about full out from the beginning?"

Vegeta had expected nothing less from her in her current mood, but this suited him just fine. "Alright, as you wish." He waited until she had transformed and raised her ki until she had reached her limits, before he gathered his own energy and with a roar transformed into a Super Saiyajin himself, but he didn't stop at the first level, as he usually did, when they were _going full out_. Sparks surrounded his body, when his ascension to the second level was completed.

A smirk crept onto his face, when he saw the shocked widening of her eyes, and didn't hesitate to shoot a ki-blast at her. Jenny jumped aside, barely managing to avoid the powerful blast, but Vegeta had already faded out of sight for his next attack. The moment that Jenny landed on her feet, a sharp and excruciating pain spread from her stomach into her whole body, as Vegeta hit her there.

Jenny gasped. This was the only thing she was able to do, as there was suddenly no air in her lungs and her body appeared to be on fire. When she had said that she had wanted to go full out, she had never believed that Vegeta would do this. She fell to her knees, clutching her stomach, and weakly raised her head. Vegeta was looking down at her and for a moment she believed that she had seen a flicker of compassion in his eyes.

"You cheated…" she mumbled accusingly, as her energy left her. She struggled against the darkness that wanted to overwhelm her. She didn't want to sleep! But this fight was one she couldn't win. She dropped out of Super Saiyajin and then of her Saiyajinform. Immediately the heavy weight that began to suffocate her lifted. The light in the gravity room dimmed and suddenly she knew no more.

Vegeta slowly walked back from the main control after having switched off the gravity to the girl, who was now lying face down on the ground, unmoving. He couldn't get over the look in her eyes only seconds before she lost consciousness. She had been scared. She probably would have panicked, had she had enough strength left to do so. But what had caused this? Where was this fear coming from?

Bending forward, the Saiyajin carefully picked her up, surprised at how light she was, and threw her over his shoulder. After he had left the gravity room, he put it back into its capsule and then returned to the house. Not even twenty minutes had passed, since they had left it.

Vegeta didn't bother to switch on the light, as he navigated through the small house to the girl's room. He hadn't been in there at all yet, but noticed immediately that it didn't look like the girl's room at Capsule Corporation. It reminded him more of his own room. In the darkness he could see that there were no personal knick-knacks, no stuffed animals, just the furniture, her books and her computer. Nothing else.

"What's wrong with you?" Vegeta mumbled quietly, as he laid her down on her bed. Within a few days, maybe even less, when he reminded himself that her weird behavior had already started merely hours after the old woman's death, the girl had changed completely. This couldn't just be grief. The source of her problems had to lie deeper.

Vegeta pulled the top of her gi over her head and winced slightly, when he saw the angry dark bruise that began to form on her stomach. His fingers wandered expertly across her stomach and chest, to feel for any more injuries, noticing that he had been right with his earlier assumption, when he could make out every single rip – the girl had lost weight. He had been careful to pull his punch a bit, having only wanted to knock her out, but one could never know if he had accidentally done some more damage. He had been in the second level after all.

Once he was satisfied that the bruise really was the only lesion on her body, he took the tank top she was wearing at night from her bed and pulled it over her head. After this, he took off her shoes and exchanged the pants of her gi with her pajama pants. At last he covered her with her blanket, the whole time lost in thoughts.

* * *

It was later that night, about two o'clock in the morning, when Vegeta heard something in the room next to his. He was a bit confused at first, having finally nodded off after long hours of trying to find sleep, to be woken up by such quiet noises. Reaching out with his senses, he felt that the girl's ki was fluctuating.

A frown appeared on his face, as he got out of his bed, only dressed in his black boxer shorts, left his room and walked the short distance along the corridor until he was standing in front of the girl's room, his hand resting on the doorknob, hesitating. Now, only separated by the wood of the door, he could hear the noises clearer. She was whimpering in her sleep…

… and crying?

His hand dropped from the doorknob as if burned and he took a step back. It had been different, when she had thrown herself at him and cried into his chest after she had discovered the body of her grandmother. But this, going in there and offering comfort, was another story. He couldn't do this. He wasn't cut out for this. He was a warrior. Warriors didn't do this.

Another step backwards. He shook his head and turned to go, trying to quell the heavy feeling in his stomach at doing this, the guilt, although he didn't want to recognize it for what it was. He wanted the girl to be strong. He shouldn't pamper her. She needed to learn to deal with the good and the bad things life would throw at her. He didn't need her for this.

"Don't leave me, dad! I need you!"

Vegeta's blood ran cold, when he heard her cry out, her voice filled with so much fear and desperation. He slowly turned back to the door, his face pale and his hands shaking slightly, as memories from a few years ago resurfaced. This was not the first time that he heard those words from her, but both times they had been voiced with the same intensity. There was only one small difference. _Dad._ And he had the weird feeling that she hadn't called out for Kakarotto, but for him. Somehow, this filled him with some strange warmth, but at the same time his throat contracted painfully and his instincts told him to bolt.

Still, he didn't move away. Instead he stepped once again closer to the door, grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, opening the door. The room was bathed in complete darkness, but he could still make out the small form of the girl on her bed, reminding him briefly but forcefully of the fact that she was still just a child. She was tossing and turning, from left to right, the blanket almost trapping her. Still crying. Still mumbling things. Still pleading for him stay.

A small ki-ball appeared in the palm of his left hand, lighting the room in a dim light, just enough for him to see better, and he took slow steps towards the bed. His feet were making no noise on the soft carpet. The ki-ball rose into the air and stopped just underneath the ceiling, so that Vegeta would have both of his hands free. Hesitantly, he reached out, carefully putting his hand on her arm, to shake her awake and free her from this nightmare.

However, the moment he touched her, Jenny's eyes flew open with a start and she gazed at him with a surprised look in her eyes. It took a few seconds until the dazed look in her eyes disappeared and she was fully aware of her surroundings after this nightmare. "V-Vegeta?" she asked groggily, as she sat up, wiping her eyes. She withdrew her hand startled, when she noticed horrified that her eyes were wet. Her clothes were also drained with sweat and the blanket had wrapped itself around her like a snake, ready to strangle her.

"You had a nightmare," he explained shortly, in answer to her unasked question. "A bad one. Do you want some fresh clothes?"

At her silent nod, Vegeta went over to her closet and opened the doors, searching for something that looked like pajamas. It took a few moments, during which none of them said anything, until he found a new top and some fresh pants. The girl's eyes were lowered and there was a red tinge to her cheeks that wasn't caused by her nightmare. She took the clothes without a word and changed without looking up once, even though she winced slightly, when she raised her arms over her head, as the bruise on her stomach reminded her of its existence. "Thank you," she mumbled quietly, when the old clothes were discarded on the floor.

"Go back to sleep," Vegeta told her. "You need it."

Jenny finally looked up at him and he saw again the fear and panic in her eyes that he had already noticed, when she had been losing consciousness after their training. It suddenly hit Vegeta. So, that was it. The girl was afraid of going to sleep, she was afraid of the nightmares. How long did she already have them? He had never noticed anything before, not even during the field trip, when they had shared a room. So it must have started after the old woman's death. This also explained why she had trained day and night. She had tried to stay awake, at least long enough until she was so exhausted that the nightmares didn't haunt her at night.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

He had to talk to her about it, or at least do something, but first she had to sleep.

"I will wake you, if you have any more nightmares."

Jenny stared at him, her eyes widened in surprise, when she heard this. "D-does that mean, y-you'll stay here?"

Vegeta nodded and sat down in an armchair in the corner of the room, next to the window. "I'm not going anywhere."

He watched, as Jenny lay back down and pulled the blanket up to her chin, facing him. Vegeta waved his hand and the ki-ball disappeared again, leaving them both in darkness. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the sounds in this room, and tried to relax a bit. Jenny lay awake for a few more minutes, until he could hear the even breaths of someone who was asleep. First then did he open his eyes again.

He still couldn't believe it. In the ten years he had known her, this had been the second time that she had called him _dad_.

Unwanted, unbidden, a smile flickered over his face.

* * *

The following morning dawned brightly, as the glaring sun shone through the window into Jenny's bedroom, reflected by the white snow cover on the ground outside. Vegeta's eyes fluttered open, gazing around the room in disorientation at first, before he remembered that they had moved and that he had spent the night in the girl's new room. A quick glance at the clock on the wall told him that he'd slept a lot longer than usual, seeing as it was already almost nine o'clock. Then again, he hadn't actually gotten that much sleep last night with watching over the girl.

His eyes wandered from the clock to the sleeping child on the bed, whose back was turned to him. She was sleeping peacefully, wrapped tightly in her blankets, as if nothing could disturb her sleep. He could hear her deep breaths and the occasional content sigh. It was somehow hard to imagine that his presence in her room should be the reason for this.

A quiet snort disturbed the silence and Vegeta shook his head. If someone had told him fifteen years ago that he would be spending the night in a room, watching over a girl to make sure that she didn't have any nightmares, he probably would have killed whoever had uttered this nonsense. He, Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyajins, caring for a girl that was not even his blood, child of a third-class nonetheless and a half-blood? What a disgrace!

And yet, now that he had done it, he didn't regret it.

At least in her subconscious, the girl considered him her father. Vegeta's feelings about this were still mixed, but until he knew for sure what exactly he should think of this development, he would treat her as usual, be her guardian, be someone she could trust completely. And he would stay with her, as long as she wanted him to. He wouldn't make her nightmare come true.

Deep in thoughts Vegeta rose from the armchair and silently left her room. He didn't how long she was still going to sleep, but he wanted to be ready for the day and have some breakfast on the table in case she woke up before noon, which he, honestly, doubted. The girl had to catch up on a lot of sleep, after all.

Freshly showered and dressed, his stomach satisfied, Vegeta found himself back in the girl's room not even one hour later. Still sleeping like a log, she had turned while he was gone and was now facing the window and the armchair. He could see a small smile on her lips, as her face was caressed by the sun which had woken him up.

Sooner than expected, she started to stir and slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times against the sun. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and yawned loudly, before she turned again to the window. She tilted her head to the left, as she eyed Vegeta curiously. "Vegeta? What are you doing here?"

"I told you that I would stay," he simply told her. "To wake you, in case you have another nightmare."

"Oh, yeah, right…" Jenny mumbled, suddenly thinking that her blanket was really interesting. She was so stupid! What would Vegeta think of her now? Oh, she hoped that she hadn't talked in her sleep. She didn't want him to know what her nightmares were about. This would be really embarrassing. But Vegeta didn't react any differently than usual, maybe except for the fact that he had stayed with her, so maybe he just thought that it was an ordinary nightmare.

"Breakfast is in the kitchen," she heard him say and looked up to see that he was already halfway out of the room. "I will expect you outside, once you're finished and dressed."

Jenny looked after him, as he left and followed his ki with her senses until he stopped outside. His ki rose slightly and Jenny felt him move in a special pattern. He was obviously practicing kata, most likely as warm-up for the training session that would follow as soon as she joined him outside.

A smile lit up her face, but as soon as she moved to get out of the bed, a stinging pain shot through her stomach and she remembered the bruise that Vegeta had caused there during their little _sparring match_ the previous night. In front of her mirror, Jenny took off her top and took at good look at her stomach. There was a deep purple spot, about as large as a man's fist. Wincing slightly, Jenny traced the spot with her fingers, hoping that Vegeta wouldn't be too hard on her today.

Just as Vegeta had promised, she found some cereals and bread on the kitchen table. She just wanted to fill a bowl with the cereals, when she spotted something lying next to the glass and jug with her juice. Curiously she picked up the small green bean and a huge grin spread over her face, as she threw it into her mouth and swallowed it. Immediately the pain in her stomach disappeared and as she pulled up her sweater the bruise was gone.

Now filled with new vigor, Jenny first devoured a large bowl of cereal and then a stack of sandwiches, which she washed down with a whole jug of orange juice. Somehow, after a full night of sleep and a hearty meal, Jenny felt better than she had in days and this showed.

Vegeta noticed it at once, when Jenny stepped outside. There was a smile playing on her lips and her face didn't look as pale anymore as before. The dark circles underneath her eyes had almost disappeared as well. Some of those changes might be connected to the senzu he had left her, but certainly not all of them. "Finally," he smirked, as Jenny came up to him.

A sheepish grin appeared on her face and her hand flew to the back of her head, as she mumbled, "Sorry…"

"Whatever," Vegeta muttered, now completely serious. "Come here." Jenny obeyed, looking at him curiously, and stopped next to him. "Now, what do you see?"

His body was turned to the house in the clearing. Jenny looked at it and then squinted a bit, trying to see something that he might see. Shrugging, she answered, "Nothing special… Just our house."

"Exactly," Vegeta agreed. "You see _our_ house. Not my house and not your house. This house belongs to _us_."

Jenny's blue eyes widened, as slowly the implication of what Vegeta wanted to say with this fell into place.

"Your grandmother is gone…" Jenny cringed slightly, when Vegeta said this. "I am your sole guardian now. And no, you're not a burden. I know you're afraid that I might leave you. I know that this is what your nightmares are about. I know that those fears are justified. But I also know that I was about to make a mistake three years ago. I know that it won't happen again."

Vegeta averted his gaze from the house in front of them and instead turned to look at the girl at his side. She returned his look fully, her lip quivering slightly but refusing to cry in front of him. To spare her the embarrassment of his seeing her cry, he once again looked at the house.

"When I first saw your potential, I swore to myself that you would become the strongest warrior in this universe under my tutelage. I haven't forgotten this oath and I won't stop until I see it fulfilled. Or until you are tired of me." He heard her chuckle, but his eyes didn't leave the house, as he was not finished yet. "But for this to work, we need a few new rules. We will train as we always did and you will keep up with your studies. You won't lock yourself in the gravity room. You will eat and you will sleep to keep your strength up. You will take a break, when you feel exhausted and you will tell me, when you're not feeling well or if something's bothering you. I need you to trust me. I need to be able to trust you."

"I trust you," she mumbled, and then, with a stronger voice, added. "And you can trust me. I-I accept your rules, if you accept mine."

"Which would be?" Vegeta asked her, now finally looking again at her.

"You won't leave me, ever," Jenny told him forcefully. "You will continue to teach me everything I don't know yet. You will teach me more about the Saiyajins, not just about fighting, but also about their culture and lives. I need to know where I come from. We will share the chores." A slight grin was tugging at her lips, when she said this. "And I want to fight you, really fight you, when you deem me strong enough… When you think that I've reached my full potential."

Vegeta thought about this for a moment, before he eventually nodded. "Those terms are acceptable. I agree."

Jenny smiled at him. Her grandmother was dead, but life still went on. She had learned the hard way, not even three years ago, that life can be cruel, but that it was still worth living, as long as you shared it with someone.

Vegeta had promised that he would never leave her and he always kept his promises. A huge weight lifted from her shoulders.

Life was going to be better from now on.


	42. Part III: Christmas Time

**A/N: Well, first of all, I hope you all had a good Christmas and a good start into the New Year! And then I wanted to say I'm sorry that it took so long, again. I wanted to have this chapter out by Christmas, but family and university intervened, and I know this chapter isn't that long, but this was the best point to stop…**

**However, now have fun!**

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* * *

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Part III

Chapter 41: Christmas Time

"There you are, dear," the elderly shop owner of _Kioko's _smiled at Jenny, as she handed the bag with the groceries over the counter. Jenny returned the smile and, after she had put the loose money back into the pocket of her jeans, took the bag from the woman. "Are you sure you can carry all this back home? You and your father live pretty far out in the woods, near the coast, don't you?"

Not bothering to correct the older woman, who had introduced herself as Kioko, when Jenny had entered the store, that the man she was living with was only her stepfather – it had just been a few days, since they had moved into the woods near this village, so they couldn't know everything yet -, Jenny gently shook her head. "Don't worry. If it gets to heavy, I'll just take a break. Honestly," she reassured her with a smile, as the grey haired shop assistant eyed her with a disbelieving look. "It's not that far out, really… I'll manage…"

"If you say so," the woman replied with a sigh and a shake of her head. "Maybe next time your father should come along and help you."

Jenny nodded, even though she knew that Vegeta would most likely never come along to do some grocery shopping. When they had talked about sharing the chores, he had only agreed to do something in the house – Jenny guessed, because no one could see him doing a _woman's work_ then. "Maybe…" she admitted, already turning to go, but the woman suddenly called her back.

"Wait," Kioko said and passed a huge chocolate bar over the counter. "In case you're getting hungry on the way home."

Flashing her a bright grin, Jenny took the chocolate bar and put it in the pocket of her jacket. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," she replied, returning the grin. "And Merry Christmas!"

Jenny nearly froze in the doorway and looked back at the woman, eyes wide. "Merry Christmas," she simply mumbled surprised and hurriedly left the store. Once she was again out on the streets, she took a deep, trembling breath.

Christmas.

She had completely forgotten that tonight was Christmas Eve. Even though the decorations at the houses and the hustle and bustle in the streets of this relatively quiet village should have told her. Well, she _had_ known that Christmas must have been near, but it had never registered in her mind that it was already _that_ close.

The grin had completely disappeared, as she trudged through the streets with a thoughtful and somewhat gloomy look on her face. Jenny had gotten better over the last few days – it was really a wonder, what a few good meals and nights of deep sleep could do. She still had the occasional nightmare, but after Vegeta's promise that he wouldn't leave her, she could face them and it was easier deal with them.

But still, especially now, she still missed her grandmother. Actually, in times like these, she missed her whole family, more than ever. It was hard to see the happy families in this village, families that had gotten off unscathed during Buu's short reign of terror. It reminded her too much of what she could have had, had Buu never appeared on earth, had she never tried to…

_No!_

She didn't want to go there, again. It was over, it had happened and there was nothing she could do to change it. She knew this! She had accepted this! And she was working hard to spare another world the same fate.

A weary sigh escaped her lips and she adjusted the bag in her arms to make it more comfortable to carry it. Many of the passer-bys gave her curious looks and began to whisper – the news that she and Vegeta, two strangers, had moved into a capsule house in the woods, appeared to have spread like a wildfire in this village – but Jenny barely noticed them, too lost in her own thoughts.

First, when a shadow suddenly crossed her path, on the road leading out of the village and into the woods, she was torn out of her thoughts. With the low standing sun the shadow was huge, but the person stopping next to her wasn't, as Jenny noticed, when she looked around to find the source of the shadow.

It was a girl, maybe half an inch shorter than she, with shoulder length auburn hair. Her chocolate brown eyes were sparkling and she had a kind smile on her face. However, Jenny's guard immediately went up. Her experiences with other children weren't the best ones, the kids of her class having often donned a look like this before they had begun to mock her, and this showed. Her whole body tensed, her tongue ready to defend herself with words, as she took a slight step away from the girl. "What do you want?" Jenny asked tersely.

To Jenny's big surprise, the girl simply shrugged. "Everybody in town is talking about this new family that moved into the woods. I was just curious…"

"A...alright…" Jenny stuttered, momentarily taken aback, but she quickly regained her composure. "Now that you've seen me, do you mind? I'd like to go home." Without waiting for the other girl to reply, Jenny turned away and began to walk again, faster this time. Maybe she could fly, once she was in the woods, so that she was home earlier. Or at least transform, because Kioko had been right. Those bags were heavy.

"Wait!" the other girl suddenly yelled, a few seconds after Jenny had ditched her, running after the blonde. "I'm sorry! This came out all wrong!" Jenny first stopped again, when the girl was standing in front of her, slightly out of breath. Her hands were resting on her knees, as she took deep breaths. "I'm… I'm sorry… I didn't mean it that way… I just wanted to… whatever… I'm Mailin, by the way… My grandpa owns a school a few miles north of this town. I usually go there, it's a boarding school, you know, but because of the Christmas hols, we made a trip into town. Those trips are usually just every couple of weeks and I'm so sorry I'm rambling… So, what's your name?"

There was a bright grin on the others girl's – Mailin's – face and her head was tilted to the right. Jenny felt a smile tugging at her lips and allowed a small one on her face. "I'm Jenny."

The grin on Mailin's face brightened even more, if it was even possible. "Well then, Jenny… I hope I'll see ya around when I'm again in the village. But I gotta go now. Grandpa and Damian are probably already looking for me…" The girl waved, before she turned around and ran back. However, before she went around a corner, she looked over her shoulder one more time and yelled, "Merry Christmas!"

On its own volition, Jenny's hand rose into the air, but the other girl was already around the corner. Jenny was still a bit surprised by this encounter, but on the way back home, a happy smile was playing on her lips.

* * *

"I'm home!" Jenny called out, as she stepped through the front door and closed it behind her. She expanded her senses, walking through the hallway past the living room on her way to the kitchen. However, just as she passed the living room, she doubled back and stared open-mouthed and eyes-wide inside – even the bag with the groceries almost dropped to the floor. "What… what is this?" 

"I thought that this was obvious," Vegeta replied dryly, just as he stepped away from the corner of the room and turned to the girl. "It's a tree."

"I can see that!" she nearly squeaked, still shocked. There, in the corner of the room, stood a large Christmas tree, still not decorated, but there were boxes standing in front of the tree, which she recognized from helping her grandmother carry them downstairs on Christmas. "I can't believe you bought a tree!"

"I didn't buy the tree. I found it in the forest," he told her simply. He took one more look at the tree and nodded approvingly, after having made sure that it was really standing straight, and walked past Jenny. "Well, I believe you know now, what you have to do. I'm going to train."

Once Jenny was alone in the room, she put the grocery bag on a chair and walked over to the tree, looking at it from all possible angles. She really couldn't believe it. Only one hour ago, she hadn't even remembered that it was Christmas already, and now Vegeta had put a Christmas tree in their living room. She stepped closer to the tree and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. The tree smelled of forest, of earth and its very own scent. Of Christmas, of warmth and of cozy nights spent in front of it.

The smile that had already been on her face, when she had walked home, widened. Somehow, she felt that this Christmas was going to be a lot better than she had imagined. And she also knew already, how she would thank Vegeta for this.

* * *

It was in the middle of the night, as Son Goku rolled over in his and ChiChi's bed and wanted to wrap his arm around his wife in his sleep. However, the hand landed on an empty and cold spot, and this woke Goku from his slumber, as he blearily opened his eyes and looked at the empty space next to him. "Chi?" he mumbled groggily and sat up, rubbing his eyes. 

His eyes wandered around the room, but his wife was nowhere to be found. He sighed and closed his eyes, immediately feeling her energy downstairs, in the living room. Throwing his legs over the bedside, Goku got up and, yawning quietly, trudged downstairs. It was completely dark on the stairs and in the hallway, but there was a soft glow coming through the door leading to their living room. Goku stopped in front of the room and gazed through the gap between the door and the frame. There he saw her, sitting on the couch in front of the lit Christmas tree that they had all decorated the day before.

Goku silently pushed the door open and stepped into the room, his feet making no noise on the soft plush carpet. ChiChi didn't notice as he rounded the couch and first looked up, when he sat down and put a hand on her shoulder. A frown appeared on his face, when he saw the thoughtful look on hers and the tears in her eyes. "Chi?" he asked gently. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," ChiChi replied quickly and wiped the unshed tears away with the back of her hand. She averted Goku's eyes and looked back to the tree instead. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is," Goku agreed, as he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, so that her head rested against his chest. He heard her sigh quietly. "We and the kids, we all did a good job…"

"Not all of us."

If his hearing hadn't been as sensitive as it was, he wouldn't have even heard it, but now Goku only held her firmer. If he were completely honest with himself, he would admit that it had bothered him as well that afternoon. When a family decorated the Christmas tree, it should be the whole family, but one of them was missing, had been missing for the past two Christmas celebrations, but somehow, this year it hurt even more. One more person, Bulma's mother, had joined them in the afterlife, and now, it was just Jenny and Vegeta down there. "She'll be alright," he told ChiChi, with more conviction in his voice than he actually felt.

"How do you know?" she replied, without looking at him. "I don't like Vegeta and I don't trust him. I don't think that he can actually raise her, but as long as Bulma's mother was still down there, I wasn't overly worried…" Goku heard, as she took a deep and shaky breath, before she eventually mumbled, "I should be down there with her…"

"Oh ChiChi…" Goku sighed. How often had he thought the same, how often had he told himself that, if he had just come back after Cell, he could now be with her and raise her and possibly the boys as well? He was her father, so it was his responsibility, his task to raise his daughter. He barely knew her, and yet he loved her, unconditionally, just like parents could love their children. Everything could have been different, but it wasn't and there was only one person to blame.

"I knew that I was going to die, Goku," ChiChi suddenly said and sat up again, finally turning her head to look at him. She saw the disbelieving look on his face and bit her lip. She had never told him. Why, she didn't know. Maybe she had always waited for the right moment, but it had never come. Maybe she had been afraid that he might blame her, especially after Buu. But now she thought that it was finally time for him to know of her premonitions before the birth. "I knew it, Goku. I had dreams, visions of this happening. And I didn't do anything. I didn't have any senzus at home. I could have asked someone to bring some, as it started, or, or I could have asked someone to get Dende. But I didn't and I don't know why I didn't. I mean, I knew…"

Tears were freely streaming down her face by now. Goku put both of his arms around her and pulled her against his chest, letting her cry. To say that he was surprised by this revelation was an understatement, but he couldn't be angry with her. Goku could never be angry with her. "It's okay, Chi," he mumbled into her hair. "I don't blame you."

He really didn't. He would need some time to process this and then probably a fight with someone who could match his strength, but again, there was only one person to blame for this, for all of this. Goku closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. It was time to be honest with his wife.

Goku gave her a few more moments to gather herself. First, when she wasn't shaking and sobbing anymore, he gently pulled her away at arm's length and looked at her with a serious look on his face. "ChiChi," he began hesitantly. "There's… there's something I need to tell you… something you need to know… Believe me, none of this is your fault."

And so he told her, everything. About the prophecy, about the ritual and everything else the Kaioushin had told him and Gohan. He told her about Gohan's talk with Vegeta, about Vegeta sounding worried, and then about their visit to the Kaioushin. He told her about his decision not to tell her, because he hadn't wanted to worry her, but that now, after she had been honest with him, she deserved it to be treated with the same honesty. "So, if you really want to put the blame for all of this one someone, put it on the Kaioushin. He kept this from us and he messed up the ritual," Goku said at last, once he was finished with his tale.

ChiChi lowered her gaze and appeared thoughtful for a moment, before she raised her head again, shaking it slightly. "No, not the Kaioushin… Babidi… Babidi destroyed everything. If he hadn't disrupted the ritual, the Kaioushin would have been able to finish it. Then… then Jenny would have grown up in a different dimension… But she would have had a family there, a family that loved her, and she wouldn't have been alone… The battle against Buu would have been different without her influence and everyone would have survived."

"But we would have still been separated from our baby girl…"

This time, it was ChiChi who took the initiative and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, pulling him close. "Maybe," she whispered. "But somehow, I feel that she would have been happy. And someday, we would have found her. And then we would have been a real family."

Goku looked over ChiChi's shoulder to the sparkling Christmas tree and allowed a small smile on his lips. "I think," he began slowly, "that she's also happy now. You have seen her at the tournament… Believe me, there was a reason, why I was so jealous of Vegeta. I have only watched them for a few hours, but I saw that Jenny simply adores him and, believe it or not, I think he cares for her. He stayed after Buu and he stayed now. He wouldn't have done that, if he didn't care for her. I'm… I'm not saying that I won't try my best to be her father, when we finally meet again, or that I won't fight Vegeta over this, but for now, I think he's enough to keep her happy…"

ChiChi didn't answer, but she snuggled up to him, resting her head on his chest, while he was playing with her hair. None of them said anything. They didn't need to. Everything that had to be said, had been said. Now both of them could only hope that Goku wasn't wrong with his assumption, that Jenny really was happy.

First when ChiChi couldn't suppress a yawn, Goku gently nudged her. "I think we should go back to bed… I bet Goten will be up at dawn and wake us all, so that we can open the presents…"

"You're right," ChiChi mumbled, as Goku picked her up, still nestled against his chest. She was already nearly asleep.

He carried her upstairs, careful not to disturb her, and gently laid her down on their bed, before crawling in next to her. After he had pulled the blanket up and wrapped his arms around ChiChi, just as he had already planned, when he had woken up, ChiChi murmured sleepily, "Merry Christmas, Goku…"

"Merry Christmas," Goku simply answered, but ChiChi had already fallen asleep. "It's not your fault, Chi," he whispered into her hair, knowing that she wouldn't hear him. "It could never be your fault."

* * *

When Vegeta got up the following morning and prepared for his pre-breakfast training, he hadn't expected the surprise, he would find after he had stepped into the gravity room. Because, there, on the main control panel, was an envelope. With curiosity getting the best of him, he picked it up and turned it around. On the backside, his name was written, in Jenny's handwriting. For a few moments, Vegeta could just stare at it and there was an unreadable look on his face, when he finally opened it. 

Out slipped a note, with some personal words meant for him.

_Thanks for the tree, Vegeta_, it read. _And for everything else you've done for me. I don't know how to make it up, but I hope that this small present repays a bit of my debt. Merry Christmas._

The other thing in the envelope was a photograph.

A sad smile was on Vegeta's face, as he put the photograph back into the envelope, along with the note, and stored it safely in the backroom of the GR, where the gravity wouldn't damage it.

* * *

The sun was already standing higher at the ski, shining mercilessly into Jenny's room, directly into her face and teasing her, until she woke up. Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned, as she turned around, burrowing her face in her thick blanket. It was still too early… After having been up so late last night, she wanted to sleep longer, much longer. But unfortunately, the sun wouldn't let her sleep, and now that she was awake, she could as well get up. Cursing quietly under her breath, she swung her legs over the edge of her bed, grabbed her clothes from the floor and trudged into the bathroom. 

Her hair was still damp, tied into a thick braid, as she came out of the bathroom and went straight to the kitchen. According to the position of his ki, Vegeta was most likely in the gravity room, just as she had planned it. By now, he must have found her small surprise.

She couldn't keep the grin from her face, as she thought about her small midnight mission. It hadn't been easy for her, but she had returned to the Western Capitol for one small thing.

A few years ago, before Buu, she had managed to take a cute snapshot of Bulma and Vegeta, kissing in the kitchen, with Bulma leaning against the counter, with a half-made stack of sandwiches behind her. They had most likely thought that they were alone, so Jenny had been able to sneak up on them. After that, she had hidden it in her room, wanting to give it to Bulma for her birthday, but then Buu had destroyed everything and Jenny had never gotten the chance to give Bulma the photograph.

And now she had decided that this was the perfect gift for Vegeta. She wasn't sure, if he had anything to remind him of Bulma, to remind him of what they had had, but now he had at least one small thing. Even if it wasn't much.

Jenny made herself a large bowl of cereal, which she devoured quickly, before she was already on her way out to join Vegeta for her early training session. But just as the day before, she stopped dead in her tracks, when she passed the living room. The Christmas tree was lit, glowing in all its brilliance, with all the Christmas ornaments she had used to decorate the tree.

However, this wasn't the only reason for her to stop. Underneath the tree, she saw several things, but at first didn't want to trust her eyes. First as she stepped closer and knelt down in front of the tree, she believed what she saw. Her hands reached out and carefully fingered the brown staff that her grandmother had given her for her birthday, Gohan's Nyobo, which she had left at the Capsule Corporation.

But there was more.

Inside a large cardboard box she found her favorite books, along with several pictures that she'd had standing and hanging in her old room. Pictures of her brothers, of her whole family, old and new. The books were ranging from children's books that Bulma had read to them to books that she had already bought herself. In another box, a smaller one, there were several other knickknacks. Stuffed animals, figurines and old toys, which she hadn't used in years. The last box contained clothes, dresses, skirts and nice T-shirts and blouses.

Jenny had left all this stuff at the Capsule Corporation, when they had left the Western Capitol. She had believed that she wouldn't need it in her new home, that she would be too busy training to care for anything else, but now she finally realized how much she had missed them.

There was a sad smile on her face, as she regarded all her things. She wondered, when Vegeta had gone to the Western Capitol to get this. This must have been torture for him. A quiet chuckle escaped her lips, as she imagined Vegeta in her old room, rummaging through the closet and looking around, gathering all the belongings he thought were important for her, cursing under his breath about not finding what he was looking for.

She knew Vegeta, she knew that he wasn't normally a guy who did things like this. She knew that he didn't like showing feelings or how much he cared, but this made her appreciate his actions even more.

The now happy smile on her face widened, as she grabbed the Nyobo and ran outside. It was time for training, but it didn't bother her at all. It might be Christmas, but it was the best Christmas she'd had in a long time.


	43. Part III: The Offer

**A/N: Hello again! I'm back from Lanzarote and brought you a new chapter! Simply lying in the sun and doing nothing is too boring for me, so I read about six books in those two weeks AND wrote this chapter, by hand! I'm really proud! **

**So, have fun!**

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* * *

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Part III

**Chapter 42: The Offer**

"Get up!"

Jenny groaned into her pillow, defiantly pulling her blanket over her head. She opened one eye a bit and glanced out of the window, noticing that the sun hadn't even risen over the treetops yet. "Don't wanna," she mumbled, desperately trying to block out the fact that Vegeta was hovering over her bed, and trying to go back to sleep. "Too early…"

"Nonsense!" she heard Vegeta snap and immediately after felt him pull at her sheets. First rather gently, but then, the more she resisted, with more and more strength behind the pull, so that slowly but surely a tug war started, which Jenny quickly lost. The blanket, which she had clutched so tightly in her fists, flew off and landed in a heap on the floor. Jenny was still lying curled up in her bed, eyes squinted shut and now clasping the pillow tightly, as if her life depended on it. "Meet me in the gravity room, when you're ready and have had some breakfast. You've got twenty minutes."

Jenny waited until Vegeta had not only left her room, but also the house and was on his way to their training grounds, to get out of the bed. This had cost her a few minutes, but she didn't care, as she took her freshly washed gi out of her closet and disappeared in the bathroom. She was still tired and wanted nothing more than to crawl again back under her blanket and go back to sleep for at least a few more hours, preferably until noon, just like in the last couple of weeks.

Sighing, Jenny stripped off her clothes and stepped under the cold shower, hoping that the icy water would do its job and wake her up. To be completely honest, Jenny hadn't wanted those weeks to end. As summer had come, she and Vegeta had agreed to let her have some summer holidays, allowing her to sleep as long as she wanted and to put her studies aside. The only obligation had been that she still trained with him a few hours in the afternoon or at night, but this didn't bother Jenny at all. After all, she was a warrior, always striving to become better, stronger and faster. Slacking off in training was simply out of question.

However, her two months of respite were over now and Vegeta was as merciless as ever, waking her up just after dawn for training, so that she would have the entire morning after training for her studies. Then, after lunch, she would have to do her daily chores, before another training session with the older Saiyajin took place until dinner.

Much to her surprise, Vegeta had proven to be a rather competent cook, once he had had some instructions from a cookbook. Jenny had to swear secrecy after she had told him once that his meals were far more delicious than Bulma's had ever been. Vegeta hadn't been able to hide the smug smirk at her compliment and Jenny could tell, though she would never call him on that, that Vegeta had started to enjoy cooking. Well, maybe she could use this knowledge as blackmail material later on, but for now she would let him have his fun.

It was a freezing and still pretty grumpy Jenny, who inhaled her breakfast in record time, so that she wouldn't be too late for their training. She guessed that she had already invoked some of Vegeta's bad mood that morning, when she had resisted his attempts at waking her and she didn't fell like making his mood even worse. Not on the first day after the holidays.

Little did Jenny know at that moment that this day would mark more than the simple return to their old routine.

* * *

"I'm gonna go now!" Jenny yelled through the house, as she left the kitchen with a crumpled note in her hand. "Do you need anything else that isn't on the list?"

They were just finished with lunch – a huge stack of turkey sandwiches for each of them – and seeing as it was Monday, Jenny now had to go into town to do the grocery shopping for the week. Vegeta had left her a rather long list of groceries, to which she had added a few more items just a few minutes earlier. While Vegeta, now officially being the cook in their household, was responsible for everything related to food, Jenny had taken charge of the other necessities that were needed in the house.

A simple grunt came from the living room, where Vegeta was lounging on the couch in front of the TV, to rest a bit before he continued his training. Taking this noise as a negative answer, meaning that he hadn't forgotten anything, Jenny yelled, "Bye!", and was already out of the door before Vegeta could have stopped her.

The day had become sunny and unusual warm, especially as it was the beginning of September, so Jenny took her time in walking to the town. If she were running late later on, she could still transform – once she was out of sight of the town and completely sure that no one was watching her – and run or fly home. It wouldn't be the first time and as long as nobody saw her, Vegeta didn't care. One of the first rules in their agreement was that they should never, under any circumstances, reveal that they were not normal people. Jenny understood very well why and had sworn that she would never transform in public or display any of her powers.

The people in the streets greeted her friendly, as she walked to Kioko's store. After the older woman, who was already waiting for her every Monday, had spread the news of her good impression of the then new girl around, the townspeople had immediately taken a liking to her. They all thought that, if Kioko liked her, she had to be nice. She even knew most of them by name already and returned the greetings with a smile on her face. However, whenever she was in town, she hoped to catch a glimpse of, or even meet the other girl, Mailin, again. But the last time she had seen her had sadly also been the only time, and soon, Jenny's hope of having found something like a friend, was crushed.

A bell jingled above the door, as Jenny entered the store. Usually, Kioko would immediately emerge from the backroom or from behind one of the shelves to be of assistance, but today things were different, somehow. The whole store was quiet and no one came out to greet her. Shrugging, Jenny thought that Kioko was maybe just busy and would be with her any moment. She grabbed a shopping cart, pulled out her list and began to browse through the aisles, slowly filling the cart. A small grin stole over her face, as she thought of Kioko's usual reaction to the full cart, when she paid for the groceries. "Are you sure you're not hiding an army in the woods, which needs to be fed?" she always asked with a grin, which Jenny always returned, to reassure the older woman that it was really just her and Vegeta.

Jenny was almost at the bottom of her list, when Kioko finally came out of the backroom, looking flustered. She was nervously wiping her hands in her apron and threw a quick and anxious glance outside. Jenny concentrated a bit, slightly alarmed by this unusual behavior of the normally calm and collected woman, and found something in her ki, a bitter taste that she didn't like – fear.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, dear," Kioko apologized immediately and smiled at Jenny, but the girl could see that it was forced.

Frowning slightly, Jenny asked, "Is everything alright?" She was growing worried, especially as Kioko's eyes again darted to the big window of the store's front.

"Of course," Kioko replied quickly, too quickly for Jenny's liking. "Why shouldn't it be?" The forced smile widened, but the woman's whole face was tense. "Did you find everything you needed, dear?"

"Almost," Jenny answered distractedly and grabbed the nearest brand of cereals, which was the last point on her list. As usual the cart was filled to its brim, but this time Kioko didn't tease her about the amount of food, only making a quick process of entering the prices into her cash register. Having learned from the first time, Jenny now used a big box that could be turned into a capsule to store the groceries away for the walk home.

After Jenny had put the box, now filled with all kinds of food and other things, into a capsule and paid Kioko, another strange thing happened. Instead of chatting for a bit longer with her, Kioko more or less shooed Jenny out of her store, surprising the girl with the words, "You should hurry home, dear." Again the woman looked up and down the road, giving Jenny the feeling that there had to be more behind Kioko's urge to be rid of her than being busy.

Turning around on the spot and stemming her hands on her hips, Jenny looked resolutely at the older woman. "Kioko, what's going on? What's wrong?" Suddenly, at the same time as Jenny asked this question, the church bells began to ring through the whole town. Startled, Jenny's head whirled around to the source of the noise. The church was located directly at the borders of the woods. However, it wasn't the regular sound of the bell, as she was used to hear, when the priest called to mess. It was somehow more erratic, without a clear rhythm, and this sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine.

Jenny wasn't the only one affected by this. As her eyes wandered around, she noticed as the color drained from the peoples' faces. Doors and windows were opened and then, from one moment to another, the villagers were fleeing the streets, all running into the direction of the woods. Jenny barely registered as Kioko grabbed her hand, pulling her along. "Hurry, Jenny!" she simply said.

But those two words were all it took for Jenny to regain her composure. With a surprising strength, especially as she wasn't transformed, she pulled her hand free, causing Kioko to stop and look at her. While other villagers were running past them, Jenny just stared at her with a challenging gleam in her eyes. "What's going on?" she yelled over the loud noise of the church bells. "What's the meaning of this?" Her hand was pointing towards the church.

The older woman sighed and Jenny could clearly see that she'd rather be fleeing with the others instead of standing there on the other side of the road across from her store. But Jenny wouldn't budge until Kioko had given her an explanation. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Jenny tapped impatiently with her foot and raised an eyebrow.

This obviously worked, because Kioko heaved another sigh and eventually told her hurriedly. "Only a few seconds before you came into my store, I received a call from a friend, who lives in the village a few miles south. I don't know, if you've heard, but there's been talk about a biker gang that's terrorizing towns in this region. My friend wanted to warn me against them. They've been there the whole morning, rampaging through their town, burning houses and so on. Terrible… My friend had just come out of her hiding place to see them leaving the village… on the road to our town. The only road… So I called our mayor – we needed to do something, to protect our townspeople. The church bells are used as warning system – we've thought of this after Buu – and if they are ringing in the same manner as they are doing now, we're all to hide in the woods. Do you understand? We're in danger and if we don't hide, we might be hurt, or worse even, killed!"

Jenny's eyes had widened considerably during this explanation. In the last few months, since they had moved here, Jenny had grown to like this town and its inhabitants very much. She didn't want to believe that a small group of wannabe big bads could destroy all of this in a matter of minutes.

But just as she was thinking this, another noise could be heard, during the split seconds, when the church bells were quiet. It was a roaring sound, growing louder with each passing moment. Her eyes darted down the road and there, in the far distance, she could see something.

"They're here," Jenny mumbled.

Kioko, who had by then also heard the roaring engines, followed her gaze and gasped loudly. "Run!" she cried and once again grabbed the girl's hand. It only took a few seconds until the few people still on the streets noticed the quickly approaching danger. Never in her life had Jenny seen panic spread so quickly – not even during Buu's reign of terror, but then she had been more or less in the midst of fighting and had not seen it, when the Majin had attacked humans. Men and women alike were storming past them, screaming, yelling, crying.

It was a truly frightening sight.

However, Jenny noticed among the panicking people one man who was extremely calm and collected, simply standing in the middle of the road, waiting. He was a tall man, Jenny saw, of lean built, with longer gray hair tied back by a leather cord. Upon seeing him, Jenny had once again stopped dead in her tracks.

Kioko, forced to whirl around by the girl's sudden stop, had already opened her mouth to say something, but only one word was uttered, when her eyes also fell on the man. "No…" By now, they were the only ones left.

Jenny didn't know what to do. Her heart began to race, as the bikers came steadily nearer at neck-breaking speed. If the man, whoever he was, didn't move out of the way within in the next few seconds, he would be dead. She had to do something, and yet…

_Never, under any circumstances…_

Vegeta's words shot through her head, but in the end it was a split second decision. She had no other choice. Jenny barely noticed Kioko calling after her, as she tore her arm out of her grip and stormed back onto the street. The familiar power surged through her, as she transformed, knowing that her hair and eyes were now black. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw the bikers, as she flung herself at the man and threw him and herself out of harm's way. A short prayer that hopefully this time, this action's consequences wouldn't be as dire as the last time she performed the same move, but under different circumstances, flitted through her mind.

They hit the ground hard and rolled a few feet until they came to a stop. A quick glance at the man's surprised face and a check on his ki told her that he was alright. With a determined look on her face, Jenny jumped up and ran back to the middle of the street, grabbing her shrunk Nyobo and pulling it out of its holster at her belt. The Nyobo was just a bit longer than her palm, but this could change quickly within a matter of seconds.

Without even hesitating a second, Jenny spread her legs slightly and pointed the staff at the back of one of the bikers, who had fortunately slowed a bit. "Nyobo, stretch!" she commanded and the staff did just that. One end extended at an incredible speed and not even three seconds later hit one of the bikers in the back, throwing him off his bike. His bike slid a few more yards until it came to a halt. Surprised by this sudden development, the others turned their bikes around and stared at the girl who had brought about their companion's downfall with equal looks of astonishment on their faces.

Jenny, however, simply let the Nyobo shrink until it was as long as she was tall, gave it a quick twirl and got into a fighting stance with a challenging smirk on her face.

* * *

The plastic bottle in Vegeta's hand was crushed with a squelching sound, the water dripping down onto the kitchen floor unheeded, as his eyes were blazing with unconcealed anger. With a snarl, he threw the damaged bottle into the sink, where it landed with a loud _bang_, and balled his fists, as he stalked out of the kitchen, leaving the house and immediately taking into the air.

There was a dark scowl on his face the whole time while he was cursing the girl and her stupidity under his breath. The question about what the hell she was thinking quickly received a sound answer – she wasn't thinking at all. How else could he explain that she had transformed in the middle of the town, with plenty of witnesses around her?

Vegeta was flying low over the forest, careful not to be seen. The girl might have revealed that she was more than a simple human, but that didn't mean that he had to do the same. They would most-likely already be in enough trouble as it was without his adding to it. "Stupid brat," he muttered again, just for good measure. Just when they had started to get really comfortable in their new home – yes, Vegeta liked living there very much - having finally built up an existence together, they might be forced to move again.

He reached the town just a few minutes later and landed in a tree to hide out of sight, which proved to be quite difficult. The edge of the forest was packed with people – Vegeta recognized some of them from his few trips into town and guessed that they were villagers. His gaze wandered from the crowd to the main road of the village, where the girl's ki was located. And really, there she was, but it surprised him to see her fighting huge bulks of men clad in black leather. A couple of motorbikes were standing nearby and further up the road he could see smoke rising from a few buildings.

"Well, at least there's a reason behind her transformation," Vegeta admitted grudgingly. Even though it wasn't a particularly good one. He wondered at this moment, how often he had told her already to stay out of the humans' business, when dealing with other humans. That's what they had their police forces for. If they couldn't manage to take care of some lousy bandits, it was their own fault.

Still, he couldn't help but notice that the girl was fighting well, considering the circumstances. She was naturally far stronger than those men in her Saiyajinform, but she refrained from using ki-attacks, solely relying on her skill as martial artist and her Nyobo. She didn't take on all at once, instead fighting and defeating one after another – a good strategy, so that she wouldn't show too much of her extraordinary strength.

Also, she wasn't alone in her battle – one single person was fighting alongside her, a tall man, with gray, tied-back hair. The man knew what he was doing. For a simple human his attacks were surprisingly fast and precise. His ki also showed strength he seldom saw in a human, even though he was nowhere near the ki-level of Baldy or even Scarface. They would still be able to crush him as easily as a fly. In his left hand, the man was holding a weapon – it was a simple wooden stick, a branch that he must have taken from a tree, but he was wielding it like a sword and this expertly so, Vegeta thought, even though his own knowledge of fighting with weapons was rather limited.

Seeing that he didn't need to interfere in this battle, Vegeta leaned back against the tree and lazily crossed his arms in front of his chest, watching the next few minutes until the fight's end with vague interest. He was already trying to come up with a suitable punishment for the brat's foolishness.

-

Jenny grinned, as the last biker went down after she had hit him in the neck with the Nyobo. She hadn't had so much fun fighting in a long time. After having trained with Vegeta day after day, she had almost forgotten what it felt like to win a fight. She turned around to find the man looking at her, also with a small smile on his face, as he wiped some sweat from his forehead.

But the next thing she knew was being engulfed in a nearly bone-breaking hug. As soon as she had seen that the fight was over, Kioko had rushed out of her hiding place behind a car and flung her arms around the girl, pulling her tightly against her chest. "You stupid brave girl!" Kioko scolded her teary-eyed. "Why did you do this? Oh, but thank you, so much! You saved us all!"

"I don't think the girl should receive praise for what she did."

Jenny stiffened remarkably, when she heard the voice. She should have known that her actions wouldn't go unnoticed – since they had moved here, Vegeta always seemed to know, when there was just the slightest change in her ki and transforming into her Saiyajinform certainly couldn't be considered a small change. After having pushed Kioko off her as gently as possible, Jenny turned around to face her obviously angry guardian. "Hey Vegeta…"

"Brat," Vegeta replied and stepped forward until he was standing directly in front of her. "Let's go home." Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Jenny nodded meekly and turned back into her normal, human form, somehow glad that he wouldn't lecture her in front of all those people, and was about to follow him, when Kioko suddenly yelled,

"Wait!" She walked up to Jenny and put a comforting and supporting hand on her shoulder. "She did nothing wrong! In fact, she saved our whole village from certain destruction. It almost sounds as if you're going to punish her for this."

"Her actions today were reckless and dangerous," Vegeta simply said. "Punishment is the only natural consequence of her behavior. Brat, let's go…"

But Kioko didn't remove her hand from Jenny's shoulder. Instead, her grip only tightened. "Jenny seems to be an extraordinary girl, with powers many of us only dream of. You shouldn't punish her for using those powers to help people!"

Vegeta's body stiffened, as a warning growl escaped his throat. "Brat."

Shrugging the woman's hand of, Jenny gave Kioko an apologizing and thankful smile and hurried to follow Vegeta. He had already been in a bad mood the whole morning and she could see that it took all of his self-control to not blow up in front of all those people, so she didn't want to aggravate him further.

But again, they were stopped before they could get far. However, this time it was the man who had fought with her against the bikers. "Excuse me, please. Before you leave, may I say something?"

Crossing his arms again, Vegeta stopped with a dark and impatient scowl on his face, trying to keep control of his anger. He stared at the man for a few seconds, studying him, before he eventually nodded reluctantly.

The man breathed an obvious sigh of relief, before he crossed the distance between them. "First of all, I'm called Li and as you've surely seen, I'm a martial artist. And being one, I couldn't help but notice your girl, as she was fighting at my side. As Kioko's already said, she is extraordinary - far better and a lot stronger than many grown men that I've encountered in my life. And, am I correct to assume that you held back during the fight?"

Jenny lowered her gaze and nervously shuffled with her feet, at the same moment as she felt Vegeta tense even further next to her. "Get to the point," he ordered curtly.

Not at all fazed by Vegeta's harsh tone, Li simply continued, "Well, what I want to say is that your girl - Jenny, isn't it? – is already a remarkable fighter, especially for her young age. How old are you? Ten, Eleven?"

"Ten," Jenny mumbled.

"You see?" Li said, sounding delighted. "I haven't even seen everything yet and already I can say that she is one of the best fighters on this planet. Still," he suddenly interjected. "There's still a lot of room for improvement, especially concerning your work with the staff, which is a quite amazing staff by the way. I guess that while you have an excellent trainer for weaponless martial arts, you haven't had any instructions in how to use a staff and maybe also other weapons correctly and efficiently."

"I don't like weapons," Vegeta stated. "I'd rather rely on my body as sole weapon than on some item that I might easily lose during a fight. But the Nyobo is a keepsake of first her father and then her brother, so I've no objections to her using it."

The man's eyes showed surprise, but if it was because Vegeta wasn't her real father or something else, Jenny didn't know. "Why are you telling us this?" she asked, feeling slightly annoyed at being criticized by someone she had never seen before.

"Because," Li told her, "in my training as martial artist, I've specialized in weapons, the quarterstaff and different kinds of swords to be precise, and I've made it my life afterwards to take on students, in which I see potential, and teach them all I know." He simply smiled at Jenny, a kind and praising smile, she thought blushing. "Jenny, it doesn't take a genius to see the potential in you. In just a few years, you could be a master of weapons yourself."

"You… me… I?" Jenny stuttered incomprehensible, looking to the ground. She was confused. Did this mean that this stranger, Li, wanted to teach her, wanted her to be his student? She didn't know what to think of this, if it was true. If he really meant it this way, she would have a huge problem at her hands. It was tempting, it really was, to learn something new, but at the same time, she had to think of Vegeta. She couldn't just abandon him. Throwing a quick glance at his face, Jenny saw that it was guarded, expressionless, and this worried her deeply.

As she finally raised her gaze to look at Li, she found the courage to ask, "You want me to become your student?"

"One of the students at my school," he corrected her gently. "It's a boarding school a few miles north of this town."

Something stirred in Jenny's memory, when she heard this description, but there were too many confusing thoughts and questions on her mind, that it was quickly forgotten again.

"You don't need to decide now. How about I give you a tour of the school before you decide to take me up on the offer or not? But to be honest, I'd hate to lose such a promising student as you. So, what do you say?"

"I don't know," Jenny answered, looking helplessly at her guardian. His face still betrayed none of his feelings and not even his ki could tell her anything about what might be going on within him. It was unnerving, really, and Jenny felt as if he were letting her down. Shouldn't he tell her what to do or at least give her some advice? No matter how much she had already gone through in her life, she was still just a ten years old girl. Wasn't it his responsibility as her guardian? And yet, here she was, forced to make a decision that might have the change of her whole life as outcome.

Maybe it was just Vegeta's idea of a suitable punishment, leaving her to her own devices, Jenny thought. But instead of accepting it for what it seemed to be, Jenny only felt the anger at Vegeta grow in her body. This punishment wasn't fair! She didn't want to decide this alone!

And yet, in the end, it was the anger that helped her. More to spite Vegeta than anything else, as revenge for abandoning her at such an important moment, Jenny told Li, "Well, I guess a tour wouldn't hurt."

"Very well!" Li said smiling. "I will arrange everything. Do you want to come by tomorrow?"

Jenny didn't know if she had imagined it or not, but she thought she had felt a slight flicker in Vegeta's ki. But looking at him and seeing that the expression on his face still hadn't changed at all, she nodded. "Tomorrow would be fine."

Still smiling, Li stepped forward and grasped Jenny's hand to shake it. "I'll send someone to get you and Mr.…?" Here, Li looked questioningly at Vegeta, as it occurred to him that he still didn't know their last names.

"Briefs," Vegeta replied curtly. "Vegeta Briefs."

Another flicker of surprise crossed Li's face, but was gone only a split second after it had appeared. "Mr. Briefs," her repeated. "Okay, I'll send someone to get you and Mr. Briefs, if he wishes to come as well, at the market place at one o'clock tomorrow. And please, don't worry, Jenny. Coming tomorrow doesn't mean that you've agreed to become one of my students." He let go of Jenny's hand and turned to the bikers, which had by now been tied up by other villagers. He grunted in acknowledgment. "The police should be coming soon, so I guess it would be better, if you leave now."

"Thank you, Li. I'll see you tomorrow."

Without saying anything, Vegeta finally did what he had wanted to do the whole time – turn around and leave. He didn't look back, trusting the girl to follow him and didn't say one word during their walk home. There was nothing he had to say. What he had secretly feared was about to become true. If the school was to the girl's liking, he had no doubt that she would leave him. She was a warrior, a Saiyajin, and it was in her nature to always strive to become a better fighter. She would be a fool to decline the offer. But what was he to do then?

* * *

When they arrived at their home, Vegeta immediately disappeared in the gravity room, locking the door and didn't come out again until the early morning hours. He felt the girl come and leave a few times, but never reacted to her presence outside. As much as it would most-likely hurt her feelings, he couldn't take her presence at this moment. He needed to think.

Most of their training bots were dust, but Vegeta had made a decision, as he finally went to sleep.


	44. Part III: Li's School

**A/N: Please, if somebody's still reading this story, tell me… I need to know that I'm not only writing this story for me, but also for others…**

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**Chapter 43: Li's School**

Jenny couldn't remember a moment in her life, when she had been more nervous. She had barely slept that night, somehow waking up every hour or so, after she had finally fallen asleep sometime after midnight. But it wasn't just nervousness that had been robbing her of her precious rest. Guilt and worry were two other emotions that were still plaguing her.

She didn't know whether she should regret her decision, this spur of a moment decision, made mostly just to spite Vegeta, or not. Because as much as she didn't want to admit it – it truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity. How long had she already wished to learn how to fight properly with her Nyobo? Ever since she had received the staff from her grandmother for her eights birthday, if she was honest with herself. And then there was the chance that she might also learn how to use other weapons!

The Saiyajin in her roared in anticipation, excited by even thinking about it.

And yet, she was worried. Not about what would await her at that school, but about what she would leave behind, or rather, who she would leave behind. Vegeta. What would he do, if she was gone? Three years ago, she had begged that he would never leave her, that she needed him. She had even destroyed the spaceship, their only chance to revive the others, as she had found out later, just to keep him with her. She had only made him promise just a bit more than a half year ago that he stayed with her, and now she was considering doing what she had asked him not to do. Leaving him.

Again she felt the guilt gnaw at her, all along with her worry. Vegeta hadn't come back to their house until early in the morning, having spent all of that time training in the gravity room, and had already been gone again by the time she had woken up at around eight o'clock, unable to fall asleep again. Only now, she didn't know where he was, as he was hiding his ki.

It was a few minutes past twelve, when she left the house and locked the front door behind her. She was ready to leave for the town, only hesitating a moment to see, if Vegeta would show up. She looked around, scanning the sky for him, and expanded her senses, hoping that she might feel his ki. But none of this happened.

So with a heavy heart, Jenny sighed and began her trek through the forest to the town.

-

Shielding her eyes, as she stepped out of the woods into the sun, Jenny blinked a few times and readjusted the backpack she was carrying over her shoulder, as she followed the road to the market place. The clock at the tower of the town hall told her that it was ten minutes to one, so she still had a few minutes before her escort to that school arrived.

There were steps leading up to the town hall, lying in the shadows, so Jenny sat down on them. It was again much too warm today, but somehow Jenny hadn't dared to wear something else than short jeans and a dark green T-shirt. She had tried on even shorter pants and a top with spaghetti straps, but standing in front of the mirror, she had thought that it looked somehow wrong. Those clothes hadn't been the right ones to make a good impression.

Immediately after thinking this, Jenny had again felt guilty. This feeling only strengthened again, as she stared down at her other clothes, the ones she had changed into, after she had noticed the wrongness of her first choice. Why was she even considering this? She had her life here, her new life, and she didn't need to, couldn't change it again. She just couldn't leave Vegeta.

There was not much traffic on the market place, even though it was Tuesday, but Jenny guessed that the heat kept the people inside. Besides her there were only a few people milling around, children who had just gotten off school earlier because of the heat and a few adults. Most of them greeted her, as they passed, though the children kept their distance. It was weird that she somehow couldn't connect to children around her own age, but had no problems making friends with adults.

A quiet sigh escaped her lips, as she looked up to the blue sky. There was not a single cloud to be seen, nothing to keep the merciless sun from beating down on them. Not that she didn't like this brilliant weather, but she wouldn't mind a little less heat. Right now she really would like to take a dip in the sea and enjoy the pleasantly cool water, just as she had done so often during the summer. Did this school maybe have access to the sea, or maybe even a lake?

Jenny resolutely shook her head. Those unbidden thoughts somehow always managed to evade her mind. She had agreed to this to spite Vegeta, but her anger at him was gone now. However, it was impolite to not turn up today, but this didn't mean that she wanted to go to this school. She would let Li show her everything and after this politely decline the offer, so that she could return to her and Vegeta's home.

Yes, this was what she was going to do. While she had still been uncertain about what she should do this morning, she had finally made a decision. No matter how enticing learning to fight with weapons sounded, her place was with Vegeta, and she wouldn't leave him.

A slight breeze blew across the market place. It was gentle, caressing her face, as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the coolness it brought from the sea. It was so quiet in the town. The children had gone home and the few adults didn't disturb this peaceful silence. Looking back to the previous day, to the erratic sound of the church bells, the screams and the roaring motorbikes, Jenny could safely say that she like it better this way.

However, this peace was destroyed, when she heard the sound of a car. She opened her eyes and saw that it stopped directly in front of her. It was an older jeep, made to seat four persons, but the driver wasn't known to her. It was a young woman, maybe around thirty, with short cropped light brown hair. Was this woman maybe her escort?

Suddenly, her insides tightened painfully and her heart began to beat faster and faster. One chime of the church bells told her that it was one o'clock. It was time. Just… what the hell was she doing here?

Jenny quickly dried her suddenly sweaty hands in her jeans, as she got up from the steps, leaving the shadows and stepping into the light. In the meantime, the woman had gotten out of the car and was at that moment letting her eyes wander around, apparently looking for someone, until she spotted the girl. There was a kind smile on her face, so Jenny tried to force one onto her face at well. It seemed to appear convincing, because the young woman was unruffled and greeted her with sparkling green eyes.

"Hey!" she said, as he stopped in front of her. "I take it you're Jenny?"

"That's me," she answered, trying to sound calmer than she felt and hoped that nothing would betray her, as she shook hands with the woman. In truth she felt anything but fine. A sudden fear had gripped her heart, a fear she couldn't explain, and Jenny found herself wishing that she wouldn't have to do this alone. That Vegeta were with her.

The woman seemed to buy her lie, or at least she didn't let on that she had seen right through her. "I'm Larine, but most people simply call me Lari. Li sent me to get you and…I was told that someone might accompany you… one Mr. Briefs?"

"I'm here." Jenny's breath caught in her throat and whirled around. There, standing only a few yards next to them, was Vegeta. She hadn't even felt him coming and still couldn't feel his ki! "I couldn't make it earlier."

Waving his excuse, if one could call it that, off, Larine simply said, "It doesn't matter. At least you made it before we left. But now that you're here, shall we? We have a slightly bumpy ride ahead of us."

-

It really was a bumpy ride. Contrary to the villages in this region, the school was only connected to the outer world by a dirt road. At least there weren't that many potholes, but still, Jenny thought that she would always prefer flying. However, even though they couldn't drive fast, the ride wasn't a long one, seeing as Jenny could already see a few buildings in the distance fifteen minutes later.

Those buildings all proved to be part of a large farm, she noticed, when they were almost there. Most of the houses were made of brick and wood, as were what she thought to be the stables and the barn. On a square in front of one of the buildings a group of children and teenagers of varying ages were doing some exercises with a quarterstaff. The Saiyajin inside of Jenny already pictured her standing in their midst and training with them, but she quickly shook this thought off.

Larine stopped the car in front of one of the smaller buildings, a two-storied house with red brick walls and a warm brown roof. By now the only thing Jenny wanted to do was take off into the air and fly home and forget that she had ever agreed to this. She really should have refused yesterday, maybe then Vegeta would be speaking to her. Because ever since he had appeared in front of the town hall and announced this presence, he hadn't said one word. Not even when Larine had tried to engage him in a conversation. She had given up quickly and when she had started to quiz Jenny, the girl had tried to keep her answers as short as possible. It wasn't that Jenny didn't like this woman, no, Larine was really nice, but Jenny simply felt too sick to say much. As soon as the woman had caught on to this, she had just smiled and told Jenny that it was okay to be nervous and that she shouldn't feel pressured. From that moment on, she had begun to tell her guests about this school.

Li had founded this school about thirty-five years ago, along with his wife, Mailin, and a few years later their daughter, Larine, was born He had traveled a lot in the past, but once he had fallen in love with a beautiful young woman in this village, he had decided to settle down. It was a lot of hard work, but eventually they had managed to open this school. At first there were only a handful of students, but as the years passed, Li found more and more children and teenagers that he deemed promising enough to teach them. He hired more teachers to help him, both with the martial arts and the normal schooling, and had to add more buildings to the school. Right now there were about fifty students being instructed in the use of different kinds of weapons. Unfortunately his wife died thirteen years ago, so she couldn't see what had become of this place.

"Are you coming?" Vegeta's voice suddenly tore her out of her thoughts and she looked up startled. Jenny hadn't even noticed that Larine and Vegeta had already gotten out of the car, and were now waiting for her. Quickly nodding, still surprised that Vegeta had talked to her after having been avoiding this for the whole duration of the ride, she followed them and together they went into the house.

While it was already looking very inviting from the outside, it was even cozier inside. It looked just like any other home and not at all like a school. At the crème-colored walls hung many photographs, Jenny guessed of students of this school, as well as what appeared to be family pictures. They passed some wooden doors, with some of them standing open, so Jenny could see the rooms. It really seemed to be the home of someone, because through one of the doors she had seen a living room and then through another a kitchen.

"My father and I live in this house," Larine explained, as if she were reading her thoughts. "This was the first house that was furbished, when the school was founded. Back then he and my mother shared this house with the first students. The students had their rooms upstairs. Now it's just our home and we use the spare rooms as offices or archives."

They went around a corner and Jenny saw that this corridor was a dead end. There was only one door, and it was closed. In bold letters the words _Li's office_ were written on a bronze plaque at the door. Apparently, they had arrived at their destination, Jenny noticed, as she wiped her sweaty hands in her jeans and swallowed hard. There was _really_ no turning back now.

Larine knocked at the door before opening it and stepping inside. Jenny followed her, fully aware that Vegeta was right behind her. Somehow, that made her feel slightly better, even though she was still feeling guilty for having come to this school at all.

"Ah, Jenny, Mr. Briefs, I've been waiting for you already!" Li greeted them jovially, as he stood up from his chair and walked around the desk up to them. "I apologize that I couldn't come to get you myself, but I was busy until just a few minutes ago. I hope you had a good ride and that my daughter didn't tell you too much about this place, because I don't want to bore you, when I just repeat everything."

"Don't worry, dad," Larine grinned and winked at him. "I just told them some general things. I know how much you love to boast with your school. But I hope you don't need me anymore now, because I've got to drive Damian to his appointment in town."

"Ah, yes, the appointment," Li replied thoughtfully. "Tell Dr. Emiel that I'd like to meet him as well to speak to him about his idea. It would be too good to be true," he added in a murmur, almost as an afterthought.

Jenny noticed that the grin on Larine's face had dampened to a sad smile, as she nodded. "I'll tell him. Well then, I'm off. Jenny, Mr. Briefs, I hope you'll have a good time today! Bye!"

Before Jenny could even reply, Larine was already gone, leaving her and Vegeta alone with Li. "Well then," he said, rubbing his hands, "I believe I promised you a tour of my school. What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The jeep was still standing in front of the house, as they left the house, but Larine was nowhere to be seen. Jenny and Vegeta followed Li across the grounds. There was still just the one group practicing outside, but seeing as there were still some other buildings, Jenny guessed that most of them were training inside.

They lingered with this group and the instructor, a middle aged man with short brown hair, nodded at Li, before turning his attention back to the students in front of him. Li explained to them that this was the advanced group working with the quarterstaff, with one or two students being close to graduating. Of course, they would have to keep up their training when they left this school, but there would always come a day, when there was nothing left they could teach them.

"This is Master Kenko," Li told them. "He's the first instructor I hired, when I noticed that I had too many students to teach all by myself. One of the best men in his expertise I've ever met. And with this, I'm not just talking about his abilities as fighter, but also about his abilities to teach and deal with children."

Jenny was watching them, and especially Master Kenko, with amazement shining in her eyes. Now that she was seeing this, she realized that she really had just been fumbling around with her Nyobo the whole time. There was nothing sloppy about the way they moved the staff. Suddenly, she felt something inside of her stir, a longing to be able to do this as well. She would never again be able to fight with her Nyobo, knowing just how flawed her performance was.

As they moved on, Jenny was equally impressed when they stepped into what on the outside appeared to be a barn, but on the inside proved to be four smaller gyms, all equipped with different accessories. Before Li led them into one of the gyms, in which she could already hear sounds of fighting, he showed them a small backroom to this gym. Her eyes went wide, when she saw all those different kinds of swords hanging at the walls or being displayed in cabinets. Her eyes met Li's, asking for permission, and when he nodded, she touched one of the swords at the wall. It had a blunt edge, so that the only possible injury might be a bruise or two, if being hit, so Jenny guessed that those were simply practicing sword.

Li took a bunch of keys out of his pocket and sorted through them. He quickly found the right one and put the key into the lock, turning it and pulling the door open. Winking at Jenny, he took one of the swords out and handed it to her. "Those are the real swords, which I only allow really advanced students to use. They are incredibly sharp, so be careful."

"Thank you," Jenny breathed, already admiring the weapon in her hands. She didn't know much about weapons, but even a complete novice could tell that this sword was a good one. It had a good balance, but even though it was still a bit too long for her to use, she had to resist the urge to give it a couple of swings to get a feeling of how it behaved. But, as soon as she noticed what she was thinking, she felt her cheeks warming and quickly gave the sword back to Li without a word, so that he could put it back into the cabinet.

Li only nodded, as he locked the cabinet. Jenny guessed that he knew what she was thinking, and she felt somehow bad for it. He was so nice, and here she was, letting him show her everything, and she didn't even intend to go to this school. She was just robbing him of some of his precious time. Jenny opened her mouth, suddenly thinking that she should tell him now and better leave, so that he could return to whatever he had originally planned for this afternoon, before he had met her, but a tight grip on her shoulder stopped her. Looking up over her shoulder, she saw Vegeta shaking his head at her, before giving her a slight push forward out of the backroom to follow Li.

Jenny didn't resist, too confused by Vegeta's behavior, and followed Li into the actual gym. It just didn't make any sense. The whole time he had barely said or done anything, and now he was encouraging, no, nearly forcing her to finish this tour? Just what the hell was he playing at?

However, those thoughts quickly fled her mind, when her eyes fell on the training students in the gym. She almost stopped dead in her tracks, if Li hadn't urged her to step closer. There was again a group of students, always standing in pairs, going through a series of movements. Those slow movements were so fluid, that it appeared as if the swords were only extensions of the students' arms. To a warrior's eye, it was beautiful, even more beautiful than the work with a staff.

At that moment, joining them in this mock fight was something she wanted to do more than anything else in her life. Her fingers were itching to grab one of those swords and try those movements. They appeared to be so easy, but considering the highly concentrated and intense looks on their faces, Jenny saw that it was anything but. But if there was something a Saiyajin wouldn't back down from, it was a challenge.

But Jenny knew that she couldn't. When this day was over, she would return home and try to forget that she had ever seen this. No matter how hard it would be. She simply owed it to Vegeta.

Next Li showed her two more gyms in this building with smaller groups. The first group was instructed in the use of a _Nunchaku_ – two wooden sticks that were connected at their ends with a short chain or rope. From what she could learn during those few minutes, the Nunchaku could be among others used to strike at the opponent and to choke him. The next group was training with _Sai,_ a weapon in the form of an unsharpened dagger, with two long unsharpened projections attached to the handle. They could also be used for offensive and defensive measures.

Still, as they left the building and were crossing the grounds on their way to their next destination, Jenny had to admit that even though she recognized the usefulness of those last two weapons, she still felt entranced by all those swords she had seen in the backroom and the way they were used. Being able to use it like them, to be able to fight with them, would be incredible!

A few minutes later, Li stopped in front of a small wooden hut, which was just large enough to accommodate five or six people. Jenny remained next to him, and as she looked back to see where Vegeta was, she noticed that the blank look on his face was replaced by a slight, almost unnoticeable frown.

However, before she could ask him what was wrong, Li began to speak. "Until now, I've shown you how we teach the physical aspect of martial arts," he explained, as his hand rested on the handle. "But as you certainly know, the mental aspect is just as important to become a great warrior. This is, what we train in this small hut." He pushed the handle down and opened the door.

The light in the room was dimmed and Jenny had to blink a few times until her eyes, used to the bright sun outside, had adjusted to the shadows. There were only five people sitting inside on ground, which was covered with mats - four teenagers and one adult. All of them had their eyes closed, as they were meditating. However, when Jenny could finally see perfectly well, her eyes widened. She had seen the man, the teacher, before. Even if just on some photographs.

"Master Tenshinhan," Li called, pulling the whole group out of their meditation. The man in the front opened his three eyes and looked up. "I'm sorry to disturb your session, but I would like to introduce Jenny. She might be interested in joining our school."

Getting up from his cross legged position on the ground, Tenshinhan motioned for his students to do the same. "You may go," he said to them. Immediately, the four teenagers, three boys and one girl, stood up and left the hut, greeting Li, as they walked past him and Jenny. Vegeta was still standing outside. As they were gone, Tenshinhan came up to them with a smile on his face. "So, you are the one Li couldn't shut up about at dinner last night. To be completely honest with you, and please don't get me wrong… But I didn't want to believe half of what he told us, because I can hardly believe that a young girl like you could take care of those bikers by herself."

"You of all people," Vegeta suddenly said with a smug smirk on his face, as he stepped forward, so that Tenshinhan finally saw him, "should expect more from Kakarotto's daughter."

"V-Vegeta," Tenshinhan stuttered, as he took a surprised step back, even though he quickly regained his composure and angrily narrowed his eyes. Balling his fists, he hissed, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Me?" he mockingly raised his eyebrow. "I'm here, because my charge was offered a place at this school."

"Your charge?" the three eyed warrior repeated indignantly. "Who in their right mind would make you the guardian of, if you are saying the truth, Son Goku's daughter, or for that matter, any child at all?"

Jenny looked back and forth between the two warriors and finally up at Li. He was also simply watching this exchange, apparently not wanting to interfere. This was bad. Gohan had once told her that, even though Vegeta was at odds with most of the Z-Warriors, Tenshinhan was the worst of them. Tenshinhan simply couldn't forgive him for being responsible for his death.

"Stop it!" she suddenly yelled, before this _conversation_ could escalate. Tenshinhan looked a bit surprised, while Vegeta's smirk only widened. Turning to Tenshinhan, Jenny growled, "You have no right to say anything about this. Yes, I am Son Jenny, Goku's daughter, but I barely know him. Gohan, Goten and I have grown up at Capsule Corporation after ChiChi's death and ever since Buu Vegeta's my guardian and he's doing a great job, especially since grandma's gone. I wouldn't want anyone else to be responsible for me.

"And you," she continued, turning to Vegeta, "you should stop looking for fights! I know you don't like him, I know that you might even be enemies, but I don't care! You've known that he's here ever since we were near this building and I'm sure that you've planned rubbing it in his face that his friend's daughter is living with his worst enemy. I'm not stupid, Vegeta! All day, you've been weird. You haven't talked to me since yesterday afternoon, and I don't even know exactly why you're angry with me! Is it still because I've transformed in the village, or because I agreed to this tour?"

"I'm not angry with you," Vegeta interrupted her.

"Not?" Jenny snorted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Because you've got a funny way of showing it." A sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes for a moment, before she said to Li, "I'm sorry, Li. Do you mind, if I take a look at the rest of the grounds, alone?"

"Of course not, Jenny," Li replied smiling. "When you're finished and you've made a decision, you know where to find me."

"Thanks," she muttered, with a small grateful smile on her lips. Whirling around, she left the three adults, not even looking where her feet were carrying her.

-

_Well, that went smooth_, Vegeta thought sarcastically, the smirk once again replaced by a scowl. He glared at Tenshinhan, who glared back. Somehow, the girl's words had stung, but she didn't understand that all of his actions on this day had been for her own good. He had seen the light in her eyes, when she had watched the other fighters training, the longing to train with them. This was an opportunity she couldn't and shouldn't refuse. Even though he had no love for weapons, they could really prove to be useful, especially considering what she was training for. Jenny was already an excellent fighter for her age, and if she continued training with and without weapons, she might have an advantage. But she wouldn't leave him as long as she thought that he needed her and that she needed him, as long as she held onto their stupid agreement.

He loathed to do this to her, but only if she was angry enough, maybe even hating him, she might willingly leave him to go to this school. Provoking Triclops had seemed like a good idea to make her angry.

"Well," Li said, trying to break the tension, "Tenshinhan, I believe your next students should arrive soon. Mr. Briefs, how about you tell me more about Jenny? I've just realized that up until a few minutes ago, I didn't even know her last name. Maybe I could also show you around some more."

Both men nodded tersely, but while Tenshinhan returned into the hut, Vegeta was waiting for Li to lead him to their next destination. Vegeta's whole body was tense. No matter how much he had gotten used to being around strangers, he still hated small talk or being pulled into a conversation in general. Adding to this the strain of his plan concerning Jenny, it would be obvious to everyone who knew him that he wouldn't be pleasant company.

Yet, he tried to be on his best behavior. Li wanted to know more about the girl, so he would tell him more. With Triclops teaching at this school and according to Li's reaction to the girl's strength the previous day, Vegeta was pretty sure that Li was aware of the existence of powers far greater than that of a normal human. Li might even know the truth about Cell, so Vegeta wouldn't need to lie there. If Li wanted to take the girl on as one of his students, he needed to know her whole story, including her heritage. He needed to accept what and who she was, otherwise it wouldn't work.

The previous night, Vegeta had decided that he would do everything in his power to ensure that the girl would enroll at this school. No matter what. If he had to tell Li the whole brutal truth about their past, he would do it. If Jenny had to hate him to leave him, he would make her hate him.

It was for her own good.

And he told himself this over and over again, so that he wouldn't forget. Jenny was already angry at him, probably even hating him, so this left only one more thing to do.

Still, Vegeta somehow hadn't counted on how much it bothered him to do this to her.

* * *

Jenny had been walking for about an hour already, passing several buildings and a training ground for archers, and she had even found a big lake by now, where she had eventually sat down on the grass near the bank. Her legs were pulled up and her chin was resting on her knees. No one else was there, and this suited her just fine. Jenny was sure that she wasn't good company right now. Besides, she didn't want to talk to anyone, she was still too angry. 

Just what the hell was Vegeta playing at? Jenny was completely at a loss. She was used to a lot of his moods, but she had never encountered this one before. It almost seemed as if he was deliberately trying to make her angry, but why would he do such a thing? It really didn't make any sense. He claimed that he wasn't angry at her, and yet he treated her like… this. As if he wanted to push her away.

Maybe _this_ was his idea of the perfect punishment, Jenny thought, a continuation of his performance from the day before. If this really was the case, she had half a mind to go to Li now and tell him that from tomorrow on, she would be his student – damn the consequences. After all, two could play that game!

Suddenly, Jenny heard something rustle in the grass behind her and she looked around startled. Only a few yards away a brown horse with a white star on its forehead was standing. Fortunately this horse wasn't alone, because then Jenny wouldn't have known what to do. On its back Jenny saw a girl with long auburn hair, a girl that was very familiar. Jenny couldn't believe her eyes, but then at least the déjà-vu of having heard of this school before made sense.

The girl on the horse was eyeing her with a similar surprised look on her face. "Jenny?" she asked incredulously. "I can't believe it. Are you the one grandpa's been talking about? You still remember me, don't you? We met last Christmas, I'm—"

"Mailin," Jenny said, as an unexpected warmth spread through her chest. After having hoped for so many months to meet this girl again, after having this hope eventually crushed, Jenny was overjoyed to see her. "I know. I just didn't think I'd ever see you again. Somehow I've never made the connection between what you told me about your grandfather and this school and what he and Larine told me about it."

"Oh, so you also met my mom already," Mailin stated smiling, as she threw her leg over the horse's neck and slid to the ground, still holding onto the reins. She walked up to Jenny and sat down next to her. Motioning with the hand holding the reins to the horse, Mailin said, "This is Lyel by the way. I got him two years ago and he's one of the most loyal horses I've ever met. So, grandpa gave you the tour today, huh? What do you say to this school?"

Jenny's face began to glow, despite the dark thoughts from before. Somehow, the presence of this other girl was soothing. Her apparently natural cheerfulness and spontaneity was contagious and Jenny didn't even want to fight the smile that crept onto her face. "It's fantastic! I've seen a lot of things, a lot of fights in my life, but never before have I seen people using weapons like this. Even the best martial arts movies that I've seen pale in comparison!"

Jenny looked at Mailin, but raised an eyebrow, when she saw the other girl scrunch up her nose, before bursting out laughing. "Grandpa got you already, didn't he?" Mailin gasped, as she tried to regain her composure. "I'm sorry… It's just that you reacted just like everyone else, whom grandpa has shown the school. Everyone just slightly interested in this stuff is immediately hooked. I guess he also showed you his collections of swords." When Jenny nodded, Mailin simply grinned at her and got up. "Come on, I'm sure he hasn't shown you the main building and the dorms yet. He's always so obsessed with his martial arts that he simply forgets about everything else future students have to see."

Jenny hesitated for a moment, not really sure what she should do, but eventually, she nodded firmly to herself, her lips pressed to a thin determined line, and got up as well. She was still angry at Vegeta and her Saiyajin side told her to not give in. For once, Jenny listened to the Saiyajin. Vegeta might want to punish her, but she would end this day on her terms – be it that she showed him not to play with fire and to accept Li's offer, or that she simply returned home with him, but not showing him that his behavior had affected her in any way. One way or another, she _would_ win this battle.

"Jenny? Are you coming?"

The blond girl whirled around and forced the smile back on her face. Mailin was waiting for her, standing next to Lyel. The horse was nudging its owner gently with its nostrils, apparently not willing to stand there any longer, but only earned an annoyed look from Mailin. The forced smile slowly began to turn into a genuine one. "I take it Lyel isn't the patient type?"

"Not at all," Mailin replied grinning, gently stroking the horse's forehead. "He might be loyal, but he can also be a right pain. So, what do you want to see first?"

Shrugging, Jenny answered, "I don't know. You're my guide."

"'kay… First let's get Lyel back to the stables and then we'll see."

Somehow, walking across the grounds with Mailin lifted Jenny's spirit a lot. The other girl was talking without pausing or breathing – at least this was Jenny's impression – the whole time with a bright grin or smile on her face. Soon, Jenny's bad mood had almost vanished completely, the smile on her face now completely sincere, as she listened to Mailin telling her more about this school and about the students than she could have ever hoped to learn, when she had arrived here only a few hours ago. She even thought that she hadn't laughed that much since her grandmother's death.

After having been to the stables to relieve Lyel of the saddle and the bridles, they brought him to the paddock, where a couple of other horses were already grazing. But they didn't linger there long and just a short walk later, they were entering a red brick building. According to Mailin, this was the main building, housing the cafeteria, recreation room and the normal school. Upon Jenny's slightly shocked look, Mailin simply asked her grinning, if she had really expected that they wouldn't have to study maths at this school.

As if to prove her point, she led Jenny through the halls, showing her first the cafeteria and the recreation room – which was equipped with comfy armchairs and couches, a fire place, some tables and chairs, and even several games like foosball and arcade games - and then two floors on which the classrooms could be found. The classrooms were smaller than the ones of her old elementary school, but seeing that there were only fifty students that needed to be taught, if at all, it was understandable that the classes themselves were also smaller.

They left the school soon after and, grabbing Jenny's hand, Mailin nearly dragged her into the next building. "This is the dormitory," Mailin explained, when they were standing in the entrance hall. "The boys are on the first floor and the girls on the second floor. And there are two to four beds in each room. Come on, I show you mine."

Mailin hurried up the stairs, still having a firm grasp on Jenny's hand, so Jenny had no choice but to follow her. To be completely honest, she wouldn't even have stayed back or left, even if she'd had a choice. Meeting Mailin again had done something to her, released a yearning she hadn't felt for quite some time, a yearning for someone her own age, someone she, her Human side, could relate to. Someone she hadn't had at her old school. A friend.

A giggle escaped Jenny's lips, as they skidded around a corner, almost crashing into an older girl, to which Mailin quickly apologized, until they were finally standing in front of a dark wooden door. "My room," the girl simply said, took a key out of the pocket of her shorts, and unlocked the door.

It was a room with two beds, but only one of them seemed to be used. There was just a bare mattress on the other and only one of the two desks in the room was buried under a mountain of sheets, books, CDs and other stuff. A bookshelf standing at one wall was also nearly creaking under the weight of books, mostly novels, and a stereo.

"You're not sharing this room with anyone?" Jenny asked curiously, looking around one more time, as she took a few more steps inside.

Mailin shook her head, sitting down on her bed. "No, I'm alone in here. A few months ago, Dana, my roommate until then, left the school. She had been terribly homesick and finally decided that her family was more important than her studies here. But hey, maybe grandpa will allow you to sleep in this room!"

The grin on Jenny's face suddenly vanished, as she slumped down on the bed next to Mailin. "About this…"

"What's up?" Mailin asked, sounding concerned, as she put her arm around the other girl's shoulders. "You will enroll at this school, won't you? I mean, I saw your face, when you talked about the training. It was glowing! I thought you loved what you saw…"

"I did," Jenny admitted quietly. "But…"

She looked up and met Mailin's brown eyes and then, she didn't know why, began to tell her everything. Everything that she had bottled up for the last two days and maybe even longer. Jenny told her, why she had decided to accept Li's offer to show her this school, about Vegeta's behavior since then, about her small outburst a few hours ago, about the guilt that had been eating away at her all day, and about her worries.

Mailin simply listened to her, not interrupting her once. Somehow Jenny was reminded of how her grandmother had always comforted her, hugging her and letting her talk about her problems. It felt nice, but yet somehow different from her grandma. It was more like what she'd had with her brothers and even Trunks. Jenny silently wondered, if this was, what friendship felt like.

She usually didn't trust anyone this quickly, especially if this person was a stranger, but this girl was so completely different from all the other children she had met until now. She was so kind and didn't treat her like a freak, even though Jenny had been so unfriendly to her, when they had met the first time. Mailin's ki, as small as it was, emitted warmth and light, almost as if the girl couldn't even harm a fly.

When Jenny had finally run out of words, silence fell between them. But it wasn't awkward at all. While Jenny and Vegeta never talked much and Jenny was used to long silences, this was still different. She just couldn't describe it. But of one thing Jenny was completely sure – if she decided to go to this school, she would love to share a room with Mailin.

"Have you ever thought," Mailin began carefully after a long pause, "that Vegeta is maybe doing this on purpose?"

A confused frown appeared on Jenny's face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, maybe he has seen how much you want to do this, going to this school. Maybe he is thinking that this is something you ought to do and that he's making the decision easier for you, if he acts like this."

"That's nonsense."

"Really?"

The other girl's simple question and the raised eyebrow got Jenny thinking. She averted her gaze and got up from the bed, walking around the room until she was standing in front to the window. Her eyes wandered across the grounds she could see from there, among others Li's house. If it was a coincident or not, Jenny didn't know, because just at that moment, Li and Vegeta were stopping in front of that door. They shook hands and after having thrown a quick look around, Vegeta took off into the sky too quickly for a human's eye to see. Li only lingered a moment longer in front of the house, before he also went inside.

Was it really nonsense? At first glance it seemed like it, but when she pondered this a bit longer, and without getting her emotions involved, Jenny realized that this would really be a Vegeta-like thing to do. If she understood it correctly, he had wanted to make her angry at him. The Saiyajin in her had even almost risen to his bait. He _had_ tried to push her away, apparently to make it easier for her, just as Mailin had said.

If she put herself in Vegeta's stead, it even made sense to want to send her to this school. From a warrior's perspective it would be a waste to refuse an offer like this, and even though Vegeta didn't like weapons, he had still let her train with her Nyobo. Not all warriors liked the same fighting style, some preferred hand-to-hand, others weapons, and if she had the potential to master a weapon, Vegeta must have seen it.

She remembered him saying that he wanted her to become the strongest warrior in the universe under his tutelage and that he wouldn't stop until he saw it fulfilled. But he never said anything about not getting the help of others. Mastering a weapon on top of her normal training was certainly something that could make her stronger and a better warrior. Maybe even the best. Besides, he must have noticed the longing in her eyes. He simply knew her too well to not notice.

Once again Jenny noticed that no matter how rough and battle-hardened Vegeta was on the outside, he still cared for her and wanted what was best for her. Apparently, in his opinion, it was sending her to this school.

But still…

There was a sad smile on her face, when she turned around to face Mailin again. Their eyes met and even though they barely knew each other, the other girl understood and nodded in acceptance.

"We have to meet up again sometime soon," Mailin told her decisively.

"Of course," Jenny simply replied.

* * *

"I'm home!" Jenny called, as she stepped into the small capsule house in the woods. The sun was already standing low at the horizon and the rooms were lit in a golden glow. Vegeta was sitting in the kitchen, obviously already waiting for her, if she interpreted the fact that he was simply sitting there, as usual with his arms crossed over his chest, and not doing anything, not even being outside training, correctly. "I thought you'd wait for me." 

Vegeta didn't react to the small pout on her lips. He was completely tense, although it wasn't obvious in his body language, wanting to hear what the girl had decided, and at the same time not. It was a weird feeling. It was fear, but a different kind of fear from the one he knew from battle situations. He was honestly afraid of hearing that she was going to enroll at this school. Yet, this was what he had wanted for her, why he had gone to those lengths.

She ought to be angry at him that he hadn't waited for her, pushing her further to accept Li's offer. So he had no idea why she seemed so cheerful. His eyes narrowed dangerously, as she walked around the table to the cupboard and took a big bowl and her favorite cereals out. After having added the milk to her dinner, she once again walked around the table and sat down across from him, beginning to eat.

"I'm not going," Jenny suddenly said between two mouthfuls, actually startling Vegeta. He could only look at her in disbelief, as she stuck her spoon into the by now mushy cereals, and eventually returned his gaze. "I don't know why I didn't notice it before, but after Mailin gave me a push into the right direction, I could finally see your plan. Let's just say that it didn't work."

"Why?" Vegeta found himself asking, confused but at the same time relieved that she wouldn't leave – even though it was the wrong decision.

"Because I want to stay here, with you. Learning to fight with weapons would be fantastic, but you're my family. We need each other. Honestly," Jenny said with a teasing grin, "what would you do without me? You don't even know how to work the microwave!" she grinned.

Vegeta scowled, though not wholeheartedly. Slipping into this easy banter between them was a short respite from the serious talk he knew they still had to have. "I'll have you know that I don't like the microwave, that's why I don't use it. I prefer my food to be freshly prepared and to be healthy. Do I need to remind you that this is the reason why the kitchen is my domain? If you were to prepare our meals, we would only live off cereals, toast, pasta and frozen pizza."

"Pizza's 'ealthy," Jenny grumbled playfully with full mouth.

"If you think so," Vegeta simply replied with a smirk on his face. He leaned back in his chair and watched the girl for a few more minutes, until she had emptied her bowl. However, just as she wanted to get up to put it into the dishwasher, he told her with a pointed look that she should remain seated. "We're still not finished with our discussion," he said.

Jenny looked at him, feeling slightly uneasy. Honestly, what was there still to talk about? She had made her decision. She was going to stay home, despite all of Vegeta's attempts to make her decide otherwise. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What did Li say?" he asked.

"He was disappointed, of course. He said that it would be a pity that I want to waste my talent like this, but he also understood that my family is more important to me. I wasn't the first of his students who was thinking this," Jenny explained, remembering what Mailin had told her about her old roommate.

"And who is this girl, you mentioned? Is she a student at the school?"

"Mailin?" Jenny asked. "No, she isn't a student. She doesn't even like fighting. Mailin's Li's granddaughter and she lives at the school, because her mother's a teacher there."

Vegeta was now staring at her, but there was a thoughtful look on his face. "You and this girl get along well? You think that you could become friends?" Jenny nodded silently, but Vegeta could see the light in the brat's eyes, as she remembered that other girl. "Then please explain to me, why you're still here and not at this school. You obviously want to learn to master a weapon – don't lie to me, I saw it on your face this afternoon – and you met someone you might consider a friend."

Jenny heaved a deep sigh and lowered her head, starting to fidget with the hem of her T-shirt. "I already told you. I don't want to leave you…"

"Is it because of our agreement?" Vegeta wanted to know. "Do you feel obliged to stay with me because of that? Because, if I remember correctly, I only said that I wouldn't leave you. Not the other way around."

"No!" Jenny burst out, startled, but immediately lowered her head again. "I mean, I…"

"Brat," Vegeta said calmly, almost gently, as he uncrossed his arms. "Tell me honestly – what do you want more? Live here in this secluded place, with me being your only company, training and studying day after day, without a break in this monotony, only building up your strength and honing what you already know? Or do you want to go to Li's school, learn something new, meet other people and befriend that girl you're already so fond of?"

Jenny mumbled something incomprehensible under her breath.

"Speak up," Vegeta told her. "I can't hear you."

"I said that I'd rather go do Li's school."

"That's what I thought." Vegeta had to suppress a sigh. He had already been working towards this the whole day, and it was truly tiring. Especially since he had admitted to himself that he didn't want to let her go. "You know, when your grandmother and I first sent you to school, it was exactly for this reason. We wanted you to meet other people, make friends, and learn something new in a different environment. Now that you once again have this opportunity, you really shouldn't waste it, especially seeing as Li and his employees and therewith also the students believe in Satan being a fraud. I told him everything about us, and he wasn't scared or called us _freaks_. He simply said that he has already known – Triclops has told him about all the fights and about us Saiyajins when he began his job at this school. Li also said that he had some… personal experience."

"Y-you told him? Everything?" Jenny stuttered, wide-eyed.

"Yes, but as I already said, I didn't tell Li anything he hasn't already heard before." Vegeta was regarding her carefully. He believed that he almost had her. Just one more push in the right direction and Jenny would start at this new school coming next week. This was what he had agreed on with Li – Vegeta had promised him that he would talk to Jenny and convince her, should she decide to refuse the offer. "I promised you that I would take care of your education as martial artist, but I never said that I would do it personally. This school will teach you more than I ever could.

"Besides," here he took a deep breath, preparing for what he would say next, "you do know what you're training for. You know that you might need every skill you have ever learned to stand a chance."

Jenny simply stared at him blankly for a moment, before eventually realization dawned upon her face. "How do you know about this?" she asked horrified, whispering.

At this, Vegeta simply smirked. "Even when in distress, a warrior should be aware of his surroundings."

"So you've been there? You've heard everything?" Even though it was posed as a question, it was obvious that Jenny meant it as a statement. She looked down at her hands, once again remembering the weight and feeling of the sword. She hated to admit it, but Vegeta was right. Slowly but surely, a smirk crept onto her face, rivaling the one on Vegeta's face. "Well then, I guess I should do my best, so that I can kick ass."

"Does this mean that you will go?"

Jenny nodded resolutely. "Yes. But… I may come to visit you, right?"

"Of course," Vegeta told her. "The students at this school usually go home during the holidays and every couple of weeks, the parents or guardians are allowed to visit. But I warn you brat – if I see that you're slacking off and forgetting what I taught you, you won't have one free minute during the holidays. The GR will become your new best friend then."

"Or my worst enemy," Jenny countered with a mischievous grin, which quickly softened into a smile. "Vegeta… thank you…"

"Just don't disappoint me."

Shaking her head, Jenny replied, "Don't worry. I won't." And she really meant it.


	45. Part III: The first Day

**A/N: Heya! Damn, how long was it? 8 months? I know that I could never apologize for this, but you really have to understand that university is taking a lot out of me… I think I have already said this, but I will say it again: I WILL NEVER ABANDON THIS STORY!!! Just today, as I needed to do something else instead of writing stupid essays and preparing lessons for my internship at a local school, I wrote about 2.000 words for one of the last chapters. I had the idea for this last night, as I was trying to fall asleep, and I had to get it down on paper. Besides, there are also 40.000 more words finished for this story, for future chapters (and even whole chapters!!!)! So, I hope this is enough to convince you that I will finish this story, no matter how or when:o)**

**But thanks to all of you, who still read this story! You are really great! THANKS!!!

* * *

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**Part III**

**Chapter 44: The first Day**

Jenny was looking around her room one last time, her backpack slung over her shoulder. She had not lived that long in this room, only about eight months, but still, it had quickly become a new home for her. But now most of the shelves were, at least partly, empty. When she looked into her closet, she would find a lot of her clothes gone. Books, photographs, clothes and even some plush animals were safely stored into capsules, which she had all put into her backpack.

If someone had told her a week ago that she would leave the life she and Vegeta had built up over the course of the last few months, she would have said that they were crazy. But then Li had come along with his nearly irresistible offer – to train her in the arts of weapons. No sane warrior would have turned him down, but Jenny did, and only a very serious conversation with Vegeta had convinced her to grab this chance. She had called Li again the very same night, telling him that she had changed her mind, and so it was a few days later that she was to leave for the school.

And now it was Monday morning, about fifteen minutes past ten. At half past ten they should be at the school and meet with Li, so that he could show them her new room and she had some time to get settled down in her new home for the next few years. Jenny would be lying, if she said, she wasn't nervous, but there was also a small flutter of excitement in her stomach.

"Brat!" Vegeta called through the house. "It's time!"

"I'm coming!" she yelled, already turning around to leave her room. But before she walked through the door, she looked back over her shoulder one more time. She pressed her lips tightly together and nodded firmly. Yes, she was doing the right thing.

Vegeta was waiting for her in the hallway. His eyes rested a moment on her backpack, as he asked, "Do you have everything?"

"I think so," Jenny answered, unconsciously readjusting the strap of the backpack draped over her shoulder. "And it's not as if I can't just fly home and get whatever I've forgotten."

"Of course," Vegeta simply replied and turned around. "Let's go."

Outside, they took off too quickly for anyone to see more than a blur and stayed high in the sky, so that someone from the ground could only see a dot moving against the blue color. It was a short flight, actually, but they landed closer to the border of the school grounds, lest someone, who didn't know about their abilities, saw them. However, they still had plenty of time to walk to the main building, in front of which Li was already expecting them.

"Good morning!" Li greeted them cheerfully, as they stopped in front of him. He shook Jenny's hand and nodded at Vegeta. He looked at his watch and grinned. "You're right on time. Everyone is in class now, so no one will disturb us. I thought that we should show Jenny her new room first, so that she can unpack and get settled down, while we will go to my office, so that you can sign all the forms, Mr. Briefs."

"Sounds good," Jenny told him and had to clear her throat, because her voice sounded like a raspy whisper. Her hands were cold as ice and sweaty and a blush crept onto her face, when she realized that Li had just shaken her damp hand. Quickly wiping them dry in her T-shirt, she tried to muster up a smile. She must have failed, because she suddenly felt Vegeta's hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly. Almost immediately, she began to feel better, and, knowing that he was right behind her, she managed a smile and repeated, "Sounds good. I can't wait to see my room."

Rubbing his hands eagerly, Li simply replied, "Well then, let's go." Jenny followed him, knowing to which building he would take her. Vegeta was always just a step behind her, as they entered the dormitory and Li led them up to the second floor, the girls' floor. Jenny's heart started to beat faster, as they passed some doors and finally stopped in front of the one, which would apparently lead to Jenny's new home for the next few years. "I thought," Li told her grinning, "that you would like to share a room with my granddaughter. Mailin really seems to be taken by you."

"Is that true?" Jenny whispered, but when Li unlocked the door and opened it, Jenny recognized the room as Mailin's, the same room in which she and the girl had already spent some time together. They went inside and Jenny stopped in the middle of the room, smiling brightly at Li. "This is fantastic! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Li simply replied, as returned her smile. And then, with a wink, he added, "Why don't you see this as some kind of blackmail. I don't want you to leave again, after I had to fight so hard to get you to accept my offer."

Jenny couldn't suppress the giggle that rose in her throat. She didn't know, when she had last felt like this. She was still nervous, but it wasn't this bad kind of nervousness that she had experienced before, a few days ago. This feeling was slightly different. Not really anxious, more excited. Yes, excited was a good word for what she was feeling, Jenny decided with a secret grin. She just couldn't wait to get settled and then see Mailin again. "Does Mailin know?" Jenny asked him with a mischievous grin, which he immediately returned.

"No," he told her. "I haven't told her a word, not even that you have changed your decision. This is as much a surprise for her as it is for you."

"Brilliant." Jenny couldn't wipe the grin off of her face. A streak that she had believed to be buried deep within her had emerged again, filling her with giddiness. The mischievous streak that had made her to such a dangerous member of the Trio from Hell was telling her to enjoy this as much as possible. Now she really couldn't wait to see Mailin and especially her face, when she recognized that she had a new roommate and who that roommate was.

"Well then, we'll leave you now to get settled. Will one hour be enough?"

Nodding, Jenny said, "Yeah, that should be enough."

"Great," Li replied smiling. "Mr. Briefs and I, we will then retreat to my office. I'm still surprised, when I take on a new student, at just how many forms need to be filled out. We'll be back to get you, when we're finished, okay?"

"Okay…" she grinned at them. "Have fun with the forms, Vegeta."

A low warning growl vibrated in Vegeta's throat, but he was smirking at her, as he and Li left her room again, closing the door behind themselves. Now, Jenny was completely alone in her new room and she took one more look around, as she put her backpack on the empty bed. Her bed. It was not as big as the one in her old room – as a matter fact, this room she would share with Mailin from now on, was even a bit smaller than her room in the capsule house. But it didn't matter. Not, when, probably for the first time in her life, she was about to make a really good friend.

Plopping down next to her backpack on the bed, she opened the bag and poured out the capsules onto the blanket. She frowned, as she looked at them. Had she really packed that much? Her gaze fell onto the desk and the shelves she could use for her things and noticed that she would never have enough space. With a sigh, Jenny began to sort through the capsule, putting those that she didn't need often and that didn't need to be displayed in another bag. That bag would later land at the bottom of her closet or in one of the drawers.

But for now, she needed to concentrate on the capsules that were still left – clothes, books and other knick knacks. Jenny opened one capsule after another and arranged and rearranged her stuff on the shelves and on the desk, until she was satisfied. At last, she pulled the bed clothes over the blanket and the pillow. It was with some pride that she looked around the room, when she was finished – everything was in order, but Jenny knew that it would only be a matter of time, until her desk disappeared under a lot of stuff that had nothing to do with homework.

She was just finished, when there was a knock at the door and Li and Vegeta stepped inside again. Li whistled appreciatively. "I'm impressed. You've already made yourself at home in this room. I'm really looking forward to what Mailin will say..."

"So am I," Jenny told him with a wink.

Li chuckled. "Well, your stepfather has filled out and signed all forms. You are now finally enrolled at this school. Welcome!"

"Thank you," Jenny replied, and once again couldn't fight the light blush that crept onto her face.

"Ah, don't thank me," Li said smiling. "I'm glad to have you here. Now, classes will let out soon and I believe that Mailin will bring her books to her, I'm sorry, _your_ room, before she goes to lunch. How about, we go to lunch now? But before, I'm afraid, you'll have to say goodbye."

Jenny threw a glance at Vegeta, who only nodded slightly. She swallowed hard. She had known this, she had known that she would leave Vegeta, and yet, suddenly, she didn't feel ready. But she put a brave smile on her face, for him. "Alright," she said. "Let's go."

Once they were outside the room, Li gave Jenny the key for the door and she locked it. They left the building in silence. First, when they were standing in front of the main building, they stopped. Jenny was standing next to Li and Vegeta a few feet across from them.

Jenny chewed on her bottom lip, not really knowing what to say. She was sure that Vegeta would prefer it, if this departure weren't emotional, and yet, Jenny couldn't stop the tears that were gathering in her eyes. Blinking them away, she tried to steady the brave smile on her face. "So," she said quietly, not trusting her voice, "I guess this is it."

Vegeta grunted in agreement. "You know what we talked about brat. Don't cause any trouble and if I find out that you don't train hard enough and get out of shape, the GR will become your new best friend in the holidays."

"I know," she grinned weakly. "But don't forget to visit, so that you can test me."

"Don't worry, I will." He smirked at her and nodded once, before he turned around.

However, before he could take off, Jenny suddenly cried, "Vegeta, wait!" He turned again to her, as she ran up to him and even though she knew he wouldn't like it, hugged him tightly for a short moment. She took a step back barely two seconds later and smiled up at him. The tears were still brimming in her eyes, her cheeks slightly red, as she realized what she had just done. "See ya…" she mumbled sheepishly, taking another step back.

"Brat," Vegeta sighed quietly and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't ever forget: You're doing the right thing. Goodbye." Vegeta nodded at Li and finally took off into the sky.

Jenny watched him until he had completely disappeared. It was a strange feeling to see him leave, especially considering that she wouldn't see him again for another few weeks. But she knew that he wouldn't forget her.

Li gave her a moment to gather her composure, before he cleared his throat. Jenny turned around and gave him a weak smile. "You're ready?" he asked her. As answer, she only nodded.

Jenny followed him to the cafeteria, always just half a step behind him. She was glad that he was talking almost non-stop, trying to keep her mind off Vegeta. He was succeeding, because Jenny quickly couldn't keep the grin off her face back anymore, after Li had told her an incredibly funny story about one of his past students.

Before she knew it, they walked through the double door into the cafeteria. The cafeteria was a big room with a high ceiling, in which were some windows. It was light inside and the walls were painted in a friendly light yellows, oranges and reds. The tables were arranged so that up to eight people could be seated around a group of tables. Jenny was surprised to see that some people were already there. As far as she could see there were five youths, three boys and two girls, and they were setting the tables, talking loudly and laughing as they were doing so.

Then, after having heard some footsteps, one of them looked up. It was a black haired boy with a pale angular face, Jenny guessed about seventeen years old, and a grin spread over his face, when he saw them. "Yo, Li!" he called, also getting the attention of the other four youths. "Who's this?"

Suddenly, now that all this attention was directed at her, Jenny felt once again the loud beating of her heart against her chest and her hands getting sweaty. She was, once again, extremely nervous, and forced a weak smile on her face, as Li led her up to those people, who all seemed to be at least three years older than her. "This is Jenny," Li told them, smiling. "She is going to start as a new student here, today."

The same boy, who had already called out to them, extended his hand to Jenny. Gathering all of her courage, and hoping against hope that her palms weren't as sweaty as she thought, she looked up into his grey eyes and shook his hand. "Welcome Jenny," he greeted her with an easy smile, which helped her to let go of some of her nervousness. "I'm Nikanor, but everyone calls me Nik."

"Hi," she squeaked and immediately blushed. Jenny didn't know what was wrong with her today. Just why was she so extremely nervous? And she had certainly never been shy. However, she was glad that Nik acted as if he hadn't noticed this, as he immediately proceeded to introduce the others.

He started with a beautiful dark skinned girl, who had her long and curly black hair pulled back in a thick braid. "This is Anisah." Leaning down to Jenny, he whispered, "She has the hots for me, but doesn't want to admit it." Jenny giggled, as she heard the growl from the girl, but there was a twinkle in her eyes. "And this nice young girl next to her is Zoe. Don't let her size fool you. She might be tiny, but has a wicked sense of humor. Besides, many who have fought against her woke up a couple of hours later in the infirmary, with no recollection of how they got there."

Zoe was a girl with short cropped dark brown hair and an Eastern touch to her skin. And Nik was right, she really was short – just a few inches taller than Jenny herself actually. She also shook Jenny's hand. "Nik tends to exaggerate from time to time, but today I've got to say that he's telling the truth." A mischievous spark appeared in her eyes. "Even though he seems to have forgotten that it's him, who wakes up in the infirmary most of the time."

"Hey that's not true!" Nik protested, crossing his arms over his chest with a pout on his lips. However, Zoe just turned around and slapped him over the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Serves you right," Zoe said with a smirk. "Well, Jenny, if you know how to deal with him, he can be a great guy." Ignoring the protests coming from Nik, Zoe simply continued the introduction. "And these two gentlemen are Selvyn and Ejnar."

"Sel," the boy with longer brown hair corrected. He looked to be the youngest of the five students. "Nice to meet ya, Jenny. I hope you have a good time here. This school is much cooler than any other school."

"I second that," Ejnar, who had short light blond hair and freckles all over his nose, said. "Welcome at this school."

"Well, Jenny," Li said, rubbing his hands. "Now that introductions are out of the way, do you mind to spend lunch with this lot? I'm sorry, but I've still got a lot to do."

"Not at all," Jenny reassured quickly. "Shall I come to your office after lunch?"

"That'd be great. There are still some things I have to talk to you about." Turning to the five youths, Li said, but with a grin on his face, "Be nice to her."

"Of course!" Nik saluted.

Waving at them, Li turned around again and left the cafeteria. Now, Jenny was alone with the five youths, and even though the introductions had eased her somewhat, she still felt nervous. Somehow, she thought that this feeling would first leave her after a few days. Everything was still so new and exciting. She didn't know what to expect yet. And she hated not knowing that.

"So," Jenny said a bit hesitantly. "Can I help you somehow?"

"Nah," Anisah waved her off. "We're almost finished, anyway. But how about you tell us something about yourself?"

"Yeah," Nik agreed, as he grabbed a bunch of knives and began to put them next to the plates on one of the tables. "How did Li find you?"

"We met in town, a week ago. He saw me fight and offered me a place at this school," Jenny answered, giving them a highly abbreviated version of the events of how she and Li had met.

"Wait!" Ejnar looked at her with wide eyes. "Do you mean to tell us that you were the girl who stopped those bikers?"

Now five pairs of eyes were directed at her and Jenny fidgeted uncomfortably. "Er, yeah?"

"Amazing!" Nik gasped. "How could such a tiny slip of a girl like you— Ow!" He rubbed his sore ribs, where Zoe had just buried her sharp elbow.

"That's really impressive," Selvyn said, ignoring the glare Nik was sending Zoe. "I don't think that any of us could have dealt with all of them alone. You must have had a great teacher to get that good at such a young age. How long have you been fighting?"

Jenny looked at them, wondering how much she could tell them. How much she was allowed to tell them. Apparently they already had some knowledge about supernatural strength, but how much exactly? They know that Satan is a fraud, but had Tenshinhan also told them about Saiyajins? Noticing that they were still waiting for an answer, Jenny grinned sheepishly. "Sorry… You wanted to know, how long I've been fighting? Well, I've started training when I was four years old."

"Damn!" Ejnar simply said. The others just nodded in agreement.

Jenny blushed again. She hadn't thought much about how early she had started to train. After all, Trunks and Goten had started even earlier. "It's nothing special," she defended herself. "I mean, my older brother Gohan started, when he was my age, and my other brother Goten started as soon as he could imitate Vegeta's and Gohan's movements."

"If your brothers are so damn good, why aren't they here?" Nik asked.

"They're dead."

"Ow!" Again, the back of Nik's head had become the victim of a slap – this time from Anisah.

"You insensitive prat!"

"It's okay," Jenny said quickly. "Really. It's already been a few years. They were killed, when they were fighting against Buu. Vegeta and I were the only survivors, but it's okay. I know that people can die, when they fight in a battle. I have grown up with this knowledge, and even though I've been sad, I feel okay now. And now I'm babbling, sorry…"

"Don't be sorry, Jenny," Nik said, coming up to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. He gave her an apologetic smile. "I should be sorry. Anisah is right. I'm an insensitive prat. Maybe I'll learn someday to think before I talk."

"It's okay, really," Jenny repeated. "You didn't hurt me. And you didn't know."

"But," suddenly a look of recognition spread over Zoe's face. "Guys, remember what Master Tenshinhan has told us about the battle against Buu? He hasn't been there, but he has felt the battle. And he also mentioned the name Vegeta."

"Yeah," Ejnar agreed, "but he didn't sound too happy, when he said that name. Is this Vegeta the same one you are talking about?"

"One and the same," Jenny replied with a small grin.

Nik whistled. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it appears we now have a celebrity among us. Ow! Damn you, Anisah! It's no wonder that the teachers think I'm stupid! Do you have any idea, just how many brain cells you girls kill with each slap?" He rubbed the back of his head, again with a pout on his lips.

Jenny couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. By now, almost all of her nervousness had passed and she could almost relax around those guys. They certainly were a lot of fun. If the other students were the same, Jenny was sure that she'd never have a boring moment, while she was at this school.

"I'm glad to see you laughing, Jenny," Selvyn told her with a grin. "There's really no need to be nervous. True, there are some assholes at this school, but you learn to live with them. The majority of the students really is alright."

Suddenly a bell rang through the building and the five youths first looked at each other and then at the tables, shock written over their faces. "Shit!" Nik yelled, grabbed two handfuls of forks and ran to a table. "Class just let out!" he yelled as an explanation. "The others will be here any minute."

Understanding flashed over Jenny's face, and seeing as she had kept them from doing their work, she also took some plates and went to a table. They worked quickly, setting the tables and getting bowls and plates with the food from the kitchen, and were finished just in time, as the first students, those who hadn't gone to their rooms first, Jenny guessed, because they were still carrying their bags over their shoulders, came in.

"Thanks a lot, Jenny," Ejnar told her chuckling, as he wiped some sweat from his forehead. "We really should have learned by now not to dawdle, when it's our turn to set the tables. Why don't you come and sit down with us. We know now some things about you, but you don't know anything about us, except of our names and that some of us are crazy."

"Sounds great," Jenny chirped with a grin on her face. She couldn't help herself – her gut instincts told her that those people were alright – and she was already starting to trust them. And this was something that she didn't do easily. Nik and Ejnar immediately flanked Jenny and led her to _their_ table. 'The greatest table in the whole cafeteria,' Nik told her proudly.

It was a table right next to the window, from which she could see the banks of the lake in the distance. Jenny had to admit, as she sat down between the two boys, that Nik was right. No other table had a view like that. She helped herself to some of the meatloaf, rice and peas and put some sauce over it, before healthily digging in, while listening to what the others were telling her.

It was really interesting. Nik was, as she had already suspected, seventeen years old. He had started at this school, when he was nine years old. Just like her family, his whole family consisted of martial artists. Some had even fought at the Budokai at one point or another, but none of them had come as far as he did. When Li had discovered him, he had been sparring with his older brother, using a stick to defend himself. Li had seen the potential and offered him a place at this school. Nik thought that he would graduate at the end of this school year, "But I hope that I can stay as a teacher. I really love this place," he told her.

The story with fifteen year-old Ejnar was similar. He came from the north and apparently his family descends directly from some Nordic warriors. Again, Li met the then twelve year-old boy, when he was on one of his many travels, and was immediately intrigued by him. It just took some persuasion to get Ejnar's family to agree to let him go to this school, but now they were really proud of him.

Anisah was sixteen years old and in contrast to Ejnar, she was born in the south. Until she was ten years old, she had lived with her aunts, uncles and siblings in a small poor village. She had never thought about fighting before meeting Li, but she had always been agile and apparently Li had seen something else in her as well, because he had tested her right then and there, in front of her guardians' hut. And her skill with a wooden sword had convinced him to take her as a student.

Selvyn, or Sel as he wanted to be called, was the odd one out of the group. The thirteen year-old was the youngest of the group and a rather serious boy, who had only been at this school for a year. Contrary to the others, he didn't convince Li with extraordinary strength or skill, but with his ability to see ahead. He could easily foresee his opponent's tactic and adjust his own to keep the upper hand, even though the other might be a better fighter. According to Nik, no one at this school could beat Sel at chess.

However, it was Zoe's story that intrigued Jenny the most. She was fifteen years old and rather fierce and sarcastic, but Jenny quickly found out the reason for that. Her parents were drunkards and social services had taken her away from her parents, when she had been five years old. From that moment on, until a few weeks after her eleventh birthday, she had lived at an orphanage. As she had always been a loner at the orphanage, no one had noticed that she had run away until it was too late and she had been too far away, unable to find. Why she had run away and how no one could find her, she didn't want to tell. Apparently no one but her and Li knew this. From that moment on, Zoe had lived in the streets, stealing and fighting to stay alive, until Li had found her two and a half years ago. But why Li thought that she would fit in his school, Zoe also didn't want to say. She had simply said that, even though she had still been quite young, she had built up quite a reputation in the streets where she had lived.

Zoe was just barely finished with her story, when suddenly a loud yell echoed through the cafeteria. "Jenny!"

The girl in question whirled around and was at the next moment engulfed in a tight hug, her face full of auburn colored hair. "Mailin!" Jenny laughed, as she gladly returned the hug. "Need. Air."

"Sorry!" the other girl cried and immediately let go, but there was a wide grin on her face. "I didn't want to believe it. I mean, I went into my room, but it didn't look like my room anymore. There was stuff on the other bed and desk and shelves and I didn't know whom it was from. Grandpa usually always tells me, when he's expecting a new student. But then I saw the photograph on the bedside table and I couldn't believe my eyes, when you were on it! Why didn't you tell me? When did you change your mind? I can't believe you're really here!" Squealing, Mailin turned on the spot and clapped excitedly into her hands.

"Mai, breathe," Nik teased her, grinning brightly. Unsurprisingly the others were sporting similar grins.

"Mailin!" another shout went through the hall. Jenny looked over Mailin's shoulder and saw a boy around her age rolling up to them – he was sitting in a wheelchair. He shook his head, so that some strands of his shaggy blond hair fell into his eyes. "I thought we were going to meet downstairs in the dorms. Instead, you're running past me and ignore me completely!"

However, Mailin didn't react at all to the boy's accusations. She simply grabbed Jenny's hand and pulled her out of her chair, as the boy stopped in front of them. "Damian," she said grinning. "That's Jenny. You know, the girl grandpa couldn't shut up about last week. She changed her mind and is now going to this school! And Jenny, this is Damian, my twin brother."

Jenny's insides clenched painfully upon hearing those words. Twin brother. A memory of her and Goten shot through her mind and she had to resist the urge to turn and run. But this wouldn't be fair. Mailin was so happy and Jenny was also happy to be here. Discovering that her new friend had a twin brother shouldn't change that. Her face must have shown some of her inner turmoil, because the others were looking at her curiously. "Are you okay?" Damian eventually asked.

Jenny gently shook her head, but more to clear it from any unwanted thoughts than to answer his question. "I'm sorry." She forced a smile on her lips. "Hi Damian. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry, but Mailin hadn't told me that she had a brother."

"A brother in a wheelchair, you mean?" He sounded slightly hurt and defensive.

"No!" Jenny hurried to say. "No, not at all. It was really just the brother-thing. I don't mind that you're sitting in a wheelchair." Jenny winced at her choice of words, but what should she say? She really didn't mind. The knowledge that the boy was handicapped hadn't even crossed her mind after she had heard the expression _twin brother_. "I'm sorry."

"Damian," Mailin admonished with rolling eyes. "Stop acting like a jerk. Jenny's right. I hadn't told her about you."

Damian rolled his eyes, but a grin was tugging at his lips. "This shows again, just how much you love me, little sis."

"Oh shut up!" Mailin slapped her brother's arm and Jenny couldn't suppress the giggle that bubbled up. It had really been a long time, since someone, especially when they were practically strangers, could make her feel at ease like that. "It just slipped my mind."

"Sure, it just _slipped your mind_." Damian once again rolled his eyes and sniffed in mock hurt.

"It did!" Mailin replied with a growl.

"Then someone should check your brain, if you forget that easily that you have a brother!"

"Maybe it should have crossed your mind that I've done this on purpose because you're so annoying!"

"Me? Annoying?" Damian huffed. "You seem to forget that you're the annoying one!"

Jenny grinned, as she watched the bickering between the twins, and turned to Nik, who had in the meantime returned his full attention to his meal. "Are they always like this?"

He nodded and swallowed the huge load of meat he had just shoveled into his mouth. "You'll get used to it. You still want some more?" he asked, pointing her empty plate.

Jenny shot one more amused look at Mailin and Damian, who still hadn't ceased their fighting (having now gotten to the "Am not! – Are too!" part of the argument), before sitting down on her chair again. "Sounds great!" She took the spoon and put another huge helping of rice, vegetables and meat on her plate.

"Jenny, I like you," Nik told her bluntly, as he was watching her, but there was a huge grin on his face. "I always like girls who like to eat. I will never understand those girls that just eat some salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Never dessert, never chocolate or something else that might just have a few more calories. I think I'd die."

Jenny returned the grin and noticed that Mailin and Damian now finally joined them at their table. "I've always had a healthy appetite," she told Nik, not wanting to mention that the reason for this were her Saiyajin genes. "And it's not going to change soon."

"I'm glad to hear that," Nik simply said. Turning to Mailin and Damian he asked with a teasing tone to his voice, "Are you finally finished with your bickering? You know, you're really setting a bad example for our new student."

"Oh, and you don't?" Damien replied. His green eyes were sparkling with mischief.

Nik's eyes went wide and he blinked innocently. "Me? Never!"

"Of course," Mailin muttered grinning. "But Jenny, you haven't answered a single question! Now, tell me! When, why and how?"

"You didn't leave me much of a chance," Jenny pointed out, still grinning widely, after she had taken a sip of her coke. "But as you asked so nicely." She then began to tell Mailin everything she wanted to hear, about her discussion with Vegeta after they had returned home and that she had called Li again the very same night. The others were listening intently and soon joined the conversation, as it veered off the original topic to other things.

For Jenny the lunch hour was over much too quickly and after she, Mailin and Damian had quickly helped the other five to clear the tables and bring everything back into the kitchen, the twins accompanied her to Li's office. In front of the door, Mailin said that they would meet Jenny later and left again. Li knocked at the door and went inside, where he was already waiting for her.

"Hello Jenny," he greeted her and motioned for her and Mailin to sit down. "I hope lunch was to your satisfaction."

"Yes, I really liked it," Jenny told him.

"I believe Chao-zu will be happy to hear that."

"Chao-zu?" Jenny asked confused. "He's also here?"

"Of course," Li chuckled. "Tenshinhan and Chao-zu are almost inseparable. Where one goes, the other follows. And I've got to say that Chao-zu's culinary skills are almost unbeaten at this school."

"I barely know them. I've only ever heard of them in the stories Gohan or Bulma told me."

"It's a pity. But don't worry, you will get to know them soon enough. And, may I ask, what you thought of your company at lunch?"

"They're great!" Jenny told him enthusiastically. "I already like them a lot."

"That's good, Jenny," Li said pleased. "You've got to know that you will spend a lot of time with them. Whenever I get a new student, they join a group of more experienced students, who will 'take care of them', if I may put it this way. They are usually learning to fight with the same weapons, or at least one of them, as there are several students at this school, who train with more than one weapon. I thought that, if you'd like to, you could join the group of those five students. So, what do you say?"

The smile on Jenny's face was so bright that it almost split her face. "Why do you even ask? Of course! And, er, what kind of weapons are they training with?"

"I was getting to that," Li said. He sounded relieved. "Am I correct to assume that you would like to work with the quarterstaff?" Jenny nodded quickly. Her Nyobo was lying in her room, just waiting to be finally used correctly. "Alright… Nik and Zoe are both training with the staff as well."

"And what kind of weapon do the others use?"

There was a mischievous glint in Li's eyes, as he said, "All five of them learn to use the sword."

Jenny knew she was gaping, but she didn't care. Did she really just hear what Li had said? The sword? The weapon she had admired so much last week? She couldn't believe it. "Does this… does this mean…?"

"That you will also learn to fight with a sword? I believe, so, yes. But only if you want to."

"Yes!" she cried happily, as she jumped up. "Yes, yes, yes!" Suddenly a blush crept over her face and she sat down again. She rarely lost control over her emotions like that, but she was just so happy. She had a hard time not to jump up again; instead she allowed a wide smile on her face.

Li laughed heartily, but it was no mocking laugh. "I'm glad that I can make you so happy. Now about your training schedule. I know that you haven't much experience, or none at all with the swords, so I would like to test you first. If it's okay with you, I'd like to do that now."

"Okay," Jenny agreed, again feeling a bit of the nervousness that had plagued her until lunch return. "It'll just be the two of us, right?"

"If you want to?"

"I think that'd be better. I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of everyone else."

"I honestly doubt that you'd make a fool out of yourself, but I can live with just the two of us being there."

They went immediately to the large gym. No one was there at the moment, and Li explained that the students had one hour after lunch until the training began, to relax a bit or to begin with some of their homework. Li showed her to one of the four smaller gyms and told her to wait there. While Jenny was looking around, Li disappeared in one of the backrooms and appeared just a short moment later with two quarterstaffs and two wooden swords in his hands.

"I thought that we should begin with the staff first, as you already have some experience with it," he said, as he handed her the staff that was nearly twice as tall as she.

Jenny nodded and grabbed the staff tightly, but flexibly between her two hands. Li took a few steps back, and got into a fighting stance, which Jenny mimicked. She closed her eyes briefly and called forth the power of the Saiyajin and just a split second later, her hair and eyes were pitch black.

"Wait," Li said, startling Jenny. "Transform back."

"What?" she asked confused. "But I can only fight in this form. I'm way too clumsy in my normal form."

"I know," Li admitted, but when she looked at him questioningly, he elaborated, "Your stepfather told me. But that's what I want to change. Now, please, transform back."

Jenny hesitated a moment, before she let go of the energy and her hair turned blond and her eyes blue again. Shaking her head slightly, she said, "This is not going to work."

"Let me be the judge of that, okay?" Li said calmly. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Are you ready?" Jenny nodded slowly. She wasn't ready at all. Not in this form. She was going to stumble over her own feet, she just knew it! She was too clumsy, too weak. This form was just normal, human, after all. Li still waited a brief moment, before he attacked.

It was a slow attack, with not much force behind it, but still he managed to wrench the staff out of Jenny's hands without problems. She cried out in pain and rubbed her right hand, where the skin was already turning blue. Li frowned, as he picked the staff up again and returned it to Jenny. "One more time," he said, encouragingly. "Jenny, I know you can do this. I've seen you fight. It's all in your head. It makes no difference, if you're transformed or not. Believe me."

Jenny nodded weakly and got again into a defensive stance. Li didn't wait long this time. Jenny managed to block the first attack. However, Li's staff came down to her again and she closed her eyes, preparing for the pain. She felt the staff leave her hand and heard it clatter to the floor behind her.

"That was better, but I know that this still isn't all. You just have to let go of this idea that you cannot fight in this form. Let's try it again."

He went to retrieve Jenny's staff again and they began anew. Much to Jenny's chagrin there wasn't much improvement over the next hour and she hated herself for it. It had been a long time since she had felt so weak. Her instincts always told her to transform and she did this even a couple of times without noticing it. Those were the few times, when she managed to defeat Li at once. All the other times she lost the staff within the first two minutes and she knew that Li wasn't even trying. Her whole body was already hurting and she knew that she had several bruises all over her body, and she was glad when Li called for a break. She really needed it.

The happy feelings from lunch had all disappeared, as she accepted the bottle of water Li was offering her. Her eyes rested briefly on the two swords and she knew that she wouldn't be much better with those – as a matter of fact, it would turn out even worse than with the staff. Jenny knew of course that she still had to learn a lot, but that she was _this_ bad had never once crossed her mind. However, she had never believed that someone would make her fight in her normal human form. It was just a disaster waiting to happen. What Li expected her to do was simply impossible!

"Don't worry," Li suddenly told her, startling her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him and saw the older man looking down at her with kind and understanding eyes. "I know you're frustrated, but please believe me, when I tell you that I've seen worse from my new students. You're all here to learn, after all. The only thing you have to do is to train hard and then it shouldn't be a problem. And I never said it would be easy."

"I know," Jenny sighed.

"Well, do you want to try the sword?"

Nodding, Jenny put the bottle aside, as Li went to get the swords. He gave her one and they once again turned to stand across from each other, with a few feet separating them. Li was holding his long wooden sword with the tip pointed to the ground in his right hand. His grip was strong, but relaxed, as far as Jenny could see and she tried to adjust her grip to match his. Her problem was just that the sword was a bit too long for her.

Li gave her a short approving nod and offered her a small grin. "Good. Not too tight, but also not too loose. Remember that you don't want to break your hand, in case you lose the sword, but keep also in mind that you don't want to lose the sword. Ready?"

"Yes," Jenny said firmly.

Just as he had done with the staff, Li started off slowly and carefully. His blade glided through the air and Jenny brought up hers to block it. But even though Li hadn't used much strength, Jenny had to grit her teeth, as the force of the blow vibrated through the bones in her hand and arm. "Good," Li said, and went over to the next attack. This time, as Jenny wanted to parry the blow, she immediately lost the sword upon contact. Cursing under her breath, Jenny went to retrieve it. "The grip was too loose," told her, as she was again standing in front of him. "You have to find the right grip and keep it while moving the sword. Let's try again."

They continued with this exercise for about half an hour and the longer it went on, the more frustrated and angry Jenny got. She lost the sword more times than she could count and when Li finally noticed that it wouldn't do to continue like this, he told her that they would stop for today.

To say that Jenny was relieved would be an understatement. She couldn't remember a moment in her life when she had felt more humiliated. Even when she had first started training under Vegeta a few years ago, she had shown at least some improvement with each lesson. This session just now kind of reminded her of her lessons to control the Saiyajin in her. Jenny only hoped that this training wouldn't prove to be just as hopeless as controlling the Saiyajin, because controlling the Saiyajin in her was simply impossible.

She helped Li put away the wooden weapons and together they left the gym again. On her way out, however, Jenny caught a glimpse of Nik and Anisah sparring with their own wooden swords. A quiet sigh escaped her lips. She knew that she would never be as good as them – she wouldn't even come close, as long as she was forced to stay in her human form. Quickly averting her gaze and staring straight ahead, Jenny followed Li outside.

"Well," Li said, once they had left the gym, "you're now free to go, Jenny. I will draw up your timetable and give it to you at dinner, alright?"

"Alright," Jenny mumbled, still not looking at him.

"Jenny," Li sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't brood about this too much. Don't forget, this _was_ your first time and you only need to get used to fighting in your normal, human form, as you call it. I'm confident that, within a few months, you'll be making huge progress."

Jenny only nodded, and, seeing that she wanted to be alone, Li squeezed her shoulder one last time, before he returned to his office. But now, Jenny didn't know what to do. It was in the middle of the afternoon and, as far as she knew, dinner was still a few hours away. Shrugging unconsciously, Jenny began to walk and, lost in her thoughts, first noticed where her legs had carried her, when she was standing at the banks of the lake. No one else was there, because everyone else was probably inside, training.

Training. Would she ever reach the level of the others? Most likely not. Her human form was weak. She had known this ever since she was a small child of three years, when she had naively asked Vegeta to train her. Back then, about six years ago, he had first agreed, after she had transformed the first time. He had seen much earlier than she that her human form was useless. And that's why she didn't understand, why he had agreed to this… Had he even agreed to this? Li had just told her that he knew from Vegeta that her human form is weak, but did he ask Vegeta, if he could train her in this form?

It didn't matter… If she couldn't convince Li to let her train in her Saiyajinform, then all of this would be pointless. She could never hope to be able to fight in her human form. That's why she had the Saiyajinform, to fight. The human form was simply unnecessary luggage. It was just a burden…

Shaking her head, Jenny gazed over the lake. The sun was sparkling on the surface of the lake and Jenny noticed surprised that it was already standing lower at the horizon than she had expected. How much time did she spend out here, lost in her thoughts? It must be close to dinnertime. A sudden grumbling noise from her stomach agreed with her and with a sigh, Jenny rose and walked back to the group of buildings.

She had been right. A delicious smell wafted towards her from the cafeteria and the grumbling in her stomach became louder. A small grin spread over her face, the first one in hours, as she went inside. Everyone was already there and she joined her new friends at their table. They immediately noticed that she wasn't as cheerful as she had been at lunch and tried their best to cheer her up.

Nik, as the unofficial leader of their small group, as he was both the oldest and had been at the school the longest, had already been informed of Jenny's first training lesson, but he didn't say anything about it. He shared Li's opinion that it would only be a matter of time until she made her first improvements. All of them had some trouble at the beginning, so why should she be the exception? He was sure that she would surprise them all in the end.

After dinner, Mailin and Jenny returned to their room. Jenny had received her timetable from Li and the first thing each morning, after breakfast, was some running training before classes. So she had to get up early everyday except on the weekends, on which she could have a lie-in. And then, in the afternoons, she had different kind of lessons – weight training, lessons with the staff and the swords, mental training and so on. Somehow, Jenny wondered, how this all fit into this timetable.

"So, Jenny," Mailin said, as soon as the door was closed behind them. "What is wrong?"

"It's nothing," Jenny reassured her with a weak smile. "It was just an exhausting day and… not everything went as I had expected it…"

"The training?"

Jenny nodded. "Yes…" And suddenly, as if a dam broke, everything spilled out of her. She told Mailin everything about the training and about her fears. Her rambling took the best part of an hour, but in the end, she felt lighter, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her.

"So, this is how you got this bruise," Mailin said, once she was finished, and pointed at the blue and purple spot on Jenny's hand. However, she didn't wait for Jenny to confirm this, as she simply continued, "I've gotta say, I agree with grandpa. You'll be just fine… I'm sure of it. All you need is some training and then you're so gonna kick Nik's ass."

This brought a grin to Jenny's face. "Maybe…" she admitted. Now that she had gotten all of this out, she was already a bit more optimistic. "I'll just have to see what tomorrow will bring."

"That's the right attitude!" Mailin laughed and her laugh was so infectious that Jenny quickly joined in. "Tomorrow everything will be different!"

They spent the rest of the evening, until they went to bed, talking about everything and nothing. Jenny had even dared to breach the topic of why Damian was sitting in a wheelchair. This had dampened the mood for a moment, but Mailin told her that they had been living in the Eastern Capitol when Buu had attacked, and that Damian had been hit by a steel beam from a falling building. It had been a wonder that he had survived, but the doctors said that he would most likely sit in the wheelchair for the rest of his life. Until now they had found no doctor that could help him regain the feeling in his legs again.

Jenny couldn't help it. She felt sorry for him, and he was simply taking it all in a stride. That evening at dinner, he had, along with Nik, taken over the responsibility to cheer her up, and it had almost worked. For a moment she had almost forgotten why she had felt so down and she had felt extremely grateful towards them. After not even a day, Jenny thought that she had already made some really good friends.

And somehow, as she was lying in her bed, trying to fall asleep, Jenny thought that having friends was something that she had really missed for the past few years. Despite the small setback today, it had really been a good idea to accept Li's offer, just to be with them.


	46. Part III: Day 23

**Part III**

**Chapter 45: Day 23**

The annoying beeping sound of her alarm clock startled Jenny awake. With closed eyes, she grappled with the cursed clock for a few seconds until she finally managed to shut it off. Listening for a short moment to her roommate's breathing, Jenny was relieved to find out that she hadn't woken Mailin up. The girl was still fast asleep, just as she should be at this time of the day. It was still dark outside – which was no wonder at half past five in the morning – and Mailin first had to be at breakfast at eight o'clock, while Jenny's was to be served in half an hour.

And after that, the true torture would begin.

As she silently got up and gathered the clothes she had put on her desk chair the night before, Jenny noticed something else that she hadn't heard before – it was raining, a lot apparently, considering the sound the drops made at their window. A miserable sigh escaped her lips, as she trudged through their room and quietly opened the door.

The corridor was already brightly lit, as she stepped outside and bleary-eyed walked to the bathroom. She was the first one there, but then again, she always needed a little longer to wake up. At least since she had begun her studies at this school. Getting up nearly every morning at half past five, followed by breakfast, then training, then, if she was hungry, a second breakfast, school, lunch, even more training, dinner, homework and then, finally, the blessed sleep, was really wearing her down.

Three weeks had already passed since her first disastrous first day and it hadn't gotten much better, as the bruises on her body and her tired muscles showed. She winced, as she pulled the pajama top over her head, to reveal a nasty black and blue mark on her ribcage. Nik had hit her at this spot the previous day, by accident, really, and he had apologized profusely about a thousand times afterwards, but it still hurt, a lot. He had been a lot more careful in their training after that incident, and this made Jenny feel even more hurt, not just her chest, but also her pride – she simply wasn't used to people having to hold back around her.

Glaring at this bruise, she quickly took off the rest of her clothes and stepped under the cold shower – it had to be a cold shower in the mornings, otherwise she would never wake up. As the cold water hit her body, Jenny gingerly fingered the dark bruise. She was so angry, not with Nik for causing this bruise, but at herself for letting it come this far. There had been no progress at all in the past few weeks. She was still too slow, too weak, too clumsy to even perform the easiest moves with the weapons. During their running training in the mornings she usually arrived last, if she arrived at all. Most of the times she had to give up, when the others were just getting warm. And this was so incredibly frustrating, especially as she couldn't do anything about it.

She had talked to Li a few times again about transforming, but he still insisted that she trained in her human form. He said that she could do this and that by strengthening her human form, her other form would become a lot stronger as well. However, Jenny wished she could share his enthusiasm. Until now the only thing she had learned in her training was to lose, not just the sparring matches or her weapons, but also slowly but surely her hope. She didn't even want to think about how disappointed Vegeta would be, when Li eventually sent her home as a failure. Yes, when, not if. With each passing day, the knowledge that she would fail and disappoint everyone who had believed in her was growing, and there was nothing she could do about this.

When she finally got out of the shower, shivering and freezing, but relatively awake, some other girls had already joined her, among others Zoe and Anisah, the two older girls she had quickly become friends with. They greeted her cheerfully, already used to the torture of getting up at this early hour, and Jenny forced a smile on her lips to return the greetings, before she began to brush her teeth. While Jenny still had to concentrate to stay awake, she listened to the easy banter and chitchat between the two older girls and wondered, if she would ever get used to this. Somehow, she doubted this.

"You finished, Jenny?" Anisah asked grinning, after Jenny had put the rubber band at the end of her long braid. She hadn't bothered to blow-dry the hair, as it would just get wet again once they were running in the rain. None of the older girls bothered to shower in the mornings, as they thought it was nonsense, seeing as they would get sweaty again before school started. However, none of them had such a hard time waking up in the morning as Jenny did.

"Yeah," Jenny half-yawned as reply and the two girls chuckled good-naturedly.

"Then, come on!" Zoe laughed. "Let's get some coffee into you!"

"You know how much I hate coffee," Jenny grumbled, but still followed them. When they came to the door, Jenny saw that it rained a lot harder than she had thought. Sighing, she asked, "You don't think I could skive off?"

"The day Shizuka let's you skive off, hell freezes over," Anisah said with a small grin. She put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Come on, Jenny… let's get you something to eat and you'll see that a little rain won't be your death." Anisah winked at her and then set off at a jog towards the cafeteria. Zoe followed her quickly and with another defeated sigh, Jenny ran after them.

Already from the short run from one building to another, Jenny knew that this day might very much be her death. The rain was beating down mercilessly on them and the back of her long-sleeved shirt was completely drenched. Fortunately she wasn't the only one who looked like this, as many other students were just as wet as she was, but contrary to her, most of the others seemed to be in a really good mood, despite the weather.

But the others didn't have her problems. They wouldn't slip and stumble and fall about a hundred times in the next hour or so. At that moment Jenny really regretted having put on clean clothes this morning. The ones from the day before would have worked just fine in this weather. With her head hanging low, Jenny slumped down on her chair at their table and helped herself to some coffee – no matter how bitter and disgusting it tasted, she still needed the caffeine to survive this day – and some pieces of toast.

Only a few minutes later, Jenny looked up as a tall figure sat down on the chair next to her. Looking like a drowned rat, Nik groggily let his gaze wander around on the table. "Coffee," he mumbled miserably. "Need coffee."

This lightened Jenny's mood a bit. At least one person who could partly sympathize with her.

Much too soon breakfast was over and the others told a very reluctant Jenny that it was time to go. She was walking together with Nik to the exit, with Anisah, Zoe, Ejnar and Sel in front of them. She already dreaded what was waiting for her outside – rain, failure and humiliation. Jenny only wanted to go back to bed, crawl under her blanket and never come out again.

Suddenly, she was startled out of her thoughts, as Nik leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Wanna make a run for it?"

"I'd love to!" Jenny replied, also in a whisper, but they didn't get to make further plans, as they were already outside and their trainer, Shizuka already standing in front of them in the rain.

Shizuka was a woman in her forties with short cropped black hair and dark eyes. She had the body of an athlete, tall and lean, and was dressed in dark, long-sleeved clothes as far as Jenny could see in the rain and darkness. She was fair and strict, but her training really hard, too hard for Jenny. While Shizuka was patiently waiting for them in the rain, without moving a muscle, Jenny already began to shiver from just standing there for one minute, because she was fully drenched by then.

Finally the last stragglers arrived and without waiting another second, Shizuka began to run, setting the pace for their first training that day. Just as usual, her new friends stayed with her for the beginning, supporting her until she had found her own rhythm, but especially for this, Jenny felt extremely bad. She couldn't expect them to hold back on their own training, just to help her. However, just as every morning, the first ones to give her an apologetic look and begin to run faster were Ejnar and Sel, closely followed by Zoe and Anisah.

Only Nik stayed with her longer than any of them, no matter how far behind she was. In the last few weeks he had become somewhat of a big brother to her – not that he could ever replace Gohan, but he had taken over this role, always being there for her, ready to cheer her up, ready to support her and never expecting anything in return.

They had reached the woods now and were at least somewhat sheltered, but Jenny knew that she couldn't go on for much longer. "You don't… need… to stay…" Jenny huffed and puffed. Despite the cold and the rain, her face felt hot and she simply knew that mixed with the raindrops sweat was running down her forehead, nose and cheeks. "Go… Go… and catch up with the others… I'll… I'll be okay…" However, just as she said that, her foot was caught in a root and Jenny tumbled face forward to the ground. As she was lying there, she only muttered, "Damn."

"Nope!" Nik answered grinning, as he stopped next to her and held out his hand. She took it and he helped her up. "Are you alright?" Nik asked worriedly, as he noticed that she was muddy from head to toe. "Are you hurt?"

"Just my pride," Jenny muttered, feeling completely embarrassed. She looked down at herself and sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. Oh yes, hadn't she known that it was a mistake to dress in clean clothes today? Still breathing hard, Jenny tenderly touched the bruise on her ribcage and suppressed a wince. However, this bruise wasn't the only thing hurting - her legs were also already pretty sore. She feared that she would get a cramp in her right calf if she went on like before. "I better go back. Tell Shizuka that my lace tore or something like that and that I can't run with shoes like that. See ya later!" She put on a forced smile and turned around, running back the way they had come from, but going at a slower pace.

"Jenny, wait!" Nik called, but she didn't react anymore. Shaking his head, Nik looked over his shoulder, but he couldn't see the others anymore, and then, with a determined nod, went after Jenny. His long legs carried him faster than her shorter legs allowed her to run and so he quickly caught up with Jenny. "Jenny!" he yelled again, as he finally reached her. "Slow down!"

Whirling around to face him, she crossed her arms and scowled. "What are you doing here? I told you to catch up with the others!"

"And don't use the opportunity to get out of this rain?" He winked at her with a grin, but quickly turned serious again. "Jenny, come on, let's just get home. We'll talk, when we're both dry and not in danger of catching the flu."

"Alright," Jenny conceded quickly, but she wasn't happy about the prospect of having to talk about this afterwards. She only wanted to get out of the wet and the cold as quickly as possible. But luck wasn't on her side today, as, just as she had expected, her right calf suddenly cramped and she was once again sitting in the mud. "Ow," she growled and when Nik looked at her worriedly, she elaborated, "Cramp."

Understanding dawned on him and he knelt down next to her. "Your right leg?" he asked and she nodded. Nik then took her right foot and began to gently stretch her leg. Jenny gritted her teeth, as more needles seemed to shoot through her calf, but soon the pain lessened, as the muscle relaxed. "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks…" Jenny looked up. They were thankfully still somewhat protected by the trees around them, but she was slowly getting really cold now that she wasn't moving any longer. "Let's get going."

Once again Nik helped her to her feet, but as she gingerly put some weight on her right leg, she had to grit her teeth. It still hurt. "Can you walk?" Nik asked.

"Yes," Jenny said determinedly and took as step forward. She wouldn't be able to run, yet, but she could at least walk, no matter how much it hurt. She would endure it.

Nik quickly fell into step next to her and as he saw the fierce look on her face, he remarked, "If you were just like that when you're actually training…."

"What do you mean?" Jenny snarled, trying to walk faster, but she quickly began to limp, so she slowed her steps again.

"Well, this determined… Giving everything, never giving up."

"Oh, shut up. I don't want to talk about this!" Scowling, Jenny again walked faster, this time ignoring the pain and the limp. Once again shaking his head, Nik followed her, not again breaching this topic on their way home.

By taking several shortcuts, it took them only about twenty minutes until they were once again standing in front of the dorm and without exchanging another word with Nik, without even looking at him, she stalked off, up the stairs and right to her room. It was already half past seven, so Mailin should be up by now. And indeed, when Jenny came into their room, Mailin was gathering her clothes, ready to go to the bathroom.

The other girl looked up, when the door opened, and her face immediately showed worry, as she saw Jenny. Jenny guessed that she must be quite a sight – dirty, wet and limping. "Jenny?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Jenny mumbled wearily, not really daring to step into the room. She was dripping and she could see her footprints on the floor. She didn't want to get their room dirty.

"What happened?"

"Rain, mud, stumbled and a cramp in my leg on top of that. Nik brought me here," she explained curtly, not wanting to go into detail. "Can you give me some fresh clothes so that I can take a shower?"

"Of course," Mailin answered smiling and took some clean clothes out of Jenny's closet. "Let me carry them, or you'll just get them dirty. Come on."

Jenny couldn't help but return that smile. Somehow, Mailin always managed to cheer her up. Over the course of the last three weeks, the two of them, or rather three, if she counted Mailin's twin-brother Damian, had become really good friends. Jenny almost dared to say that they had become best friends, but she somehow felt as if it was still too early to call them that. Jenny really wanted to, but was scared of what would happen, when she left again soon.

And it really would be soon, Jenny thought, as she once again looked at her dirty clothes, as she put them in her laundry basket in the bathroom and felt the remaining pain in her leg.

"Cheer up, Jenny," Mailin said to her, still smiling encouragingly. "Maybe it's just not your day. You should get cleaned up and then you see that everything will look better. I'm sure you'll ace that math test, we're going to write today."

Oh yeah, the math test. Jenny had completely forgotten about that, even though she had helped Mailin and Damian study for it the previous night. But just as Mailin said, this test shouldn't be much of a problem. If just everything were as easy as math, Jenny thought as she stepped under the shower for the second time that morning. Only this time the water was scalding hot.

It was still pouring outside as Jenny, now dressed in blue jeans and a dark green sweater, and Mailin were about to walk downstairs to meet Damian. Together they wanted to go to the second breakfast. They began their short track down the stairs, but Jenny grabbed Mailin's arm, as she heard some known voices downstairs – Nik and Shizuka. She sneaked a bit closer, until she could see both of them. They were obviously discussing something.

"We weren't skiving off, honestly," Nik explained, but Jenny could see that Shizuka obviously didn't believe him. "Jenny fell and then had a cramp in her leg. She could barely walk, not to mention run. I just wanted to bring her home safely."

"Alright, I'll let you off the hook just this once," Shizuka told him and Jenny could hear that she sounded angry. "Now go to breakfast and to class."

Jenny watched, as Shizuka left the building, followed by Nik only a short moment later. Jenny closed her eyes, to keep the tears that had unwillingly welled up from falling. It was all her fault. Nik was in trouble because of her. And all of this happened before eight o'clock.

"Come on, let's go," Mailin quietly said. "Damian is waiting."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jenny nodded. "Okay…"

Her second breakfast was a quiet affair for Jenny. She didn't talk to anyone, even though the others were trying to pull her into a conversation to cheer her up. None of her friends had mentioned what had happened that morning and not even Nik was acting cooler towards her, even though she wouldn't blame him. She thought that she should apologize to him, but coward that she was, she didn't even dare to look up at him.

Soon it was time to go to their first class, in which they would also be writing the math test. The other students in this class were whispering excitedly, explaining to their friends a few more formulas, but Jenny didn't join them. She knew all this stuff by heart, even that of the older students in this class. Her math class consisted of students from age nine to age twelve, and all of them were taught according to their age. This might prove to be challenging at a normal school, but seeing as there were only about fifteen students in this class, it was possible.

Everyone fell silent and regarded Lari nervously, as she walked inside with the stack of classroom tests in her arms. She was smiling at them encouragingly and, after having greeted the class, walked around and gave out the tests. Once everyone had one and she was again standing in front of the class, Lari told them to start. Jenny opened the first page and when she saw the problems, she finally allowed a small smile on her face. At least one thing today was going to be a piece of cake.

The other classes passed relatively quickly and Jenny was in a better mood, as she went to lunch. The others at her table noticed this immediately and greeted her with a smile, which Jenny returned tentatively. She looked over to Nik, finally feeling brave enough to apologize to him, but he was in a deep discussion with Anisah about some thing or another and she didn't want to disturb them. She also didn't get a chance, as she was quickly pulled into a conversation with Damian and Mailin, who both wanted to talk about the oh-so-terrible test.

"I'm sure you've both done fine," she reassured them again. "You knew how to do most of the problems last night, so it shouldn't have been too difficult."

"But she took different problems today," Damian whined. "There were different numbers."

"Yes," Jenny said patiently. Damian really was a great boy, but more often than not his naivety reminded her of her own twin-brother. She was sure that Goten would have reacted just like that, had he ever written a math test. "But the problems were still similar to those we did last night. You just had to transfer what we've studied to those new problems. They were all built on the same principle."

"But you're the genius!" Damian defended himself. "You're good at everything!"

Immediately, as if someone had emptied a bucket of icy cold water over her head, her good mood vanished. "I'm not good at everything," she just mumbled and returned her full attention to her plate, but the spaghetti didn't appeal to her anymore. With a quiet sigh, she pushed her plate away and got up from her chair. "I'm gonna change. I'll see you later."

She heard the others call after her, but Jenny didn't care, as she left the cafeteria and went to her room. It was still raining and it didn't look as if it would stop soon. At least they would be training in the gym now.

Jenny was almost inside the dorm, when she felt something muddy and wet hit her back and heard a squeal of laughter. Laughter that she would recognize everywhere. Clenching her fists, Jenny tried to swallow her anger and took a step forward. She didn't want to deal with her now.

"Hey, loser!" a girl's voice yelled, stopping Jenny again. She had been right. It was Lysann, a thirteen years old girl who had had it in for her ever since her second day. However, what she had done to earn this girl's wrath, Jenny still didn't know. Turning around, she saw that the blond haired girl was standing under an umbrella held by one of her sheep, Lotta, a girl with extremely curly red hair.

With her arms crossed over her chest and her head held high, Jenny asked with a boldness she didn't feel, "What do you want?"

The two girls stepped closer. Jenny was surprised that it was just the two of them, as Lysann was usually surrounded by some more of her sheep. "We heard about what happened this morning. Did poor Jenny fall down?"

She sniggered and Jenny had to grit her teeth, as she was reminded of the episode this morning that she tried so hard to forget. Having half a mind to teach this girl a lesson, Jenny took a step forward, ready to transform. The two girls, however, didn't feel threatened by her, as they just began to laugh harder – it was a cruel, mocking sound. She remembered that Selvyn had told her about there being some assholes at this school and Jenny knew that she had found them.

"Tell me, Jenny," Lysann sneered, "what did you pay Li to be accepted at this school? Everyone knows that this cock and bull story that you have defeated those bikers is just something he made up to make you popular. But guess what? You, Jenny, are no one. You will never be a master of weapons. _Never!_"

A low growl escaped Jenny's lips and she felt the power inside of her flare up. She just needed to let it go and then she would be the one laughing. Her lips turned up into a smirk, as she thought of letting the Saiyajin loose on the unsuspecting girl. This would be fun.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

Jenny's head whirled around and she noticed Lysann doing the same. Nik was striding up to them and he looked angry. Swallowing hard, Jenny pushed the power down and unclenched her fists, letting her arms hang loosely down her sides. Immediately, as the Saiyajin in her retreated, she began to feel bad for this. She had almost attacked this girl and no matter how mean Lysann was, she still didn't deserve to be used as punching bag of a Saiyajin.

"Nothing," Lysann answered coolly, and, after motioning to her sheep to follow her, stalked off to the gym.

Jenny's eyes were fixed on the ground, as she didn't dare to look up at Nik, even as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

"No!" Jenny snapped suddenly and took a step away from him. One answer for both questions. No, she wasn't okay. How could she be okay? But she also wasn't hurt, at least not physically. He looked at her worriedly, but Jenny just turned around and ran into the building. She barely noticed that she was once again, for the second time that day, totally drenched and that her back was caked with mud.

Again hot tears were burning in her eyes, as she stomped into the bathroom to get changed into clean and dry clothes for the third time that day. She gently stroked over the soft and yet strong dark blue material of the gi her grandmother had made for her one year ago, before she put it on. It was her favorite and she was glad that it had survived all the training sessions with Vegeta. This gi was something that reminded her of home, before everything went wrong and she and Vegeta left the Western Capital.

If her grandmother were still alive, none of this would have happened. She would be happier, still living in the Western Capital, going to school with classmates that had finally begun to accept her during the field trip. She would still be making progress in her training and not two steps backwards every day. Sure, she might have never met Mailin, Damian, Nik and the others, but were some friends really worth the humiliation she experienced at this school day after day?

After having gotten dressed and having splashed some cold water into her face, Jenny looked up into the mirror. Dark circles were prominent under her eyes and her face was pale, testifying the strain this training put on her and how exhausted she really was and this not just physically.

No matter how hard it was to admit – Lysann was right. She was a loser, if she couldn't even bear the training the others had no problems with.

A look at the clock at the wall told her that she had already spent too much time in the bathroom and that she should hurry to the gym. Training with the quarterstaff would begin in five minutes. She gave her reflection on last sad look, before she turned on her heels and left the bathroom. The sprint over to the gym through the rain left her breathless, but she wasn't too late. Master Kenko was teaching this class and although he was already there, the students were still just standing around, talking to each other.

Looking around, Jenny finally found Zoe, her partner in this class, leaning at a wall with already two quarterstaffs lying next to her. At the same moment, the older girl also looked up and spotted Jenny. With a smile on her face, Zoe picked up the staffs and began to walk over to her. "Hey there, you feeling better?"

Jenny nodded with a fake grin on her face, lying through her teeth, as she said, "Yeah, everything's alright. Sorry about lunch, today isn't just my day, ya know?"

"You sure?" Zoe regarded her with a scrutinizing gaze. "You know you can come and talk to us, whenever you need, whenever you have a problem or when you just want to… We all like you, Jenny, and we know that you have some troubles adjusting. Believe me, we all had those troubles in the beginning, but here we are now." She smiled encouragingly at the younger, though not much shorter girl. "Come on, let's start. And don't forget to tell me, if your leg bothers you, so that we can go a bit slower."

"Okay," Jenny just said, as she took the staff from Zoe.

She took a few steps away from the older girl and was ready to go into a defensive stance. All around them, Jenny could see that the others had just started. There was no certain drill in this class. This class was mostly for the younger and inexperienced students to get used to the quarterstaff and to learn some basic moves. When they were deemed to be good enough, they would move up to the higher class, the true beginner's class, where they would learn more moves together as a group. Seeing as Master Kenko couldn't spar with each of them separately, students from the advanced class had volunteered as sparring partners and first teachers, while Master Kenko would go around and offer advice.

Gripping the quarterstaff just as Zoe had shown her, Jenny slightly parted her feet and waited. She didn't need to wait long for Zoe to attack. There was not much force behind the attack and Jenny managed to block the blow with her own staff, still, with a small movement of Zoe's staff, Jenny found herself without a weapon. Jenny sighed, as she bent down to pick up her staff again. This, like every other day until now, would be just like the first day all over again.

"Let's try it again. And don't forget to move, when I attack. You always need to be ready to dodge or to attack yourself!"

Jenny nodded, even though she knew all of this. If she were in her Saiyajinform, she would know exactly what to do – her body would react without her needing to think about the next move. It was her instinct, the instinct of the fighter, of the Saiyajin, the warrior. Her human side couldn't compete with that. It was impossible. There was no way that her human body would ever be as good as the Saiyajin.

And so the afternoon passed, with Jenny training half-heartedly, always thinking that she would never be able to learn all the things Zoe was trying to teach her. And when all the afternoon training sessions were over, Jenny went back to her room, her head hanging low. Mailin wasn't there – Jenny guessed that she was in the stables with her horse Lyel, who was much better company right now anyway – so she took out her books and exercise books and began to do her homework. It wasn't much and by no means enough to fill the whole evening, but maybe she could turn in early. Jenny was so tired, so tired of everything. Her whole body hurt again and she wanted nothing more than to go to bed and never get up again.

As Jenny was finished with her homework, she looked out of the window. It was already dark, but then again, due to the heavy rain clouds, it had been dark the whole day, so it didn't make much of a difference. A look at the clock told her that dinner had started already, but strangely enough, Jenny didn't feel in the least hungry, even though she hadn't had much for lunch. And her bed looked so inviting…

Without even thinking about it, she grabbed her bag of toiletries and went through the empty hall to the bathroom, where she quickly got ready. Not even five minutes later, Jenny was lying in her bed, but no matter how tired she was, she couldn't fall asleep. However, when the door opened and threw some light into the room, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. It was Mailin, who quietly stepped inside and closed the door again.

"Jenny?" the girl whispered worriedly. "Are you awake?"

Jenny didn't answer, she didn't even react. She just tried to keep her breathes as low and even as possible, as not to arouse suspicion. It seemed to work, as Mailin didn't call her again and instead rummaged through her bag, before leaving the room again. When the door was closed, Jenny was alone again. Still, sleep didn't claim her until late in the night, long after Mailin had returned and fallen asleep herself.

* * *

It was already quite late, when a knock called Li to the door of his home. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Nik standing in front of him, his wet hair hanging down into his eyes. "Good evening, Li," the teenager greeted him. "May I come inside?"

"Hello, Nik," Li replied, as he motioned to the boy to step inside. "What brings you here at… half past eleven? Shouldn't you be in bed?" He led Nik onto the living room and sat down in his armchair, while Nik settled down on the couch. "Can I get you something to drink? Coffee?"

Nik chuckled. "No, thank you… I do want to go to sleep sometime tonight." Running a hand through his hair, messing it up even more than it already was thanks to the rain, Nik sighed and became serious. "I'm here to talk to you about Jenny… I'm sure you've heard already what has happened today?"

Nodding gravely, Li said, "Yes, Shizuka told me this morning. I had hoped that her problems during the morning runs would have slowly disappeared by now."

"I wished," the teenager sighed. "She still has as much trouble as before, if not more… But it's not just that. She's been completely… down… the whole day. It might be the weather that's made her feel like this today, but I noticed lately that she is getting more and more depressed. Her performance in training is suffering a lot and instead of getting better, she's getting worse."

"I see…" Li murmured pensively. He rubbed his wrinkled forehead and leaned back in his armchair. There was a frown on his face, as he stared down at the wooden coffee table.

Nik noticed that his Master was lost in his thoughts and he could understand that. They were all worried about the girl they had come to love so much over the last few weeks. He already regarded her as the little sister he had never had and he would terrible miss her, if one of them left the school. Unfortunately, Nik feared that Jenny would be the one to leave the school soon, if they didn't do anything.

"There's something else," he suddenly said, as the memory of the morning shot through his head. "While we were walking home this morning, Jenny really was in pain. But still, she clenched her teeth and walked on, acting as if her leg didn't hurt. I believe that she didn't want to show this weakness in front of me and she was also pretty annoyed with me at that moment. I think that, with the right motivation, she can do anything. She just has to set her mind to it."

"You're right," Li agreed. "Her problem with fighting is that she doesn't believe that she can do this. You remember what I told you? How she is just used to fighting in what she calls her Saiyajinform? While it is true that her so-called human form is a lot weaker, I still firmly believe that with enough training, she can be one of the best students at this school. She just has to believe in herself."

"But that's the crux of the matter. We need to find a way to convince her, to dissipate her doubts about herself and her abilities. She needs a reason, a motivation." Nik looked up and saw that a determined, but still somewhat grim smile had appeared on Li's face. "What are you planning, Li?"

"I think I know what might motivate her." Upon seeing the look on Nik's face turn from confusion to sudden understanding, Li nodded. "You know that I usually wait a year until I show them, but I think in this case I have to make an exception. I will wait a few more weeks, but if her situation doesn't improve, I'll have no other choice."

"This might be our only chance." Now with a more hopeful smile on his face, Nik got up and yawned. "Well, Li… I think I'm gonna turn in. The alarm clock will again be merciless tomorrow morning."

"That it certainly will be," Li chuckled and accompanied Nik to the door. However, before the teenager left, Li stopped him one more time. "Nik, keep an eye on her, please."

"Of course."

Li watched Nik disappear in the darkness and rain before he closed the door. If Jenny didn't manage to find her footing and motivation on her own, they had only one more chance to keep her at this school and they could only hope that it worked.


	47. Part III: The Dragon Swords

**Part III**

**Chapter 46: The Dragon Swords**

It was October, on the verge of November, and the days were getting colder with each new morning. Still, the weather was surprisingly nice for this time of the year. The sun was shining and there was not a single cloud to be seen at the sky. Still, the wind was getting icy, and because of this, Suki Katayama wrapped the scarf a bit tighter around her neck, in the hope of keeping the cold out. Wrapping her arms tightly around her chest, she cursed again that she had not taken the winter coat with her this morning.

But fortunately she was on her way home from school. It was not a long walk, about twenty minutes on foot, from the school to her apartment, but her bag was heavy with books and classroom tests that wanted to be corrected, and she was freezing. So she was more than glad, when she finally stepped into the warmer air of the apartment complex she was living in. Making a short stop in front of her mailbox, she chose the right key from her key ring and opened the box, taking out the junk mail and some other envelopes.

On her way upstairs to the third floor, she already sorted through the mail and was once again annoyed at the sheer number of advertisements and other junk mail and sighed, when she stumbled over the invoice from her dentist. However, it was the last envelope that caught her attention, just as she stopped in front of her door. The writing on the envelope was slightly familiar, but there was no return address. Curious, Suki Katayama absentmindedly unlocked the door and stepped into her apartment.

The door fell shut behind her and she walked on to the living room, while dropping her bag and taking off her jacket, shoes and scarf, letting those items drop on the floor on the way. Her finger had already slid into the envelope, ready to tear it open, as she sat down on her couch. "Shoot," she muttered, as the paper cut into her skin, when she opened the envelope. She stuck the finger into the mouth and took out the sheets of paper with her other hand, unfolding them at the same time.

The handwriting was still vaguely familiar, but she still couldn't remember whose it was. None of her current pupils were writing like this, of this she was sure. Taking the finger out of her mouth again, she leaned back on the couch and began to read.

_Dear Miss Katayama,_

_I'm not sure you remember me, but I still wanted to tell you what is going on in my life right now. Especially now… Even though we didn't get along well at the beginning, I think it went really well towards the end, but then it was too late. I'm sorry… you probably still don't know who I am, right? I'm Jenny Son. I was once in your class, you know, the problematic kid that didn't want to pray? I had to leave the Western Capital because my grandma died, shortly before Christmas. Almost a year ago… _

Suki Katayama looked up from the letter, clearly surprised. Now that she knew it, she recognized Jenny's handwriting at once. She remembered how often she had to reprimand Jenny for the near-illegibility of her tests and homework. She was happy to see that this had changed somewhat in the past year. Almost one year… Really a lot of time had passed since she had last seen that girl at her grandmother's funeral. Only a few days after she had finally understood _why_ Jenny was so different from the other children her age. And she had never had the chance to make up for how she had treated the girl.

Shaking her head slightly, the young woman turned her attention back to the letter in her hands.

_Well, much has changed since then. Vegeta (you do remember Vegeta, don't you?) _

As if she could ever forget this man!

_and__ I moved into a house near a small village close to the sea and until a few weeks ago spent most of the time just training. Well, and I studied of course. Old habits die hard, I guess. My big brother Gohan made sure of that, before Buu. But then, something unexpected happened. The village was attacked by some bikers and I risked everything Vegeta and I had built up to fight them. I won, of course, but Vegeta wasn't happy with me. But I was lucky. The people in the village were really nice and impressed and not scared at all by my strange powers. And then another man, Li, who had fought by my side against the bikers, approached me and offered me a place at his school. A school for mastering weapons! I accepted, not at once, but I did._

_But when the training started, I noticed that this was probably the worst mistake I could have made. Li wanted me to train in my normal, human form, the one you know from school. And it was terrible. I couldn't do anything in this form. I was weak and clumsy. And even though I made some really good friends – one of them is Li's granddaughter Mailin, she's really the best – I knew that I would leave again eventually. That I would never be good enough for this school._

Suki Katayama lowered the letter a bit and wiped a stray tear from her eye. The letter had begun relatively cheerfully, but it was sad to read that the girl still had problems to fit in, even in an environment she usually would feel at home in. She shook her head in disbelief. Hadn't the girl already gone through enough? Would she ever fit in somewhere?

However, Jenny wrote that she found some good friends and this was at least an improvement from her old school. If her grandmother hadn't died, she might have had the chance to make friends with her classmates after the field trip, but then her life had been turned upside down again.

Still, replaying the last words of that paragraph, Suki Katayama couldn't help but feel pity for Jenny. Feeling that you would never be good enough for something was a terrible feeling. And it was even worse knowing this.

After having let out a deep sigh, the woman returned her attention to the letter in her hand. Her eyes quickly found the last paragraph she had read and continued from there.

_But just a few days ago, something happened. Something that changed everything._

* * *

Another day was finally over. Another day filled with torturous hours training and slowly losing whatever confidence she had left piece by piece. Not much was left and it would only be a matter of days until all of it was gone.

After Jenny had quickly stripped her training clothes, she stepped under the spray of the shower, letting the steaming hot water rain down on her. Closing her eyes, she raised her face into the spray, enjoying the heat. It was slowly getting cold outside, as November was approaching, and while the cold had never bothered her before, at least not when she was training in her Saiyajin form, it was a lot harder to ignore, when she didn't have her ki to keep her warm.

At least she was apparently the first one hitting the showers, so she had some peace. However, just as she thought this, she could hear the murmurs of someone, who had just entered the bathroom. Straining her ears, she tried to find out who it was, but as she couldn't understand anything of what was being said over the loud noise of the running water, she turned her full attention back to her own shower. Still, just as she wanted to reach for the shampoo, shrill laughter reached her ears and she froze, her eyes flying open.

Jenny knew exactly, who had come into the bathroom.

Closing her eyes, Jenny now tried to concentrate on the voices, but still no more than soft murmurs came through to her. She didn't want to shut off the water, as this would betray her and warn them that someone might listen to them. Frowning, Jenny contemplated over what she could do now. Did she really want to hear, what they were saying? Or would it be better not knowing?

However, her curiosity eventually won and, as carefully as possible, Jenny allowed her ki to rise just until her hair and eyes turned black. An elated feeling rushed through her. It had been a couple of weeks since she had been in this form the last time. Everything was so different. For the first time in weeks, she felt strong. The power of the Saiyajin was running through her veins again and her senses had become a lot sharper.

And this was just what she needed.

So, closing her eyes again and tuning out everything else, Jenny began to listen to the conversation. And just as she had suspected, it was Lysann with one of her sheep.

"I can't believe she's still here, that she hasn't run off yet," Lysann whispered conspiratorially and with a sinking feeling in her stomach, Jenny knew immediately whom they were talking about. Once again, Jenny herself was the topic of their gossip. "You should have seen her this afternoon! I mean, I was just walking past their training, _by pure chance_, and she was holding the sword completely wrong and lost it immediately after she was attacked! I've really never seen someone that pathetic. It's really a wonder that Li hasn't kicked her out yet. I heard a rumor that she must be paying him something so that she can stay."

Her sheep made an approving noise and Jenny could imagine quite vividly that that other girl was most likely nodding excitedly, eager for some more gossip. "I've heard about that, too," the girl said. "And I just can't believe how a _cool_ group like Nik's could just accept her like that. If you ask me, I think they're just pretending." Jenny almost gagged, when she noticed the dreamy tone the voice had gotten, when she mentioned Nik. But her fists clenched tightly, when she heard the last part.

"I didn't ask you," Lysann hissed. It was quiet for a moment and all that could be heard was the sound of the running shower. "Well, I for one just can't believe, how someone as cool as Nik can just accept her like that. I think he and the others are just pretending. How could someone like a pathetic weakling like her?"

"Oooh, you're sooo right!" that other girl gushed disgustingly.

If the topic of this conversation weren't slowly breaking her heart and the last few pieces of her self confidence, Jenny would have rolled her eyes in annoyance. But as a matter of fact, this was something Jenny had asked herself more than once. How could people like _them_ like _her?_ Nik, Zoe and all the others, they were so talented, they showed so much promise and were just so incredibly good at what they were doing with their weapons, how could they want to be friends with someone like _her_, who was so terrible at everything?

Bitter tears sprung into her eyes, but they were simply washed away by the water that was already running down her face. They had to be pretending. There was no other way. A sudden suspicion began to gnaw at her. What about Mailin and Damian? Had Li just told them to be nice to her? Were they really her friends? She didn't know anymore. She had never had friends before, so why should suddenly someone like her well enough to want to be friends with her? Was all of this just a farce?

They must be getting so tired of her. Mailin, Nik and the others all tried so hard to cheer her up, but it didn't work. Jenny couldn't remember, when she had laughed, really laughed the last time. She was simply moping around, going through the motions day by day. Her self-doubts had grown so much that she couldn't even muster up enough energy and motivation to make an effort in training anymore. If Jenny were completely honest to herself, she would realize that she had already given up days ago.

There was again laughter, shrill, uncaring, mocking and then the door to the bathroom opened and closed again. Jenny had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't paid attention to the conversation between Lysann and the other girl anymore. And somehow, she was glad of that. Her senses told her that she was now again completely alone in the bathroom. Maybe the others had gone to dinner already.

Wrapping her arms tightly around her chest, as a sudden pain ripped through her chest and a sob escaped her lips, Jenny slowly slid to the ground of the shower cubicle, concealed behind the solid door of the shower. She pressed her face against her knees, as salty tears mixed with the clear and still hot water from the shower and her body trembled with sobs.

Those last few words from that vile girl had broken the damn that had been so close to breaking for all those weeks. All the despair and frustration that had been built up during her training at this school rushed through her. It was all she could feel. And it got even worse, when she slipped out of her Saiyajin form, her senses numbed again and the power left her.

Lysann was right. She was a pathetic weakling. And such a weakling had no place at this school.

How could she have ever thought that she might master a weapon?

How could she have ever believed that she might make friends?

So…

What was she still doing here?

Suddenly, with a clarity that hadn't existed before, Jenny knew what she had to do, saw the path she had to take in front of her. Vegeta would be disappointed in her, but she had to live with that. It couldn't be worse than her life here. Maybe things could finally return to normal. Li and the others most likely couldn't care less about what she planned to do.

There was no other way.

Opening her eyes and raising her head, Jenny suddenly noticed that the water and gotten a lot cooler. She had no idea how long she had sat there like this, curled up under the spray on the cool ground, but she didn't care.

Almost as if in a dream like state, she uncurled from the ball she had crouched in on the ground and rose. The faucet closed with a quiet squeaking sound and the water stopped hitting her. Not even caring to take her shampoo with her, Jenny stepped out of the cubicle and took her towel. Her mind was blank, as she toweled herself and got dressed in clean jeans and a sweatshirt. Her long hair was quickly taken care of by pulling it into a tight bun at the back of her neck. She refused to think of anything that might cause her pain again, instead she allowed a small smile on her lips, as she thought of the relief her decision would bring her.

The halls were still quiet, so dinnertime was not over yet. On her way to her and Mailin's room, she didn't encounter anyone and this suited her just fine. Also, when she opened the door and saw that the room was completely dark, she breathed a sigh of relief. Jenny had no idea what she would do or say, should she meet Mailin or one of the others she had thought of as friends until now. Not wanting to alert anyone to her presence, Jenny quickly closed the door again behind herself, but didn't switch on the light. Instead she allowed her power to rise again in her until she was in her Saiyajinform and could even see the smallest details in the darkness.

Without even hesitating for a second, Jenny went over to her closet and took out her backpack. Inside she still found some capsules which she hadn't used until now and would never use here in this environment. After she had put the bag on her bed, she systematically encapsulated all her belongings and put the capsules into her bag. She worked quietly and effectively, using some of the enhanced speed her Saiyajinform was gifted with, and just ten minutes later, all of her belongings were again safely stored away in her bag.

After having put on her jacket, Jenny slung the bag over her shoulder and immediately went for the door. However, when her hand rested on the doorknob, Jenny couldn't help herself – she looked back over her shoulder one last time. It was hard to admit, but she would miss this room. And even more so the people she had begun to call her friends, even if they didn't feel the same way about her. She knew that, if everything had been different, if things had been easier for her, if she hadn't had those problems, she would have been able to call this room, this whole school, her home.

Unbidden tears sprung into her eyes, but she blinked them away. She straightened her back and held her head high, as she turned the knob and stepped out into the corridor. It was still quiet and a look at her watch told her that the first students would come up from dinner in about ten minutes. This was more than enough time to get out unnoticed.

Her steps were quiet, as she hurried along the corridor, down the stairs and out of the building. Her first instinct would have been to fly off, and this would have proved no problem, as she was still in her Saiyajinform, but when she saw the light in one of the smaller buildings, she felt a twinge of guilt. Li was in his office and she knew that she would regret it, if she just took off without informing him first. No matter what he thought of her, this was the least she could do.

So, going against her earlier instincts, Jenny let go of the power, letting her hair and eyes turn back to their normal, human color, and crossed the yard to Li's house. Until about nine o'clock in the evening, the students could come into his home without ringing the doorbell, as long as they announced their presence before they entered the office. She couldn't hear a sound inside the house, but she was sure that Li was in his office, so this was where she went. Jenny raised her hand, hesitating a moment, before she knocked at the door with a grim look of determination on her face.

A faint 'Come in' could be heard inside a short moment later and Jenny pushed down the handle, opening the door. She quickly stepped inside and closed the door again behind her. Li was sitting at his desk, looking down at some documents, but when he heard the click of the door he looked up. Jenny didn't know, if she had imagined it or not, but she could swear that the older man's eyes had just widened for a split second, before he gazed at her with a calm look in his eyes.

"Jenny," he greeted her amiably. "What can I do for you?"

For a moment, Jenny thought that she couldn't speak. No words would form in her mouth, but after she had swallowed once, she gathered all her courage and said, "I'm leaving. And I'm not coming back. I just wanted you to know that."

"I see…" Li folded his hands thoughtfully. His eyes were still resting on her, but instead of being angry or disappointed, she could only see understanding in them. And somehow this, more than anything, suddenly made her angry. She wanted to say something, but his next words caught her off guard. "I can't say I haven't been expecting it."

"What?" she croaked.

He shook his head softly, lowering his gaze for a moment, as if he were thinking about something important, hoping to come to a decision, before he raised his eyes again and said, "Jenny… I don't think there's anyone who has _not_ seen your troubles. I had thought, no, I had hoped that you would overcome them on your own, or maybe with the help of your friends at this school, but apparently I've been wrong. I'm sorry…"

"What for?" The anger flared up anew. If everyone had seen what she had been going through, then why had no one helped her?

But your friends tried, a small voice in the back of her mind told her. You just wouldn't let them.

Shut up, Jenny told the voice and turned to glare at Li.

"For not talking to you sooner. That you had to come to me and not the other way around. I've been thinking about something for a while now, but I hadn't been completely sure. Not until now. It's your decision of course, and I can't stop you, if you really wish to leave. But, before you go, I have to ask one last favor of you."

Jenny thought about this for a moment, but eventually nodded. "What is it?"

Li smiled, even though it was a sad smile. "I would like you to take a walk with me."

"Okay," Jenny agreed. "But whatever you say, I won't change my mind."

Li didn't say anything, instead he simply rose from his chair, and again Jenny didn't know if her mind was playing tricks on her, as Li subtly nodded, not at her, but at the wall on the far side of the room, which was completely bathed in darkness. She turned her head slightly and blinked a few times, but she couldn't see anything there. "Let's go," Li said, as he walked past her and opened the door.

Almost startled, Jenny averted her gaze from the wall and followed Li outside. The door fell shut behind them, so she never saw Vegeta stepping out of the shadows, with a worried look on his face.

* * *

They were walking across the compound, past the cafeteria and the dormitory and even past the gyms. As a matter of fact, Jenny didn't think that she had ever been in this part of the grounds before, not even during their morning runs. With a frown on her face, Jenny followed Li, as he entered the forest and walked along a path, which he seemed to know really well, even in the darkness.

"Where are we going?" she asked, not being able to entirely disguise the curiosity in her voice.

"You'll see," Li answered mysteriously and winked at her.

Careful as not to stumble over a root or something else on the ground, Jenny walked a step behind him, until they suddenly came to a clearing. Her eyes widened slightly, because, as they stepped closer, she could see something in the pale moonlight. In the middle of the clearing, there was a smaller hut. It was completely dark inside. For a moment, she froze on the spot, but when she noticed that Li was heading directly for the door, she hurried after him.

Jenny watched, as Li pulled out a key of his pocket and unlocked the door, before opening it. He took a step forward and just a split second later, Jenny was greeted by bright light, coming from a lamp hanging at the ceiling. The room they were standing in was sparsely furnished. There was a coat rack at one wall, while a fridge was standing at another wall. And in the middle of the room, there was a wooden table with four chairs. Two doors were leading out of the room and Li nodded at her to come with him into the first room.

"What is this?" Jenny wanted to know, but her questioned was answered, when the lamp in this room also flickered to light and she saw the many different instruments, hammers and other tools of which she didn't know the names, lying around, the anvil standing in the middle of the room and the fireplace at the wall. There was no fire burning, but she could still smell the burned metal in the air. "A smithy?"

Li just nodded, as he explained, "One of my greatest passions, if not my greatest. This workshop was one of the reasons, why I bought the farm so many years ago."

Jenny moved around the room, letting her hand carefully glide over the instruments, as she took in her surroundings in awe. "But I always thought you were a Master of Weapons."

"I am," he chuckled. "When I was even younger than you, my father began to train me in the arts of weapons, but while I loved that art very much, there was something else I loved even more. And this was making things with my hands. There was a blacksmith in the village I grew up in, and I often came to him to watch him work, until he eventually showed me how things were done. As you can probably imagine, my father wasn't too enthusiastic about this, at first at least. But when he saw the things I made and noticed that I wasn't slacking off in my other training, he realized that this hobby of mine might be pretty useful and began to support me fully."

"That was pretty cool of your father," Jenny mumbled, her gaze still wandering around the room.

Li smiled at her, as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, it was. Now, come on, I want to show you something." He gestured into the main room, to the door of the other side of that room. As he began walking towards it, he continued his story, "Years later, when I was about Nik's age, I thought that I had learned everything my father and the blacksmith had to offer and left the village. I had hoped to learn more outside, in the real world. And I was right. I learned a lot of things, gathered a lot of experiences and met many different people."

When he had opened the door to the other room, he let Jenny step inside, before he followed after her. It was dark at first, but after she heard a quiet click, the lamp flared to life and she was momentary blinded, but not by the light from the lamp, but by the light that was reflected from the many things that were displayed in this room – weapons, of all kinds. With wide eyes she could only gape, her mouth hanging open. Before she had come to this school, she had already been impressed by the collection of swords and other weapons in the gym, but this, this was simply breathtaking. Every single weapon was in its own way incredibly beautiful.

"Wow…" she breathed.

She didn't know, what to look at first. It was too hard to decide, if she should first take a closer look at the carved quarterstaffs, the ornately formed Sai or the swords. But suddenly, her gaze was torn towards a slightly darker corner of the room. Whatever there was, she was drawn to it. Jenny absentmindedly let her feet carry her in that direction, until she could see it clearly. And her breath caught. There at the wall were two swords, one long, one short, hanging so close next to each other that it clearly showed that they were a pair. But what had caught her attention were the engravings on the blades.

"Shenlong," she whispered, as her eyes traveled over the longer sword, and then her eyes rested on the shorter one. "And the Dragonballs."

"I was almost twenty, when I came across the legend of seven magical spheres, which would fulfill your every wish." Jenny looked up startled, when Li suddenly stopped next to her. But he was simply gazing at the two swords, his eyes clearly showing affection for those two weapons. "From that moment on, I dedicated the following years to look for them. It had always been my wish to be able to forge every kind of metal, and I had hoped that the spheres would fulfill this wish. It took me four years to find six of those spheres and, in the fifth year, I met an old man who was in the possession of the last sphere."

Reaching up, Li took the longer one of the two swords from the wall and handed it Jenny. The metal felt warm to her skin, comforting somehow, and even though it was almost as long as she was tall, it wasn't too heavy. The engraving of the dragon seemed so real on the blade that Jenny almost expected it to move.

"The old man had the sphere with the four stars and after I told him of my journey and my wish, he agreed to let me borrow the sphere. The man's name was Son Gohan." Jenny managed to tear her eyes away from the sword in her hands and looked at Li in disbelief, however, Li continued his story without reacting to her. "So I called forth the dragon Shenlong and voiced my wish. The dragon said it was an easy one and that he would do it, on one condition. He would give me a block of the hardest metal in the universe and I was to forge a weapon out of this metal. He said that I would meet a great warrior someday and that I was to teach him in the arts of weapons. This warrior should then, when he is finished with his training, receive this weapon. As you can guess, this is one of the reasons, why I opened this school. I promised Shenlong that I would do this and he fulfilled my wishes. It was then that I felt it was time to go home."

"But…" Jenny whispered, still in awe, not just of the weapons, but also of this fantastic story. "You had so many students. How would you—"

"Shenlong said I would know," Li told her mysteriously. "Even though I've been wrong, once. You see, when a student has been at my school for one year, I will show him these weapons and he will choose one. There must be some of Shenlong's magic in all the weapons I forge, because each student is drawn to one of them. And just as Shenlong said, the student will receive this weapon, when his training is finished."

Jenny looked down at the sword in her hands, suddenly feeling her stomach clench in dread. She had felt drawn to this sword and its brother, but her first year wasn't up and she would never end it. How could she feel drawn to these swords, when she wasn't even planning on staying?

"As you see, I'm not getting any younger and a lot of time has already passed, since I made this promise, in return for the wish. So, when Nikanor came to this school, I believed that it was him – I saw so much promise in him that I had thought that I had finally found him. But when it was his turn to choose a weapon, he didn't even look in the direction of the ones I forged on Shelong's wish. He felt drawn to another one. I was disappointed, of course, and was slowly losing hope that the right student would ever come. Until one day, when I fought side by side with a very talented warrior. It hit me like lightning, and I suddenly _knew_ that I had finally found the right person."

"Do I know him?" Jenny asked curiously. She knew so many talented students at this school, it could be anyone! Oh please, she suddenly thought. Don't let it be Lysann!

Li chuckled again and, instead of answering, now also took the shorter sword from the wall. "Jenny, tell me the truth. Do you feel that those two swords are calling to you?" He looked at her, directly into her eyes, and Jenny had to avert her gaze, as she whispered,

"Yes…"

His reaction confused her, as he pressed the hilt of the shorter sword into her free hand. Immediately a pleasant tingle spread out in her palm and she grabbed the hilt tighter. This sword was just the right length for her at this moment and it itched in her fingers to use it. But just after this thought shot through her mind, she felt ashamed. She had no right for this, not anymore.

"So, on the way home, I was dreaming of the weapons for this special warrior and as soon as I got home, I began working on them with the metal Shenlong had provided. Even I was astonished by the results. Two swords, one long, one short. The blade of the long sword measures 34.6 inches, the hilt 7.9 inches. The short sword's blade measures 17 inches and the hilt 6.7 inches. Both of them have engravings – the long one the dragon Shenlong, the short one the spheres, the Dragonballs. I called them the Dragon Swords."

He smiled gently down at Jenny, who was now gingerly holding both swords in her hands, shaking her head in denial, as she already realized what this meant.

"The weapons the dragon asked me to forge, the Dragon Swords, are the two swords you are now holding in your hands, Jenny. _You_ are the warrior, Shenlong prophesized."

"No…" she mumbled and took a step backwards. He had to be wrong! There was no other way! She could never be this warrior he was talking about. She already had one Prophecy ruling her life, she didn't need another one! Dropping the swords, which hit the ground with a clattering sound, she backed away from Li. Her instincts told her to flee. And this is what she most-likely would have done, if she hadn't heard Li speak her name.

"Jenny…"

It was no more than a whisper and yet she could hear it as clearly as if he had spoken normally. Jenny slowly raised her eyes and met his and she found that she couldn't look away again. There was such a determined look in his eyes, he really believed what he was talking about. And this look almost made Jenny believe it herself.

"Li…" she simply replied, also in a whisper. Tears sprung into her eyes, already for the second time that night, but she blinked them away, as she said, trying to make her voice as strong as possible. "I can't… you've seen me. I would never be worthy of them."

Holding her gaze the whole time, Li walked up to her, past the swords, and crouched down on one knee. Even though he was now a bit shorter than her, he put both of his hands on her shoulders. "Of course you'll be. Jenny, listen to me very carefully. You're right, I've seen you. And what I've seen is that ever since your first day here, you've never given everything. You've given up, before you really started. But," he said quickly, when he noticed that Jenny opened her mouth to say something, "I also saw a stubborn side of you. One that didn't want to give up, and I've heard from your friends that they noticed the same. And it is that side of you that will get you through the training, believe me. I still firmly believe that you can do it! You really just have to believe it yourself."

Li looked into her eyes with an intense look on his face. He wanted, no, needed her to understand that. When she simply averted her gaze, he sighed and stood straight again. He ran his hand through his receding hair and looked around the room. A grim smile appeared on his face, as he crossed the room and picked up to wooden training swords.

"Jenny, come outside with me," he ordered.

The expression on her face was a surprised one, but she didn't have time to say anything, as Li had already left the room. Confused, and also growing angry at being ordered around like that, Jenny hurried after him, but the moment she stepped outside, one of the wooden swords was already flying at her. Without thinking, her instincts alerted by this apparent danger, Jenny reached up, easily grabbed the hilt of the sword and got into a fighting stance. And this was just in time, as Li was already attacking her with the other wooden sword. Once again, she let her instincts take over, as she didn't have any time to think, and blocked the blow – the wood vibrated from the hit and her hands stung slightly. She barely had time to recuperate until she had to block another blow and then had to dodge to avoid being hit. First after she had to block Li's fourth strike, he backed away and allowed her to catch her breath. And it was then that she noticed that she was still holding the sword in her hands – she hadn't lost it.

And during this whole exchange, she had not transformed.

Li jumped back and looked at her with a smug look on his face, as Jenny just now realized what had happened. Jenny was stunned, staring down at the wooden sword in her hands, wondering what had just happened. She had just defended herself and she hadn't lost the sword. And apparently, Li hadn't held back, much, according to the slight pain in her palms. When she looked up and saw the look he was regarding her with, she expected a lecture, but instead Li just said,

"Think about what you just did." He shouldered the sword and turned to go. However, before he left the clearing, he added, "Should you decide to stay, come to me before classes tomorrow and we will talk about your new schedule."

Jenny could only stare after him. She had no idea what to say or do. Not only shocked by what Li had said or done, but mostly by her reaction to this. All the anger immediately abated, replaced by a joyful feeling of accomplishment she hadn't felt in a very long time.

She had done it! She had really done it! Without even knowing it, or thinking about it, she had fought in her human form and she hadn't lost the sword. She hadn't hurt herself or even stumbled over her own feet.

But… how? What had been different?

Closing her eyes, Jenny tried to replay the scene in her mind, when it suddenly hit her. Her eyes flashed open.

She had just reacted. Let her instincts take over, instincts that had been honed all her life and were apparently also present in her human form, when needed. Li hadn't been a big enough threat to call forth the Saiyajin, so her instincts took over her human form.

All the other times she had been conscious of an impending attack and had thought about what to do, or rather, that she would not be able to do anything. Had Li been right, when he had said again and again that it was just her own head that was messing around with her and hindering her? Apparently it was, considering what had just happened, when her head hadn't had time to think about this.

Was this the secret? Could she do it again?

Jenny closed her eyes again and held the sword at arm length away from her body. Don't think, she told herself. Slowly she eased into one of the first poses of the kata Nik had tried to teach her a few days ago. This was easy enough. But as soon as she tried to make the second move, she began to think again and all her doubts resurfaced, and of course, everything went wrong. She lost her balance and landed on her behind.

"Ouch," she muttered, but still couldn't keep the small grin off her face. Maybe, maybe if she could figure out only to rely on her instincts, this might work out. And maybe, with enough successes, she might be able to feel more confident about this and lose all the doubts, so that she could even fight while thinking.

As Jenny got up again, she looked over her shoulder and saw that the door to the workshop was still standing open. Li was gone, however, and after she had pondered for a moment about what she should do, Jenny went inside. First she laid the wooden sword down on the table and then she extinguished the light in the first room, the real workshop. Then she walked into the armory as she had dubbed the room and stopped in front of the two beautiful and amazing swords that were lying on the ground in front of her.

Kneeling down, Jenny carefully reached out with her right hand and again her fingertips almost tingled, when they touched the blade of the long sword. Her fingers glided along the blunt and flat side of the swords, following the engraving of the magical dragon, until she grabbed the leathern hilt. The fingers of her left hand curled and tightened around the hilt of the shorter sword and she lifted both up, as she rose again from her kneeling position.

Jenny gazed down at them in wonder. Despite the slight awkwardness of the swords still being too long for her, they already felt like extensions of her arms. There was enough space in the room, so Jenny gave first the long and then the short sword a good swing. "Wow…" Jenny could only mumble, once she held both of them again in front of her. The feeling was almost mind-blowing, as they cut through the air, singing as they did.

So it was with some reluctance that Jenny climbed on a small ladder she had found in the room and put the swords back at their place. A look of pure determination crossed her face, as she looked at them once last time before she left the hut.

She would show them, all of them. When she had finished her education at this school, the Dragon Swords would be hers.

Jenny didn't look back again, as she switched off the light and left the hut, closing the door behind her.

The trek through the woods seemed shorter than on the way to the hut, but maybe it was just because Jenny was so deep in thoughts that she hadn't noticed that she was back in the yard until she was standing in front of the dormitory.

On the way back Jenny had decided that she needed help, but she was still unsure of who to ask. There were still some nagging doubts left from what she'd overheard in the bathroom and Jenny wasn't sure if she could and should bother Nik and the others with this. She didn't want to be a burden, but otherwise she knew that she needed help. And they were the only ones that could help her.

"Jenny!" a relieved voice suddenly yelled behind her.

Jenny turned around startled and saw Damian rolling towards her in his wheelchair. He looked a bit windswept and was a bit out of breath. "Damian! What are you doing here?"

He tilted his head to his side, as he stopped his wheelchair in front of her. "Looking for you of course! Everyone's sick with worry about you! When Mailin came to your room and saw that all your stuff was gone, she immediately told Nik and the others and we went looking for you at once! But we had to stop looking, because grandpa saw us and told us to return to our rooms, but I didn't want to stop looking and… Where the hell have you been?"

Jenny felt a small blush creep on her face and she lowered her gaze, unconsciously hoisting the bag higher on her shoulder. This caught Damian's attention of course and the boy's eyes narrowed.

"So it's true… you wanted to leave. Without telling any of us."

Sighing, Jenny admitted, "Yes…"

"Well then," he snarled and she could hear the hurt in his voice. "Why aren't you on your way?"

Jenny took a step back, as if she had been hit. But she knew that she had deserved this. Still, there was something wrong with the situation - if Damian wasn't her friend, why was he so angry and… upset?

"Why do you care?" she suddenly found herself asking.

Damian ran a hand through his hair, as he let out a frustrated growl. "You really gotta be stupid, if you still don't know. We are worried about you, as friends usually are, when one of them is about to do something really stupid."

She didn't know what to say, as his words hit home. _Friends._ And she immediately felt incredibly stupid, as reality crashed down on her. How could she have ever believed what Lysann had said? This girl was known throughout school for the terrible things she said and thought.

Jenny really was stupid.

"I'm sorry…" she only mumbled, completely embarrassed. "You're right… I was— No, I am stupid. But… Li talked to me… and he made me realize that… that I should give it another chance…"

"So you're staying?" Damian's eyes lit up hopefully, as he heard her say this, and if Jenny had still been in doubt about their friendship, she wouldn't be anymore.

"Yes." And as she said this, her determination only strengthened. She had her friends here at this school and now also a new motivation.

This place could be home, after all.

"Damian," she suddenly said and slid the bag from her shoulder. "Could you please take this back to my room? There's something I need to do before I go to bed."

The boy looked confused, but held out his hands. "Okay…" Smiling gratefully, Jenny handed him the bag.

"Thanks… and you can tell Mailin that she can unpack, if she wants to." Jenny winked at him. "Well then, I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast. I gotta go now!"

Without another word, Jenny turned around and ran into the entrance hall, up the stairs and along the corridor until she was standing in front of a dark door. Inhaling deeply to catch her breath, Jenny knocked at the door and entered, when she heard the 'Come in'. But she was surprised, when her eyes wandered around the room. Instead of just finding the two girls, she was also looking at the boy she wanted to talk to anyway. "Hey Zoe, Anisah, Nik…" she mumbled shyly. "I'm back."

"Jenny," Nik exhaled, as he immediately got up from Anisah's bed and hugged her tightly. "Don't scare us like that ever again, you hear me?

"Yeah, or we'll have to hunt you down and bring you back with force," Zoe grinned and Anisah nodded with a smirk on her face.

"And this is a threat," she added.

Jenny beamed at them, sincerely happy to hear that they obviously really cared about her. "I know. And to prevent that from happening, I need your help. Do you girls have some scissors?"

The girls and Nik looked at her blankly. "Yes, but what do you need them for?" Anisah asked.

Simply grinning, Jenny pulled the rubber band out of her hair, letting the long hair fall down her back. The grin only grew wider, when she saw the shocked looks on the girls' faces, while Nik just looked confused. "Let's just say, I need a new look. And while we are doing this, Nik and I need to talk about my further training."

* * *

Suki Katayama absentmindedly wiped the tears from her eyes, as she finished that paragraph of the letter and turned the page. On that last page, there was just one paragraph left.

_I think it will take some time to get used to that new look, but I think it will help me. I needed to change and this was the first step. And besides, my brother Gohan once told his girlfriend that long hair would only get in the way, when you fight. Mailin was shocked, when she saw this, when I finally returned to our room it was already past midnight (I talked to Nik, Anisah and Zoe for a long time about my training, and they all agreed to help me as much as they can.), but still the first thing she did when she saw me was hugging me tightly and telling me that I should never scare her like this again (I know, Nik basically said the same thing). I promised I wouldn't. When she finally let go and I looked around, I saw that she had already unpacked all my stuff and that the room looked as if I had never left. We also talked for some more time, even though we both had to get up early this morning (and I have to admit, I'm dead tired, BUT I survived the morning run!!). But we didn't care. I told her about what I've overheard in the shower and she scolded me for being so gullible. It was good to talk about this and we've become even closer now._

_Well I've gotta go now. Mailin's just come out of the shower and breakfast is starting. And I'm starving!_

_So, I hope to hear from you!_

_Yours_

_Jenny_

_PS: I almost forgot. The weekend after next our families and friends outside of the school are allowed to visit us. I'd be happy to see you there! (I think that Vegeta will finally come, too!)_

Her tears had cried during that last paragraph and immediately after reading the postscript, Suki Katayama decided that maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit her old student.


	48. Part III: With a little Help from my

**Part III**

**Chapter 47: With a little help from my Friends**

"Jenny, you coming?" Mailin asked, after she had dropped her toiletry bag and towel, along with her pajamas, on her bed.

Jenny quickly folded the letter she had been writing while Mailin had been in the bathroom and put it into the envelope and sealed it. "One sec!" she said quickly, as she opened her address book, took her pen again and hurriedly copied Suki Katayama's address onto the envelope. She didn't even bother with a return address, as she put the pen back on the desk, and rose from the chair. Grabbing the envelope with the letter, Jenny turned to her friend with a bright grin on her face. "Now we can go!"

"Then let's hurry!" Mailin demanded. "We're late already and I'm starving!"

Laughing, Jenny allowed her friend to take her hand and let herself be pulled along. Somehow, it felt a bit weird to laugh, almost as if the muscles on her face weren't used to this kind of exercise anymore. And in a way, Jenny reflected, they weren't. In fact, Jenny didn't think she could remember the last time she had laughed, really, truly laughed. It felt like an eternity had passed since then, a very dark eternity.

But this time was over now. Ever since the previous night, when Li had shown her the Dragon Swords and proved to her that she was really able to fight in her Human form, Jenny felt the new hope that elated her. That her friends were still standing by her side, more than willing to help her, was making her even happier than she had already been. It really was a new beginning for her and she had already taken the first step.

Her hair, which had grown down to her waist, was now cropped so short that she might pass for a boy. It had been a mess this morning, but after she had borrowed some hair gel from Nik, she had managed a passable style. And Jenny had to admit, she liked the short hairdo, and this not only because it was so incredibly practical or because it was the first step towards a new and improved Jenny. No, Jenny also liked it, because she thought it looked good on her – very different, but good.

The bright smile was still on Jenny's face, as she and Mailin stepped into the cafeteria. At the entrance, Jenny put the letter into the box for the outgoing mail, and then she and Mailin walked through the throng of students towards their table. Many heads turned, as they saw Jenny, having to look twice before they actually recognized her, seeing as she hadn't been to the first breakfast and it had still been dark during their run, but Jenny just kept smiling – on the outside; on the inside she was smirking and this smirk only got wider, when a few girls suddenly blocked their path – Lysann and her sheep.

"Hey loser!" Lysann taunted her, or rather tried to. "Do you really think that short hair will help you to fight better?"

The older girl obviously expected Jenny to either break down in tears or to become incredibly angry. However, none of this happened, as Jenny simply crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the other girl coolly, with a mocking half smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth, which would have made Vegeta proud, had he seen her.

"Lysann, sheep," she acknowledged them. "As much as I'd like to listen to your incessant and senseless chatter, my stomach demands food and you're standing in the way. So, if you excuse us…"

Wordlessly, her mouth opening and closing very similar to a fish's mouth, Lysann let Jenny and Mailin brush past her. They had been standing close to the table Jenny had been heading to, and Nik's group seemed to have heard every single word, as they were howling in laughter. Her face growing terribly red by anger and embarrassment, Lysann turned on her heels with a huff and left the cafeteria. Her sheep exchanged a quick and confused glance, before following her.

"That was brilliant!" Damian snorted, as Jenny and Mailin sat down next to him at their table. "And I gotta say: I like the hair. Almost didn't recognize you."

"Just as every other student in this hall," Zoe grinned.

"That was the plan," Jenny told Damian, also grinning.

"What?" Selvyn asked, while Ejnar was still holding his sides, doubled over with laughter. "That your humiliation of Lysann was brilliant or that we almost hadn't recognized you this morning?"

Winking at him, Jenny just said, "Both."

This brought another round of laughter to the table, but suddenly Jenny felt an arm around her shoulder and looked up to see Nik smiling down at her. Leaning closer, he whispered into her ear, "Well, I for one am glad to see that new confidence in you. It was about time that you stood up to her and she had it coming for a very long time. I'm proud of you."

Jenny felt her face heat up and lowered her gaze a bit, as she muttered "Thanks" with a shy smile on her face.

"You're welcome, but I'm only telling the truth," he grinned. "Now, dig in. We have an appointment with Li after breakfast, if you've already forgotten."

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "We?"

"Yup." Nik winked. "I'm the leader of this group, after all. So I'm part of all decisions that are made concerning my protégées. But Anisah and Zoe will come, too."

"Why?"

"Oh, you'll see," Nik said mysteriously, before he grabbed another piece of toast and didn't say more.

Jenny looked at him for a moment longer, hoping that he might tell her more about that meeting, but in the end, she just gave up with a sigh and helped herself to some cereals. She hadn't eaten since lunch the day before and was starving.

~*~

Anisah and Zoe were talking to her about one thing or another, as they were walking over the grounds to Li's house with Nik after breakfast. However, Jenny could only smile politely, as a huge lump formed in her throat. A light sheen of sweat had appeared on her forehead and in the palms of her hands, even though it was nearly freezing cold outside. Nervously biting her lower lip, Jenny wondered, how Li would welcome her after the previous night. Would he be angry? And what had he planned for her? What were Anisah's and Zoe's parts in this? There were so many questions running through her mind, but she didn't have any answers, and if she were completely honest with herself, Jenny would admit just how scared she was.

"Everything will be alright, trust me."

Jenny looked up at Nik, who was giving her a warm and comforting smile. He squeezed her shoulder, his eyes twinkling somewhat mischievously. Jenny didn't know what to think about it, but if Nik was looking so relaxed, this meeting wouldn't be that bad, would it? Or maybe he was just a really good actor.

Before she knew it, they were standing in front of Li's house and Nik walked through the door. Zoe gave Jenny a gentle push and Jenny swallowed hard, as she followed him. But much to her surprise, they weren't going to Li's office, but to the living room. Inside, Li was already sitting on his armchair, however, he wasn't alone. Lari was there, too, on another armchair. The wide couch was still free, so this was where they sat down, all four next to each other, with Jenny sandwiched between Nik and Anisah.

Her friends greeted Li and Lari with smiles on their faces, but Jenny only managed to mumble a quiet "Hi", with her head bowed in shame. While she knew that she hadn't behaved particularly badly the previous night, she was still incredibly embarrassed by how she had acted during her whole stay at this school until now. Moping, complaining, not at all appreciating what she had at this place. She had been a bad student and a bad friend.

But all of this was going to change now. And with this thought in her mind, Jenny finally found the courage to look up and meet Li's gaze. He had a comforting smile on his face, his whole posture emanating a calm and yet serious aura.

"I'm glad to see that you're still here, Jenny," Li finally said, and then added with a grin, "Even though I almost didn't recognize the girl that had come to this school a few weeks ago this morning. I like it."

Jenny had to fight a light blush that threatened to appear on her cheeks and it took everything she had to look into his eyes and say, "That girl doesn't exist anymore."

"Oh, you're wrong," Li told her. "I still see her, but she has improved. She has finally found the much needed confidence that she had been lacking the whole time and it suits her. You've made the right decision, Jenny, to stay here. You can do it, if you apply yourself, but I think you've finally understood this as well, haven't you?"

"Yes," she admitted. "And I swear that I will give everything I can. I want to be the warrior you see in the future."

"Great!" he exclaimed in delight. "But Nik told me that you've also realized that you can't do this alone, and that's why we're all here. Lari is here, because she's your teacher, Nik because he's your group's leader and Anisah and Zoe, well, you'll see." Li winked at her and Jenny had this feeling that they were all in on something she had no idea of. "We all want to help you."

"Thank you," Jenny mumbled, again embarrassed. It still wasn't easy for her to ask for help and accept it, although she knew that she needed it. She had been nearly independent for so long, having only Vegeta to rely on and he had allowed her to make most of her decisions on her own, even though she was, technically speaking, still a child with ten, almost eleven years.

Jenny saw that Li was exchanging a quick glance with her friends and her teacher, before he started talking again. "After last night, I've been thinking and I've talked to Lari last night and your friends this morning, to decide what we should do now. I had a general idea and they all agreed. First of all, Lari assured me that you could miss a few classes, especially mathematics, and still be able to pass all the tests in those classes. But I still wanted to hear your own opinion on this. What do you think? Can you pass the tests without attending the classes?"

"Wait, Jenny," Lari suddenly interjected. "Before you answer, I'd like you to really think about it. What I've told Li is the truth. You excel in some classes, like math as my father has already said, and are far ahead of the other children around your age, so it technically shouldn't be a problem, if you missed them for a few months. But I'd still need you to hand in all the homework of those classes, otherwise I'll only have the tests and they are really not enough to give you a grade. I need to see that my students apply themselves at a regular basis to grade them. I hope you understand what I mean. It will still be a lot work. You can't just neglect your schoolwork and I will be strict, if you don't hand in your homework. So, think about it before you answer my father's question."

Jenny nodded, indicating that she had understood Lari, and she really had. Jenny knew where her teacher was coming from. But actually she wasn't too worried about her grades in those classes. Lari was right, after all. Jenny was years ahead of her classmates and doing her homework and passing the tests shouldn't pose too much of a problem. Shrugging after a moment, Jenny eventually replied, still sounding a bit confused as to why Li had even asked this question, "I s'pose I can do this… Why?"

"Because," Li elaborated and Jenny could hear the relief in his voice, "you will use those extra few hours to train with Nik. I've cleared this with him and Lari and Nik's also far enough ahead in his classes to assist you."

"But," the girl interjected, looking from Li to Nik and back. "What about his finals? Nik, you're graduating next term. You can't miss any classes!"

"Worried about me, squirt?" Nik teased, ruffling her short hair. Jenny scowled at him, but he was still smiling. "You really don't need to. I don't care about my grades very much, especially as I already know what I'll be doing after school."

"Really? What is it?"

"I'll stay here," Nik told her grinning. "Just this morning, Li offered me a job."

"But… that's fantastic! Congrats, Nik! I know this is exactly what you've wanted!"

"It is, isn't it? So you see, no need to worry at all. I'll be alright. Right now, it's important to get you up to par with the other students and I'd like to do nothing more than this. Besides, consider this just as some sort of training for me, because sooner or later, Li will let me loose on the other kids at this school."

"Okay," Jenny eventually agreed, if somewhat reluctantly. "So, extra training in the mornings, when I'm not in my other classes, which I can't miss. But I still don't know what Anisah and Zoe are here for. Are they going to help train me like Nik. I mean, I don't want them to miss important classes, too."

"Oh Jenny," Anisah slung an arm around the younger girl's shoulder. "You're really too good, do you know that? But no, Zoe and I, we're not going to miss any classes, because we want to help you. It's our job to train with you after lunch and in the evenings. But not how you might think."

"I really don't understand." Jenny shook her head. "If you don't want to train my fighting skills or my skills with my weapons, because that's what I was thinking of, how do you want to train me?"

"Jenny," this time it was Li who spoke again, "Nik already said what we all know. We have to get you up to par with the other students, and to do that we have to work not only on your skills with the weapons or endurance. What Anisah and Zoe are going to help you with is to improve your strength, speed and agility. In a fun way."

"Fun way?" Jenny repeated stupidly, looking at the two older girls, who wore identical grins.

"Yup," the dark skinned girl grinned even wider, as she rubbed her hands excitedly. "Ever played volleyball?"

"Volleyball?"

"And what about gymnastics?" Zoe interjected, not at all answering Jenny's question.

"Girls!" Nik laughed, when he saw the stumped look on Jenny's face. "You're only confusing her!"

Li chuckled quietly and Jenny turned towards him, still absolutely puzzled, hoping that he might explain just what exactly her friends were talking about. Volleyball and gymnastics? She had been forced to do a bit of both while she had been going to school in the Western Capital, but she had been terrible at both, even though volleyball might have been fun, if she'd had the skill and time to learn how to play. Back then she hadn't believed that she would ever be good at those kinds of sports, but now, after the previous night, Jenny realized that she might have been wrong. But this still didn't answer her question, just why exactly Anisah and Zoe were asking her this.

"Li?" she almost begged, as he didn't react at all to her pleading looks. "An explanation please?"

"Strength and speed," he told her grinning, "are very important abilities a good volleyball player should have, next to the actual ability to know how to play at all. As you might know, we have different clubs here at school, among others a volleyball team, which trains every day after lunch for two hours. Anisah is the captain of the girl's team. Agility however, while a small part of volleyball, is a huge part of gymnastics. This is another club here at school and Zoe is a member of this club. I'd like you to become a member of both clubs, at least temporary, so that you can train those things in a way that's not too monotone or boring. So, what do you think?"

Jenny could only stare at them, as Li's words went through her head. And she had to admit – it made sense. Sure, she could do some boring training routines to build up all the things, like strength, speed and agility, that she was still lacking, but this was just… well… boring. However, this was just something Li could come up with, and he was right. Jenny knew that, despite her new confidence and ambitions, she needed as much motivation as she might get to pull this through, to become a great warrior. And this, Jenny realized, allowing her to do other sports than martial arts, might just be what she needed to be motivated – even though she still couldn't quite imagine herself doing either of the two things. Then again, just one day ago, Jenny might have never thought that she'd be able to fight in her normal, human form.

Feeling all eyes upon her, Jenny finally allowed a small grin on her face, as she nodded. "I'll do it."

The two older girls both squealed in delight, as they both grabbed Jenny and pulled her into a hug. The grin on Jenny's face grew bigger and bigger, as the joy radiated from her two friends. Somehow, feeling their enthusiasm and happiness about her decision, Jenny thought that she might actually make it with this new method. She might not stick to both sports forever, just until she was up to par with the other students, but maybe, maybe she would like one of them so much that she'd continue with it.

Laughing along with her friends, Jenny wheezed, "But I can't promise that I'll be good at them or that I'll like them."

"Oh, don't worry," Anisah promised her with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You'll be good, we'll make sure of that. And we'll also make you like them."

~*~

Nik was grinning, as he was walking next to Jenny after the meeting with Li. They had just said goodbye to Anisah and Zoe, who had to go to class, and after they had both changed into their training clothes, they were now on their way to the gym. He hadn't lied to her that morning, when he had said that he was proud of her. He truly was. When he had talked to Jenny last night, and especially this morning, he almost hadn't recognized the quiet and depressed girl that he had gotten to know over the past few weeks. In the course of one night, the sad and insecure girl had grown into a confident and cheerful one – and Nik believed that this was finally the real Jenny. And he liked her even more, if it was possible. Just this morning she had shown a side of her that he hadn't seen yet, a sarcastic side, ready for confrontations. Nik believed that he would never forget the flabbergasted look on Lysann's face, after Jenny, the older girl's number one victim of the past few weeks, had brushed her off like an annoying fly. Oh yeah, he could certainly get used to this new and improved Jenny.

"So… what are we going to do now?" the blond girl at his side asked. Nik simply kept grinning and had to resist the urge to mess up her short hair. Jenny was still a bit nervous, but that was to be expected. While she had agreed to this additional training, she still had no real idea about what he was going to do with her, or should he better say, 'do to her'?

They had reached the gym by now and Nik led her to a room which Jenny hadn't used much until now. Actually only once or twice had she been in there. "I've thought of something and I want to see how it'll turn out," Nik told her, as he opened the door. The big room was empty except for two other, older students, who had obviously a free period. "Seeing as we'll meet every day, I thought that we might alternate your training a bit, to make it more interesting. Every second day we'll go to this room, the weight room, to build up your muscles on a more direct way than either volleyball or gymnastics could do. And then, on the other days, we'll go into weapon training. So, what do you think about this?"

Jenny shrugged. Nik guessed that she was still floored by the whole concept of others helping her and that she felt guilty for him missing classes. But Nik had also told her the truth back then – he had a safe job at this school, once he was finished, and he had never cared much about grades anyway. Things usually just came naturally for him, and if they didn't, it didn't matter to him. As long as he was fighting and teaching other students, he was happy, and this was just what he wanted to do with his life. And he was extremely grateful that Li had offered him the job.

"Well," Nik eventually exclaimed, rubbing his hands excitedly, as Jenny didn't answer. "I, for one, think that my idea is great."

"Okay!" Jenny now laughed. "This idea is really great. And now let's get on with this great idea of yours, oh my great master!"

And get on with his idea they did. Grabbing Jenny's hand, Nik pulled her along and first explained to her how each of the different machines should be used, which muscles they trained and so on. While they were doing this, Jenny also tried her hand at each machine and Nik noted on a piece of paper how heavy the weights that Jenny used were. He would watch her closely in the future and then, when they both noticed that the weights were getting too light for her, they would add more weights to them. He thought that she needed to train as many parts of her body as possible – her legs, her arms, her back, her chest and not to forget her stomach, so it took some time until they finished their round.

The periods that Jenny could miss were almost over by the time they had finished, so they hurried back to the dorms to get cleaned up and get dressed in normal clothes, so that Jenny would be on time for her history lesson (one that she could do without in her opinion, seeing as she wasn't interested in history at all, but one that Lari wouldn't let her miss, unfortunately).

Fortunately for Jenny, Lari decided to turn a blind eye towards her, Mailin and Damian in class, seeing as the young girl's two friends bombarded her with never ending questions, as soon as they laid their eyes on her. Those questions didn't even stop when class began. Jenny was glad that they were sitting in the back, as they continued their hushed conversation, or rather as she was answering all the questions her friends had, or at least tried to, as she didn't know all the answers herself. Jenny had, after all, only trained with Nik so far and still had no idea, how her training with Anisah and Zoe would work out.

Actually, Jenny was still a bit worried about this. When she had played volleyball at school, she had usually made a fool of herself, getting either hit by the ball before she could take it, passing it to the wrong person, if she managed to take it, or stumbling over her own feet. And gymnastics hadn't been much better. Jenny had simply been too stiff, not being able to bend her limbs as she was supposed to. To sum it up – it would have been better, if Jenny had stayed away from those classes, to avoid injuries both to her and her classmates.

But now, Jenny had no other choice, and in some way, she was also looking forward to it. At least she was sure that Anisah and Zoe wouldn't laugh at her, if she messed up.

All too soon, classes ended for that day, and after a quick lunch (during which she was grilled by Ejnar and Sel, who hadn't been in on the plan), Anisah swept Jenny away to the gym where the volleyball training would take place. Once in the locker room, Jenny was handed a pair of shorts, shoes and a shirt, all of green color with grey stripes, and Anisah explained to her that this was their team's outfit. All girls (and the boys on the boys' team) were wearing this jersey. With this explanation, Jenny was ushered to one of the lockers and was told to get changed. Much to Jenny's surprise, the jersey was a nearly perfect fit, and Anisah thought so, too.

"It looks great on you," she told Jenny, winking at her. "It would be a shame, if you decided to stop playing."

Jenny rolled her eyes playfully, as she tied the shoelace of her right sports shoe. "I've already told you that I'm not sure if I'm good enough for this."

"But you also promised that you'd do your best, and I won't be satisfied with less. And neither will Zoe."

"I kno-ow!" Jenny whined, as she straightened up, but she was still grinning widely.

"So, stop complaining and come with me. The others should be here soon and I need your help to set up the field."

The gym was empty, and Anisah led Jenny to one of the storage rooms. The dark haired girl explained to Jenny, what they needed for setting up the field, and together they began to work. Jenny was just tying the net to one of the tall poles, when a group of other girls, all of them at least a year older than Jenny, appeared in the hall. Much to her surprise, they all greeted Jenny amiably, welcoming her to the team. Jenny knew all of them by sight, but hadn't exchanged much more than polite greetings and a few words with them. Actually, now that Jenny thought of it, she didn't really know any of the other students at this school, except for Mailin, Damian and the ones in Nik's group. Vowing to do better in the future, Jenny joined the group and listened to Anisah, who was carrying a white volleyball under her arm, explain what they were going to do today.

It turned out that the others would be trained by Anisah's co-captain, a black haired girl called Myra, who wore her dark hair in a ponytail, while Anisah would teach Jenny the basics until she was good enough to join in team practice. Immediately after hearing this, the guilt once again began to gnaw at Jenny. Anisah was neglecting the rest of her team just to help her. Somehow, this wasn't right.

"Wipe that look off your face, Jenny!" Anisah ordered. They were alone now, seeing as the others had all begun to run around the gym, getting warmed up. "I know what you're thinking, and I'm not just doing it for you. I've done this for every girl that wanted to play, because what good is a player, who doesn't even know the basics? And now, come on. A few laps around the gym and then we're getting started. When we're finished today, I want you to be able to do a decent forearm pass. The rest you'll learn throughout the rest of the week, and by next Monday, I want you to join team practice."

"Aye, captain!" Jenny saluted, even though she had to swallow hard. She really wasn't sure, if she could do it, but she would try really hard. She owed it to Anisah.

When the training was over two hours later, Jenny's forearms were red, about to turn blue, and hurting like hell. Anisah had promised her that she would get used to this and left it at that. So, trying to ignore the pain as much as possible, Jenny took off the jersey and put on her other training clothes instead. However, Jenny had to admit that volleyball practice, despite having been incredibly hard on her arms, had been a lot of fun. The girl's were all very nice and as far as Jenny could see, they were a pretty good team.

The afternoon training passed quickly, and Zoe told her afterwards that she was astounded by how much she had improved in just one training session, and then added with a grin that she had known from the very beginning that Jenny could do it, once she had set her mind on it.

Before dinner, Jenny spent about half an hour on her homework and then, after dinner, she was once again on her way to the gym, this time with Zoe. However, instead of supervising Jenny's training of the basics herself, like Anisah had done, Zoe left this to a tall girl with short brown hair. Jenny had already met her a few times before and had always admired the tall girl's agility. Ria, that was the girl's name, was very patient and helped her, whenever she needed it. Almost with every exercise, which at first mostly consisted of stretching, Jenny's muscles protested, and once the training was over, Jenny was more than glad to return to her room. She remembered with horror the pile of homework that still needed to be done, but she gritted her teeth, knowing that she had agreed to this, accepted that it would be hard work, and she didn't want to disappoint any of those that wanted to help her.

Her shower was hot and short, but enough to soothe her aching muscles for the time being. Jenny was really tired, still lacking sleep from the previous night, but she did her homework as thoroughly as possible, along with Mailin, who had been so nice to wait for her, and after she had gotten ready for sleep, she collapsed onto her bed. Jenny was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, but contrary to all the other exhausted nights before, Jenny had a smile on her face this time.

"Mai?" she whispered to the other girl, who was lying in the other bed, still reading a novel.

"Yeah?" Mailin asked, looking over to her half-asleep friend.

"Thanks…"

Mailin smiled. "You're welcome."


	49. Part III: Saturday Night Dinner

**AN: Hey there! It really took me a long time (a very long time) to get this out, but this is finally a new chapter! The chapter's pretty long (around 7.000 words), and it could have been a lot longer, but then I decided to split it, just so that you won't have to wait any longer. Actually, when I wrote this chapter, it suddenly went into a whole new direction – a small scene I had planned to include suddenly just turned into the whole chapter… Oops… However, I think I can manage to begin writing the next chapter (which actually should have already been in this chapter) tonight. And I hope it won't take too long to finish it. But at the moment I'm also writing on my MA Thesis (Why is the spoken Danish so difficult to understand?) and so I have even less time to write than before. Sigh. **

**As to my other stories… I promise I WILL finish ALL of them. It might just take a bit longer. I just hope that I can finish them before a new plot bunny desperately wants to get out and on paper (I already have a rough outline for a fifth part of the TLW Saga in my head, and I haven't even finished the fourth part). **

**But now I really don't want to keep you waiting any longer! I hope you'll like it! :)**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 48: Saturday Night Dinner**

"Ow!"

Jenny gritted her teeth, as she stumbled a step backwards. She was breathing hard, the warm air that was escaping her lips appearing as cloudy puffs. It was cold outside, damn cold in her opinion, but despite this her face was flushed with heat and drops of sweat kept running down her cheeks and her back. Still, she knew that the cold wouldn't really touch her as long as she kept moving. And keep moving she did, as she had to parry yet another blow from Nik's wooden sword.

Her hands gripping the handle of her own wooden sword vibrated, when the blades connected. The blisters in her palms, which had healed so nicely, returned with a vengeance and even brought some friends along for the ride. Even though every sensible person would as soon as the temperature went below zero outside, she wasn't wearing any gloves. Jenny had tried, but quickly found out that they only hindered her. There was a huge difference between holding the sword with your bare hands and having a piece of fabric separate the skin from the leather and Jenny liked the direct contact with her weapon much better.

Directly after having deflected another attack, Jenny took up the offensive and struck hard, once, twice, three times in a row. She even managed to drive Nik a step back, which brought a small grin to her face. He blocked her hits, of course, but he didn't manage to wrench the blade from her this time, though there was no lack of trying on his part. This made the grin on her face grow even wider.

Just two weeks ago she had been absolutely hopeless, but now, just after a few days of intense training, she managed to hold her own. Nik didn't go full out during their training sessions, mind you, but he had never done this, so it was a huge improvement.

"That was good," Nik complimented her, as he lowered his sword and took a step back.

Jenny did the same, still grinning, but also somehow glad that this training session was over now. They had been at it almost the whole morning, her palms were burning like fire and she was already starving again. But before she could get something to eat, she still needed to sit through two hours of school. Maybe, on the way to the classrooms, she would make a short detour to the kitchen and swipe some leftovers from breakfast.

"We'll stop for now. It's almost time to go to class anyway, I think." Nik walked over to the rock, where he had safely stored his backpack and took his watch out of one of the front pockets. "Actually," he grinned, "we better hurry. It's later than I thought."

A slightly panicky looked crossed Jenny's face, and at the same time her stomach grumbled loudly in protest. If her face weren't already red from the exertion, the blush of embarrassment would have been clearly visible on her face. However, Nik only shook his head in amusement, though she could clearly see the beginnings of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Just give me your sword," he told Jenny with a knowing look in his eyes. "I'll put them away. You go freshen up and then get something to eat. I don't want you to starve to death."

"Thanks!" Jenny breathed in relief and immediately ran up to him to hand him the sword. She hadn't, however, counted on Nik's observatory skills, because as soon as Nik held her wooden sword in his hands, she felt his strong grip around her right wrist. "What is it? Let go."

Nik shook his head. "Show me your hands." Jenny swallowed hard and reached out her hands with their palms facing downwards. But Nik simply turned her hands and scowled, as he saw the bloody blisters all over her palms. "You should have told me, then we would have stopped before it got this bad."

"But it was okay, really… It didn't even hurt that much."

"Training shouldn't hurt at all," he objected. "At least not like this."

"But—"

"No buts, Jenny. This is serious. I know that you're used to a different kind of training, that this is how Saiyajins train, but right now, we're not training the Saiyajin part of you. We're training the human part, and that's why you have to follow the human training routine. And this means avoiding pain and injuries whenever possible."

Jenny lowered her head in shame. "But I was getting so good."

"Hey…" He let go off her hands and put one finger under her chin, gently raising it until she was again looking at him. "Yes, you are getting good. Your improvements are amazing, really. But it's not good to do it this way. To fight with the weapons, you need your hands, but hands that look like yours now are of no use. As long as they're hurt like this, you won't make any progress, because you'll always be distracted by the pain."

Jenny heaved a heavy sigh. Somehow, what he said made sense. But just as she had told him, she had gotten so good over the past two weeks and she had promised that she would give everything she could. And if she had to endure some pain, so be it. However, she also realized that the stinging in her palms had been slightly distracting. "You're right," she admitted finally. "I'll be careful from now on."

Smiling at her encouragingly, Nik clapped her on the shoulder and began to lead her back towards the houses. "Good to hear that. Now, get cleaned up and if you hurry, Chao-zu will still have a snack for you before classes. And while you're doing that, I'm gonna get our training utensils back to where they belong and then I'll talk to Anisah, Zoe and Master Kenko to let them know that you won't be allowed to use your hands in training until, let's say, Sunday night. If they are not healed within the next two days, we will wait a bit longer until you can use them again. Okay?"

"Okay…" she sighed again, knowing that he was right, but still not really wanting to accept that. That would mean two days, plus today, of missed training. "Can I at least go running?"

Nik laughed and tousled her short blond hair. "I expect you to go running, and to train every other part of your body. Don't think you can be lazy, just because I've forbidden you to use your hands."

"Aye sir!" Jenny grinned and saluted, before taking off at a run towards the dorms.

Once she could see it, her eyes wandered to the clock at the outer wall of the cafeteria and she cursed under her breath, when she saw that she would never have enough time for a proper shower. So she hurried to the dorms and quickly headed upstairs. After she had grabbed the fresh clothes she had put on her bed this morning, she disappeared in the bathroom. A quick wash up and some deodorant needed to be enough for the two classes until lunch. Just with her palms did she take special care to make sure that the blisters wouldn't get infected. Best would be some bandages, but she didn't have any at hand, so she would need to do the best she could without them.

With just minutes to spare until her next class began, Jenny was once again running, only this time down the stairs and across the yard towards the backdoor of the cafeteria, which led to the kitchen. She didn't slow down much, as she reached the door and threw it open – she didn't have much time after all.

"Anyone here?" she called, as she didn't see anyone.

"Over here," a male voice answered and Jenny frowned. This voice didn't belong to any of the kitchen staff, but she was pretty sure that she had heard it before. She turned around the corner from the short corridor and stopped dead in her tracks, as she saw Tenshinhan sit there at the kitchen table with Chao-zu sitting opposite of him.

The smaller, almost child-like man grinned at her knowingly, "Hey Jenny. Hungry?"

Jenny nodded, forcing a smile on her face, as she finally averted her eyes from the taller warrior. Ever since she had arrived at this school, she had done her best to avoid Tenshinhan. She still hadn't forgiven him for his prejudices against Vegeta, even though he had some pretty good reasons for them. "Starving."

"If you have a minute, I can make you a few sandwiches," Chao-zu offered kindly.

Jenny glanced at her watch and winced again, when she noticed just how late she was. "Actually, I don't have a minute," she began to say, but just at that moment, her stomach reminded her again forcefully of its existence and its cravings, so she just shrugged. "Ah, it doesn't matter. If I don't eat anything now, I won't survive until lunch."

"I'll hurry," the cook promised and immediately began to work on her snack.

While she was waiting, Jenny let her fingers glide over the back of one of the chairs, the whole time still trying to avoid Tenshinhan's gaze. Instead her eyes were fixed on Chao-zu's back, but not really seeing what he was doing.

"What happened to you hands?"

Startled, Jenny whirled around, not having expected Tenshinhan to say anything. Immediately, she hid her hands behind her back. "Nothing," she nearly snapped.

A deep sigh escaped Tenshinhan's lips. "Jenny, look. I'm just worried. You are, after all, a student here at this school, and as one of the teachers, I'm responsible for you. And when I see that you're hurt, I have to offer my help."

"Nik's already taken care of that," she grumbled, not meeting his worried gaze. "I'm not allowed to use my hands in training until Sunday night for now."

"I see," Tenshinhan smiled lightly. He had to admit that he had doubted Nik at first, when he had taken over Jenny's tutelage, but it seemed that the young man was really going to be a good trainer. "But Jenny, please understand… I'm really not trying to be your enemy, but I realize that I've not made a good first impression on you. But let me prove to you that I'm a nice enough guy and maybe you'll change your opinion of me."

"Maybe," Jenny admitted through gritted teeth. She still wasn't looking at him, somehow afraid of what she might see. She had heard so much about this man from Gohan and Bulma and the other Z-warriors like Krillin and Yamchu, and to a lesser degree from Vegeta, even though his comments weren't as positive as those of the others had been. However, deep down she knew that Tenshinhan wasn't that bad, couldn't be, if he had been friends with the other Z-warriors and had even been one of them until directly after the Cell Games, and yet she wanted to be reluctant to accept him. Accepting him just like this somehow felt a bit like betrayal to Vegeta, because how could she be close to the two men, who hated each others' guts?

"Then why don't you let me try? Come over to dinner tonight and then we'll eat and talk a bit. I will excuse you from Zoe's gym club, so don't worry about that. It's Chao-zu's free night tonight and I'm sure he'll cook for us and then I'll also show you something really useful."

"Oh, yes, please come," Chao-zu, who was placing a plate filled with a huge stack of sandwiches in front of her at that moment, said. "Just tell me what you'd like to eat and I'll prepare it for you."

Thoughtfully, Jenny took one of the sandwiches and took a bite. Just as everything Chao-zu made, this sandwich was truly delicious. It seemed that Chao-zu had made it his responsibility to know what each of the students liked best. "I don't know," she mumbled reluctantly between two bites.

"What about pizza?" the small cook offered cheerfully. "I know you love pizza."

Jenny had by now taken the second sandwich, the first one having disappeared in the endless depth of her stomach just merely seconds before, as she finally turned to look at Chao-zu, who was looking at her with such a hopeful look on his face that it would break not just his, but also her heart, if she declined his invitation. "Okay," she finally agreed. "But just because you're cooking."

Chao-zu's face lit up like a child's on Christmas Day and Jenny couldn't help but return his smile. Suddenly, she noticed something out of the corners of her eyes and she began to curse. "Damn, damn, damn… I'm too late!" Above Chao-zu's head was a clock and it showed her that classes had begun about ten minutes ago. She quickly forced down the third sandwich, almost choking on the bread, before turning to Chao-zu with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, I really have to go now. But I really loved those sandwiches."

A low chuckle reached her ears, and she turned towards Tenshinhan. "Don't worry, Jenny. Just sit down and enjoy your snack. I'll write you a note to explain that I kept you up. Can't have you starve in class, can we?"

Truly grateful that she wouldn't get into trouble, Jenny sat down and took a fourth sandwich. "Thanks," she said and really meant it.

"Ah, it's nothing," he winked at her, as Chao-zu gave him a piece of paper and a pen. "You can see this as my first proof that I'm not a bad guy, if you want."

* * *

Jenny's stomach felt as if it were about to burst, as she finally entered her classroom exactly seven minutes until the bell would ring for a break. Even though she tried to be really quiet about her entrance, every head turned towards her, as she opened the door. Naturally. Lari frowned at her disapprovingly, but Jenny simply grinned a bit sheepishly, as she handed her teacher the note from Tenshinhan.

Lari looked from the note to Jenny's now bandaged palms, before telling her with a pointed look to sit down, although there was not much time left. Jenny's grin widened a bit, as her back was turned to Lari, even more grateful to Chao-zu and Tenshinhan than she had been before. Before she had left, they had both insisted that one of them bandage her palms to avoid further strains on the wounds or even an infection, and this just played right into the note that Tenshinhan had written, explaining Jenny's absence from class until now. Sometimes it wasn't that bad to be hurt.

Mailin and Damian gave her and her hands questioning and suspicious looks of course, but seeing as Lari had already called the class to attention again, she only slipped them a short note with one word. 'Later'. It was just a few minutes, after all, and then she could tell her friends everything that had happened that morning. With this done, Jenny finally took out her books and turned her full attention towards the front of class, where Lari was telling them something or other about ancient history.

Boring…

Jenny sighed and thought that she had to thank Tenshinhan and Chao-zu tonight for having allowed her to miss the majority of this class today.

* * *

The evening came somehow much too early for Jenny. The rest of the day had simply passed too fast, especially considering that she hadn't been allowed to do much during training. In the volleyball club, she had simply run a lot and trained her forearm pass, for which she didn't need her palms, and then later, during the real training with the staff and the swords, Master Kenko had sent Jenny into the weight room to train. It was kind of relaxing, doing something different than usual, and also a bit refreshing.

Because of this, time had passed really fast, and suddenly she was standing in her and Mailin's room, ready to go. More or less. She really was a bit nervous about this. Tenshinhan had been nice enough this morning, but she didn't know what to expect tonight. Could she really spend a whole evening with him? She suppressed a sigh. At least she knew that she and Chao-zu got along well.

In the break after history, Jenny had filled her friends in on her plans for that night and had also entrusted them with her doubts, but they had only encouraged her. Mailin and Damian had both promised that Tenshinhan was alright, really, and that she shouldn't worry about it. Sure, they had admitted that it might be a bit weird because of both of their feelings regarding Vegeta, but they had also reassured her that Tenshinhan wouldn't judge her by that. And hey, maybe he could tell her something new about her real dad and even her older brother!

Jenny really tried to feel reassured by this, but the nervousness just wouldn't disappear. Taking a deep breath, Jenny finally turned to face her friends.

Mailin was sitting on her bed, with her back pressed against the wall and her knees drawn up, as she was working on an essay for the very same history class that Jenny had missed this morning, and Damian was sitting at his sister's desk, working on the same essay. Or rather, tried to and failed, if Jenny interpreted the sighs, that escaped his lips every few seconds, correctly. A grin flashed over her face, as she listened to Mailin's impatient huff, knowing very well that she wouldn't wait much longer to help her brother. However, the grin quickly turned into a grimace, when Jenny remembered that she still had to write the essay as well. But she had still the whole of Sunday to work on it, which should be more than enough time to produce a decent piece of homework.

Both looked up, when they heard Jenny move and looked at her expectantly. "Well," she cleared her throat. "I gotta go then. I'm sure they're already waiting for me."

Mailin smiled at her. "Don't worry, Jenny. Everything'll be fine."

"Yeah," Damian agreed with a wide grin. "After all, you've faced a lot of scarier things, haven't you?"

Jenny chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I sure have."

"Then shoo!" Damian ordered imperiously. "Go, so that my dear sister won't hesitate any longer to help me with this stupid essay!"

Mailin frowned at her brother. "When did I say that I would help you?"

Jenny giggled quietly, while she was watching the bickering siblings. Damian shrugged and leaned back in his wheelchair. "Well, you always do, when I've finally annoyed you enough."

"Just help him, Mai," Jenny grinned. "Now, I really gotta go. See you guys later!"

As soon as Jenny had closed the door behind her, Mailin jumped of her bed and grinned at her brother, who was returning the grin with the same amount of brightness. They gave each other a high five, as they said as one, "Mission 'cheering up Jenny' accomplished."

* * *

When she had left her room, Jenny had almost forgotten, where she was going, but the nearer she came to the small hut in which Tenshinhan and Chao-zu lived on the grounds of the school, the more the nervousness in her rose again. And much sooner than she would have liked, she was standing in front of the door, wanting nothing more than to run back to the dorms and write her essay. But she was a Saiyajin and she wouldn't run away, so gathering all of her courage, she raised her hand and knocked at the door.

Five seconds passed, ten seconds, but then the door was opened by Tenshinhan. He smiled at her, which calmed her a bit. "Jenny, I'm glad that you could make it. I've got to admit that I wasn't sure you would come. Please, come in."

"Me neither," she mumbled to herself, as she stepped past him into the hut. Looking around, while Tenshinhan shut the door again to keep the cold outside, she noticed that their hut was really cozy. She was standing in the living room, the walls of which were filled with bookshelves filled with an incredible high number of books. In one half, there was a dinner table, which was set with three plates, cutlery and glasses, and in the other half a coffee table with two couches around it. At the wall in front of the coffee table was a fireplace with a warm fire roaring inside. The floor was made of warm-colored wood, as were the walls and there were deep red carpets under the tables. There was a staircase in one corner and next to it were two doors. One was closed, the other open and Jenny guessed that the second one was the door to the kitchen, according to the mouth watering smells that were coming from there.

"You're just in time," Tenshinhan informed her. "The pizza should be finished any minute now. I wanted to help Chao-zu in the kitchen," he nodded to the door, confirming her suspicion, "but he kicked me out. Why don't you sit down? Would you like something to drink? Water, coke, or something else? I'm sure neither Li nor Vegeta would like it, if I offered you a beer, would they?" He chuckled and Jenny allowed a small grin to appear on her face.

"A coke would be great," she said, as she sat down on one of the chairs at the dinner table.

"Okay, a coke coming right up." Tenshinhan had just turned to go to the kitchen, when two bottles, one filled with dark liquid and one with water came floating through the kitchen door. "Thanks, Chao-zu."

The grin on Jenny's face grew wider, as her nervousness slowly began to fade, "Yeah, thanks!"

Before he sat down as well, Tenshinhan poured some of the coke into the glass standing next to Jenny's plate, and then poured himself and Chao-zu some water.

"You've made yourself a nice home here," Jenny found herself saying before an uncomfortable silence could come up.

"Yes, it's really nice here," he agreed. "I'm sure that, if Li hadn't met us, we would still be living in the woods somewhere as hermits. Coming to this school was really the best that could have happened to us. And we've also made the best of it, making this our new home. Here, on the first floor, we have the living room, the kitchen and a really small training room, and then upstairs there are the two bedrooms and the bathroom."

"When did you come to this school?" Jenny was actually curious about this. Had they already come to this school before Buu, or first after? And how had they even gotten this job?

However, before Tenshinhan could answer, the delicious smell from the kitchen came nearer and Jenny turned her head to see an absolutely huge plate of pizza with all kinds of tasty toppings float towards them, followed by Chao-zu, who was beaming at her.

"Wow… this pizza is gigantic!"

"And there's more, where this comes from," Chao-zu winked at her, as he put the plate down in the middle of the able, leaving almost no more room for the dishes. "We're having a Saiyajin over for dinner, after all."

Jenny was still stunned at the size of their dinner, and to imagine that there was even more in the kitchen! "You really shouldn't have done this! A normal pizza would have been enough."

"Until you get up at midnight to raid the kitchen for a small snack."

"I don't…" Jenny sputtered, and this was even true. The only time she went to the kitchen for a snack was in the morning between her training and classes, and maybe in the afternoon as well. But never at night.

Chao-zu tilted his head to one side. "It's not you? Mmh… Must be someone else then. But now, dig in before the pizza's getting cold."

Jenny didn't need to be told twice, as she grabbed one of the huge slices and pulled it over to her plate. It was, of course, much too large for the plate and long strings of molten cheese reached from the huge pizza to her plate, but this didn't seem to bother the two men, as they took their own slices, so Jenny also turned her attention to her meal for now.

No one was speaking, as they were eating heartily, and with Jenny's appetite, Chao-zu soon had to get the second pizza, which rivaled the first one in size. First when this one had also almost completely disappeared (mostly in Jenny's stomach) and just a few slices were left, Jenny leaned back with a satisfied sigh and rubbed her stomach.

"I don't think I've ever eaten a pizza that was as delicious as this one."

Looking up, when there didn't come an answer at once, Jenny saw the disbelieving and astonished looks on her hosts' faces. She raised one eyebrow, which alerted Tenshinhan that he and Chao-zu were staring at her. Shaking his head, he told her with a grin, "It never ceases to amaze me just _how much_ food you Saiyajins can put away!"

A deep blush crept up her cheeks, and she lowered her head embarrassed. "I've eaten too much, haven't I? I've grossed you out."

A barking laugh escaped Tenshinhan's throat, but it was Chao-zu, who assured her eagerly, "Oh no, not at all! It was great to see how much you liked it!"

"And besides," Tenshinhan tried to smother his laughter, "one who has seen your father eat is used to a lot of things. He, and Gohan, too, were really pigs when it came to eating. Contrary to them, you have shown really good table manners. Bulma's doing, I suppose?"

There it was, one of the things that Jenny had feared – the talk about the father she didn't know at all. Trying to avoid this topic – for now – she turned again to Tenshinhan with an interested look on her face. "You still haven't answered my question about when and how you came to this school. The pizza interrupted us."

"You're right. How we came to this school… It's pretty easy actually. Just as he somehow does with each of his students, Li met us by chance on his travels just a few months after Buu and was so fascinated by our meditation skills that he almost immediately offered us those jobs. We weren't sure, what to do at first, because we liked our life, but I was intrigued, so we decided to accept, on the condition that we could leave again whenever we wanted. And as you can see, we're still here."

Jenny grinned at them. "Yes, I can see that." She wouldn't have thought it possible, but in the course of the night – and the delicious pizza – all of Jenny's nervousness had disappeared. As a matter of fact, she felt quite comfortable among those two warriors, although she still feared that they would begin to talk about her father. She didn't understand, why this was making her so uncomfortable, after all, Gohan had told her many stories, when she had still been younger and he alive, but whenever someone broached that topic now, she felt as if she didn't want to hear about it.

However, Jenny didn't need to be afraid of this, as they mostly made some small talk after dinner, about her education at this school, about her friends, about Tenshinhan's and Chao-zu's beginning at this school. They even slandered Lysann and her sheep, which made Jenny grin – it was good to hear that there were also teachers at this school who hated this girl as much as most of the student-body did. Now and then, they even let some adventure of their own past slip, which Jenny found really fascinating.

While they were talking, it almost seemed as if the two warriors were very careful, gauging her reaction, whenever they touched a new topic. They must have noticed, how she had tensed, when her father had come up, because they didn't mention Goku again, or at least didn't talk about him as the main character of their stories.

"Oh no!" Chao-zu suddenly groaned, interrupting her train of thoughts. Both Tenshinhan and Jenny looked at the small man in shock, not knowing what to make of his sudden and unexpected exclamation.

Panic crossed Tenshinhan's face, as he asked, "Chao-zu? What's wrong?"

The cook looked at both of them with a crestfallen look on his face. "I forgot to prepare some dessert."

Jenny and Tenshinhan stared at Chao-zu for a second longer and then stared at each other for another second, before they both burst out laughing.

Holding her sides, Jenny tried to get her laughter back under control, because of two things. One, she had eaten too much to be laughing so hard without making her stomach hurt, and two, Chao-zu really looked unhappy, almost downright miserable. If she didn't know better, she would think that he might start to cry.

So, swallowing quickly to suppress another burst of giggles, she turned to Chao-zu and said, "It's okay, Chao-zu. The pizza was more than enough for the main course and dessert. And don't forget, you can make some dessert the next time I come over for dinner, okay? I wouldn't even mind, if the whole meal consists of pudding or ice-cream or cake."

Chao-zu's eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas morning and Jenny could see that he was already putting together the meal for the next time she would be there.

"Soooo," Tenshinhan drawled with a calculating smirk on his face, "this means there'll be a next time?"

Jenny pretended to look thoughtful, clearly enjoying this easy banter, which she absolutely hadn't expected when she had come over tonight. "Let me think… You know, the food in the cafeteria is never as good on the weekends as it is during the week, when Chao-zu's in charge… Besides, the company's also not too bad here. So I guess, yeah, there'll be a next time."

"Great!" Chao-zu piped up enthusiastically. "What about next week? Saturday maybe, so you won't need to miss Zoe's gym class? We could even make it a regular date? On Saturday, you can always come over for dinner. And you can bring some of your friends, of course."

"Saturday Night Dinner," Tenshinhan mused. "Sounds good. So, what do you think, Jenny?"

Grinning widely, Jenny nodded. "It's a date."

"And don't forget to ask your friends, if they want to come, too!" Chao-zu reminded her.

Jenny was still grinning, as she nodded. "Don't worry, I'll ask them." Then, suddenly, a loud yawn escaped her mouth and the grin turned into a sheepish one, as a small blush grazed her cheeks. "Sorry… it's been a long day and I think I should head to bed soon. It's gonna be an exhausting day tomorrow." In all the (needless) worry for the evening, Jenny had almost forgotten that it was Family Day the following day, meaning that all the families of the students could come to the school to visit their children for a whole day.

"So… Vegeta's coming, too?"

Jenny nodded at Tenshinhan's question. "Yeah, Li told me. Just Dende… or wait, not even Dende knows when Vegeta told Li. I didn't even know that those two were in touch. But he won't be the only one visiting me. Yesterday I got a letter from my old teacher at primary school. I asked her to come and she said that she'd be there. I'm really looking forward to seeing her again. It's been almost a year since I've seen her the last…" Another yawn interrupted what she wanted to say and Jenny took a look at her watch. "I'm really sorry, but it's really late. I really should go now."

"Wait Jenny," Tenshinhan said quickly, as Jenny began to rise from her chair. "Do you have a few more minutes? I know it's late, but this morning I promised that I'd show you something. Trust me, if it works, you won't regret staying a bit longer."

"What is it?" Jenny asked, both confused and curious.

"Just come with me, and I'll explain."

With another confused nod, Jenny followed Tenshinhan through the door that had been closed until now, and found herself standing in a dim lit room. The walls were made of the same wood as the living room, but the floor was padded with soft mats.

"This is the room Chao-zu and I use to meditate in private. Please, sit down," he told her, as he also lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the padded floor. Once Jenny had sat down across from him, he continued, "I'm aware that you already possess some good meditation skills and that's why I hope that it won't take long."

"What won't take long?"

Tenshinhan just winked at her, as he showed her a knife, which she hadn't noticed in his hand until now, and she watched in shock, as he cut the palm of his left hand open.

"What are you doing?"

"Be patient, Jenny," he said calmly, not showing at all that he might be in pain. "Now, take my hands and close your eyes."

Rather reluctantly, Jenny obeyed. She closed her eyes and put her bandaged palms above his and immediately felt his blood soak the bandage of her right hand.

"Now I need you to concentrate on your hands and what you will feel. Tell me, when you feel something."

At first, nothing happened, but then Tenshinhan's left hand, the one he had sliced open, began to feel warm under her own hand. As a matter of fact, she felt his ki in his palm, stronger than in any other part of his body, but he hadn't raised it. It was just concentrated more densely in his hand, but not in the way that she would expect to see an energy ball once she opened her eyes. It felt really comfortable. "I feel something," she finally mumbled.

"Good, now open your eyes."

When Jenny opened her eyes, she saw a warm blue glow fade from Tenshinhan's left hand, but this wasn't the only thing that got her attention. The wound he had inflicted on himself just a few minutes ago had completely disappeared. There wasn't even a scar left. "How…" she muttered in wonder.

"It's a skill I learned about two or three years after Cell and it has been really useful. Mind you, it only works for smaller wounds, like cuts and bruises, or in your case, some really bad blisters."

"How does it work?"

"Basically, you only concentrate your ki in the place where you're hurt, but you don't force it out as if you wanted to form a ki-ball," Tenshinhan explain. "Instead, you let it linger there, let its warmth spread over the whole wound. Ki is life energy, and because of this, it detects that something's wrong at the spot where you've gathered it and it will begin to correct what's wrong. It will heal the wound."

"That's amazing," Jenny breathed. She looked down at her hands, not wanting to believe that she might get rid of those pesky blisters sooner than she had thought.

"I guess that's part of why you Saiyajins heal faster than normal humans," Tenshinhan continued. "Your basic ki-level is a lot higher than the one of a human, so you'll heal faster. Do you want to try?"

"Of course!"

Tenshinhan chuckled. "Then take off those bandages and do what I've just explained to you. I daresay that it really shouldn't be a problem for you to use that technique."

Within seconds Jenny had torn off the bandages, eager to try what Tenshinhan had explained to her. She closed her eyes and evened her breathing, just as she always did, when she was meditating. Then, the next step was locating her ki – which was a bit harder in her human form, but not completely impossible - and then leading it gently into both of her palms. The moment she could feel that it was there, she also noticed that it wanted to get out, but she fought against it, keeping it there. At first, it proved to be harder than she had expected, mainly because she wasn't used to keeping the ki inside of her, when it was concentrated like that. Once she was sure that she had gotten the hang of keeping it inside of her, she already felt the pleasant warmth she had already felt in Tenshinhan's palm. Actually, now that she was doing it herself, it kind of tickled.

Jenny didn't know how much time had passed, when she suddenly heard a gently voice say, "You can stop now, Jenny."

Her eyes fluttered open, quickly getting used again to the semi-darkness of the room, and immediately her gaze wandered to her palms. Her breath caught in her throat. It had worked! All of the blisters, or rather the bloody remains of the blisters, had disappeared, just like the cut in Tenshinhan's palm had disappeared. "Wow!"

Tenshinhan rose from his seating position and offered Jenny his hand. Jenny took it gratefully and he helped her up. "When I saw your hands this morning, I immediately thought of teaching you this. Just look at it as some kind of amends for the bad impression I had made on you."

Jenny smiled at him, as she said softly, "Thanks… but you really didn't need to do that. Ya know, it was kinda my fault, too. I had been pissed at Vegeta on that day and in a really bad mood. I don't think I'd made a good impression on you, too. I'm sure that you had expected Goku's daughter to be different."

"I won't deny that," he admitted, as they stepped back into the living room. "But actually it was Chao-zu who talked some sense into me. He made me realize that it would be a wonder if you were exactly like Goku, seeing as you have only met him once, right?"

"Yeah, at the Bodukai. And even then I didn't really talk to him. He and ChiChi were strangers and I don't trust strangers. What can I say, Vegeta's rubbed off on me." She shrugged, once again beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation.

"Now, actually," Tenshinhan laughed lightly, "I'm surprised that you aren't more like Vegeta. While I think it's true that you've adopted some of his characteristics, I also think that it could be a lot worse."

"Don't let him hear that," Jenny smirked at him.

With a wink at her, Tenshinhan whispered conspiratorially, "I won't tell him, if you'll also keep quiet."

"Ah, don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Just at this moment, Chao-zu came out of the kitchen, beaming at them. "It worked, didn't it?"

"Yep," Jenny grinned at him, as she showed him her healed palms. "They're as good as new, if not even better. Nick'll get a heart attack, when I show him my hands tomorrow and tell him that I want to train again."

"Don't kill that boy, yet, Jenny," Tenshinhan scolded her. "Li won't like it, if one of his most promising students just drops dead."

"I'll be careful, I promise. But now I really have to go. It's gotten a lot later than I had planned," she told them apologetically. While she was walking towards the door and opened it, Jenny was looking at both of them and said with her most sincere voice, "But thanks, for everything. I'll see you around. Good night!" With one last wave, she turned around and began to jog back towards the dorms.

"Sleep well, Jenny!" Chao-zu called after her.

"Good night, Jenny," Tenshinhan mumbled, even though she wouldn't hear it anymore.

He had to suppress a deep sigh of relief, as he watched her disappear in the darkness. This night had turned out a lot better than he had thought it would. When he had invited her this morning, he had expected the evening to become tense and uncomfortable, but then she had quickly started to become more open towards them and the night had turned into a very pleasant one.

While it was true that he had at first regarded her as Goku's daughter, he had slowly come to realize his mistake in the past weeks - especially after a rather firm scolding from Chao-zu. "She's giving up," he had complained to Chao-zu on that very night, after he had once again watched one of her disastrous training sessions from afar. "How can Goku's daughter be giving up?" Honestly, he had never seen Chao-zu this angry. His best friend since his childhood had lectured him about how she had never known Goku and that just because she carried his genes, she can't be expected to be just like her father. This lecture had lasted longer than an hour, but it had made him see the truth. Jenny might be Goku's daughter, but that was all there was to it. Her whole character had been formed by everything that had happened to her and by the other people around her – her brothers and Bulma at first, as well as the other Z-warriors, and then after Buu, Vegeta.

From that moment on, Tenshinhan had started to watch her with different eyes. He had seen her struggle, he had seen her depressed, but then he had also seen how she had overcome her problems and how she had begun to grow with the challenge. But first this night he had really seen the girl, Jenny. Not Goku's daughter, not the daughter of the probably most powerful warrior in the whole universe, but Jenny. And he could safely say that he honestly liked the girl he was slowly getting to know.

"She's really special," Chao-zu said quietly.

"Yes, she surely is," Tenshinhan agreed and closed the door.


	50. Part III: Matchmaker

**A/N: Whoow, it's been ages, but finally, finally a new chapter. Much has happened since the last update – I got my Masters of Education and I've also found a spot at a school for my further education to become a teacher. Yesterday was my first day and I hope that I will become a good teacher.**

**So, I hope some people are still reading this, and that these people will tell me that they're still there! ;)**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 49: Matchmaker**

The following morning, Jenny woke up long before her alarm clock could even ring. The sun hadn't even risen, yet, but Jenny felt wide awake. She was almost giddy with excitement for this day, and so Jenny knew that it would be impossible for her to go back to sleep. But what to do now? She didn't want to wake Mailin, so switching on the light and reading something was out of question.

With a quiet sigh, Jenny's eyes wandered to the window. Through the gap of the curtain, she saw that there wasn't a single cloud at the sky and that the air seemed to be clear, if cold. Suddenly, an idea hit her.

Grinning, she quietly crept out of her bed, grabbed some clothes in the darkness, the whole time keeping an eye on Mailin, hoping that she wouldn't wake her friend, and then slipped out of the room. The hallway was dimly lit, just as it usually was during night time, so she had no problems finding the bathroom, where she quickly brushed her teeth and got dressed in warm sweatpants and a sweatshirt as well as her comfy running shoes, and just a few minutes later, Jenny was running along the well used path in the woods, completely alone.

Her breath escaped in even puffs, as she was running at moderate speed. She didn't want to exhaust herself, not today. She just wanted to spend some time before breakfast. And running was a good way to do that – especially seeing as she wouldn't train at all today.

Well, maybe not at all was an understatement, as Jenny still didn't know, what Vegeta had in store for her. Maybe he wanted to test her to see, if she had been slacking off since starting at this school. Boy, he would be in for a surprise. When Jenny had transformed once, a couple of days ago, she had noticed that her Saiyajinform had grown proportionally stronger along with her human body. She couldn't wait to show him this and was, actually, looking forward to a _real_ sparring match today. It's been too long since she'd used her full strength for anything.

While she was more and more getting used to training and fighting in her human body, there would never be something as exhilarating as going full out as a Saiyajin.

Jenny sighed slightly, as she began to slow to a trot and eventually to a walk. Raising her hands into the air, she stretched her back. She had run about half the distance they usually ran in their morning routine, but seeing as she was all alone, it wouldn't hurt to walk for a bit and enjoy the clear air.

The sun still hadn't risen yet, but she could already see that it was getting slightly lighter at the horizon. It was so quiet, even here in the forest, almost as if all the animals were either hibernating or not awake yet for the day. Just now and then she could hear a bird sing or a quiet rustling in the bushes, but otherwise she could hear no sound except for her own steps and breath. It was really peaceful.

Soon, in just a few hours, this peace would be gone, replaced by the hustle and bustle of this day, when the families of those living at Li's school would invade the compound to spend time with their children. Jenny had already noticed that every so often parents or other family members would visit on a weekend, but there had never been a day like this, when everyone, truly _everyone_ was invited to that school, while she had been there.

And for the first time, since she had arrived at this school, Jenny would have visitors, too. Vegeta had promised to come, and so had Miss Katayama. Jenny was almost giddy with excitement about seeing both of them again. While it had only been a couple of weeks since she had last seen Vegeta, Jenny already missed him terribly. He was the only one left of her family, after all, and the only person she had relied on for the half year before she had been accepted into this school.

When Jenny had received the reply from Miss Katayama, she almost couldn't believe it. Her old teacher really remembered her and would love to come and visit her. Even though they had first gotten closer during the field trip, just days before Jenny had dropped out of school and she and Vegeta had moved here, Jenny could truly say that she missed her old teacher, too. It was almost a year since she had seen her and much had changed, so Jenny was also a bit nervous. But she also guessed that Miss Katayama would be happy to hear that Jenny had finally found real friends and that her confidence had become stronger.

In just a few short hours, Jenny would know.

And in just a few short hours, Jenny would set her plan into motion. Okay, it was a very vague plan, and Jenny had no idea if it could work. But she could only try.

Shortly after Jenny had started at this school, she had begun to wonder about Vegeta. She was a bit worried that, now that she was here at this school, he would be feeling lonely at home. There would be no one for him to talk to, no one to spar with. And she would only be home for the holidays. So, after a while, Jenny decided that some company would be nice for him… And then, when she wrote to Miss Katayama, Jenny suddenly remembered the way she had looked at him during the field trip. It was impossible to miss that she was attracted to him, and before her grandmother's funeral, Vegeta had shown her teacher some respect, when he showed her what Jenny could do. Not to forget how civil he had been during the field trip.

Maybe, if Jenny pushed both of them into the right direction, she could help both of them – Vegeta and Miss Katayama.

A mischievous grin lit up Jenny's face, as she picked up her pace again and began the journey back to the dorms.

~*~

Mailin was still asleep, when Jenny silently crept into their room to get some clothes for the day. Her alarm clock showed 7:55, so it was no wonder that her friend was still lost in dreamland. After all, under normal circumstances, Jenny would have used this chance to sleep in as well, but not today. Today she was really just way too excited to waste the time sleeping. And she had at least passed about one and a half hour by running outside. Now she only had to pass two more hours until she could have breakfast with her friends – why, oh why had they decided to meet for breakfast at 10 o'clock? Jenny was already hungry.

But somewhere… Jenny quietly opened the drawer of her desk and found what she had been looking for – one granola bar! It wasn't by far enough to satisfy her rumbling stomach, but it was food. Putting the granola bar on top of her stack of clothes, Jenny sneaked out again and closed the door with a quiet click. A deep sigh of relief escaped her lips. Thank god that Mailin wasn't a light sleeper.

After a long and hot shower, and after having taken care of all the other necessities, Jenny found herself in the rec room of their dorm. She switched on the TV and slumped down on the sofa, soon beginning to zap through the channels, seeing as there wasn't anything on that might interest her. Eventually, after she had gotten tired of all the zapping, Jenny settled on a cartoon, which was at least mildly funny and entertaining.

At first, time seemed to pass at a snail's pace, but finally, about half an hour later, Jenny heard that the first students had emerged from their rooms, as they walked past the door to the rec room on their way to breakfast. Only a few of them stuck their heads into the room, when they noticed that the TV was on, and wished her a good morning, but no one joined her until, suddenly, at about half past nine, a heavy body jumped onto the cushions next to her.

"Good morning, Jenny," Nik's overly cheerful voice greeted her.

Jenny turned towards him, with a confused frown on her face. "You're quite chipper this morning."

The teenager, who usually needed at least two cups of coffee before he could fully operate in the morning – and this meant before noon – just grinned. "Why shouldn't I be chipper? I could sleep in, the sun is shining and no training at all today." Still not believing him – at least not completely – Jenny narrowed her eyes at him. Nik just laughed. "Okay, okay… and I finally asked Anisah out last night."

Jenny's jaw almost dropped to the floor. "You're kidding," she gasped, dumbfounded.

"Nope," Nik replied, still grinning like a Cheshire cat. "And the best thing is – she said yes! And I've already gotten the permission from Li that Anisah and I may go into town tonight."

Jenny's mouth was still standing open, but slowly turning into a bright smile. "That's fantastic!" she squealed, as she hugged Nik tightly. "But I warn you. Treat her right, otherwise…" she let the threat hanging.

"Sure, sure… But…" Suddenly Nik got a really serious and regretful look on his face. "Jenny, I'm incredibly sorry about your crush…"

"My what?" Jenny asked, stupidly.

Shrugging and fighting to keep the grin from his face, Nik explained, "You know, the crush you've had on me, ever since you've first laid your eyes on me… I'm really sorry to destroy your dreams."

For a moment, Jenny didn't know what to say, but then she had a wicked grin on her face. "You have three seconds to run, dear Nik. And then I'll kill you. One… two…"

Laughing, Nik jumped over the couch and ran to the door, just as Jenny said "Three" and he heard a light thud behind him. Turning his head, he saw Jenny stalking towards him, but unfortunately, he didn't see that someone was standing in the door. "Oomph." Turning back, he saw that he had just collided with Ejnar and used this chance to hide behind tall sixteen-year-old's back. "Help me!"

Ejnar rolled his eyes, as his eyes wandered back and forth between Nik and Jenny. "What have you done this time, Nik?"

"Nik thinks that he's funny, as usual," Jenny quipped. "Or he has really been living under the delusion that I have a silly crush on him."

"How would you come to this conclusion, dear Jenny?" Selvyn, who had joined the group, asked her with a wink.

Nik was shaking his head frantically, while a slow smirk was spreading over Jenny's face. This served him right. If he didn't want them to know, yet, he shouldn't have teased her. "He just apologized for breaking my heart, because he has a date tonight – with another girl."

Ejnar whistled. "Nice, man… who's the lucky girl?"

"That… would be me."

The boys turned around, just to see Anisah and Zoe stand behind them. The taller girl had her black hair pulled back in a pony tail and a smirk on her face that matched Jenny's. However, in addition to that, there was also a nice little blush staining her cheeks, as all the attention was directed at her.

"You finally did it!" Ejnar breathed in disbelief. "After all those years of silent pining, you've finally got the guts to ask her! That's great, man! Congrats! To you, too, of course, Anisah."

"Thanks," she mumbled, a bit shyly.

"Congrats?" Damian's voice suddenly asked. He was rolling up to them, with Mailin walking next to him. "For what?"

Jenny laughed, feeling relieved that their group was finally complete. She really was starving – though Nik had provided a nice little distraction, but her rumbling stomach reminded her again of its existence and it was demanding food. Linking arms with Mailin, she announced, "Nik and Anisah are gonna fill you in on the way to the food. Come on! In just a few minutes, I'll be starved to death!"

~*~

It was about half past ten in the morning, when Vegeta landed on the outskirts of the compound. In the close distance, he could also see several cars make their way up to the school. This morning, when he had retrieved the picnic package from Kioko's store (the older woman had insisted on preparing something for Jenny that day), she had also told him that most families had already arrived the day before that weekend. It was understandable, seeing as most students from the school came from far away, all over the world to be precise. And none of them had the ability to fly around the world in a few minutes, should the need arrive.

Walking slowly across the compound, Vegeta reached out with his senses, trying to determine Jenny's location. While he had always kept tabs on her in the past few weeks, he had found it difficult to find out exactly where she was while she was in her human form. The only thing he could say for sure was that she was on the compound, but now that he was closer, he could most definitely say that she was in the cafeteria, surrounded by a large amount of other kis.

Many of the other families seemed to have similar idea, Vegeta realized, as he walked a few feet behind a group of excitedly chattering humans. Many of those families apparently knew each other, as he witnessed greetings, complete with those disgusting open displays of affection, like hugs and kisses. He just hoped the brat knew better than _attacking_ him in the middle of all those people.

Finally, the group before him moved through the doors into the cafeteria and Vegeta followed them. The noise in this large room was almost unbearable, with people talking everywhere, shouting to each other, squealing and other horrifying noises that hurt his eardrums. It would take some time getting used to after the long, almost silent weeks that he spent alone in the forest surrounding their home. He almost couldn't wait to go back to that silence.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Vegeta once again reached out with his senses, but they still couldn't do more than telling him that the brat was in this building. Apparently, Vegeta had to look for her the old fashioned way.

With an annoyed grunt, which startled an unsuspecting man right next to him, Vegeta began to let his eyes wander over the crowds in this room. She shouldn't be too hard to find. After all, she couldn't have changed that much over the past few weeks. So, Vegeta began the futile attempt – though he didn't know it yet – to locate Jenny by looking for long blond hair either in a ponytail or a braid.

--

Jenny grinned over her bacon and eggs, as she felt Vegeta enter the cafeteria. She knew how hard it was for him to find her in crowded areas, especially when her ki was as low as it was right now, and she just couldn't help herself – Jenny just had to tease him a bit. And she just couldn't wait to see how long it would take him to find her by just looking for her with his eyes. It was a bit mean, yes, especially as he had no idea about her new hairdo. Grinning, Jenny ran a hand through her short hair.

"Hey Jenny," Nik leaned over the table and whispered. "Isn't that Vegeta over there? Standing by the door?

Jenny nodded. "Yup…"

"Aren't you gonna go to him?" Damian wanted to know.

"Nope," Jenny shook her head. "Let him find me."

"Why?" This time, Mailin asked.

Shrugging, Jenny took a bite from her eggs. "It's more fun this way and I'm not finished with breakfast, yet, anyway. And besides, he won't be alone much longer."

Her friends only shared confused looks, before they sneaked inconspicuous glances towards the door, where Vegeta was still standing, surveying the room in his search for Jenny.

--

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, as he again scanned the large room, but still unsuccessful. There were a few instances, when he noticed long blond hair, but it was never her – either the girl was too old, too tall, too short, or it wasn't a girl at all. The chaos with the other parents looking for their children and the joyful reunions all over this place didn't help him either with his quest.

Just where the hell was she hiding in this room?

However, before he could continue his search, he suddenly felt another slightly familiar ki come into the cafeteria. Surprised, though hiding this feeling well, he turned around and saw the blond haired woman walking up to him.

"Mr. Briefs," she greeted him with a smile, though he noticed the slight red tint on her cheeks. "It's so nice to see you again."

"Miss Katayama," Vegeta acknowledged her. What was this woman doing here? Had Jenny invited her? He had had no idea that the brat still had contact to her former teacher.

She stopped a few feet in front of him, wringing her hands nervously, as she somehow felt slightly nervous under his scrutinizing stare. "I… uhm… I take it you didn't know that Jenny has invited me? She wrote to me a couple of weeks ago and asked me if I'd like to come."

Vegeta nodded. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. The teacher had been one of the very few people Jenny had been close to before they moved here. It was only natural that she wanted to keep her informed.

"Er, have you found Jenny yet?" Miss Katayama asked him, trying to break the silence. It wasn't uncomfortable per se, and she knew that Mr. Briefs was the silent type (and strong, she added, once again fighting the blush that threatened to stain her cheeks), but he hadn't said anything except her name since she had arrived and it was making her really nervous. She saw that Mr. Brief just wanted to shake his head, when she glimpsed the girl in question over his shoulder. "Ah, there she is!"

Vegeta's head whirled around and followed the woman's gaze. And really, just rising from her chair, was the brat. His eyes narrowed, as she was walking up to them with a smirk on her face. It was no wonder that he hadn't found her. Just what the hell had she done with her hair?

--

Sighing, Jenny realized that she couldn't procrastinate much longer, as she felt Miss Katayama's ki in the cafeteria. She quickly devoured the last few bites of her breakfast and then rose from her chair. Her lips curled to a smirk, when she saw the surprised look flicker over Vegeta's face. She had managed what few others had succeeded in before – get him to show this emotion in front a lot of people.

After having fought her way through the crowds, Jenny stopped in front of her visitors just a few seconds later. "Hey there," she greeted, now with a happy grin on her face. Her fingers were itching to hug Vegeta, but she knew that he very likely wouldn't like that, especially not with so many people around.

"Brat," he acknowledged her, allowing a small and rare smile flit over his lips. While it was quite a surprise to see her with short hair, he had to admit that it suited her. And it was even better suited for fighting, in his opinion. There had been quite a few arguments between him and the brat's grandmother about the brat's steadily growing hair, him complaining that it would only get in the way during their training (Thank Dende the woman didn't know that many female Saiyajins – as well as some male - had been proud of their long manes of dark hair, something which he would never understand.) and the older woman gushing over how beautiful this long blond hair was, too beautiful to be cut off. Well, in the end he had won – even though he'd had no hand in the girl's new hairstyle.

After giving him a huge smile, she turned to her teacher. "Miss Katayama!" she exclaimed and moved to embrace the blond woman. "I'm so happy that you've really come!"

"Of course," Miss Katayama assured her. "After your letter, I really couldn't wait to see where you're going to school now. This really sounds like a great place and I can't wait to meet your friends." The friends Jenny had finally found. They truly sounded like the best thing that could have happened to Jenny.

"I can't wait to show you everything!" Jenny was excited. It had been too long since she had seen either of them, even though it had just been a few weeks since she had last seen Vegeta. But it had been almost a year since she had said goodbye to her teacher. And now they were both here.

And was it just her imagination, or was Miss Katayama glancing at Vegeta every few seconds? Perfect!

"So, if you don't want to have some more breakfast, I'd say we go. Vegeta, there's just so much I have to tell you and show you. And of course also to you, Miss Katayama, even though you've already read most of what I want to tell Vegeta in my letter."

"Actually," Nik's voice suddenly said behind her. "I've got order from Li to kidnap one of your visitors for a moment. Mr. Briefs, I'm Nikanor and I've taken over Jenny's training for the next few months until she's caught up with the other students. Li and I would like to speak to you about her performance and progress. You can go find Jenny again, once we're finished."

Vegeta only nodded. Normally people would be disconcerted by this behavior, but seeing as Nik had already heard plenty of stories about Vegeta, he just shrugged it off.

"Jenny, why don't you show your other visitor this place in the meantime? I'm sure she'd love to see where you're living and training at the moment. And don't forget the school, of course," he added with a wink.

Jenny looked a bit unsure from Nik to Vegeta. In hindsight, it was only natural that Nik and Li would update Vegeta on everything that was going on, but at first she had been surprised and maybe even a bit scared. She had never told Vegeta about the problems of the first few weeks at this school. How would he react, when he found out? Would he take her back to town, away from this school, knowing that she had been worse than any other student at this school? But she had made lots of progress. Nik had just said again a couple of days ago! This had to count for something, right?

"A tour of this place sounds great," Suki Katayama said after a moment, when Jenny didn't seem to say anything. "Why don't we start with this cafeteria? I have to admit, I am a bit hungry and the food smells just heavenly!"

Jenny cracked a smile. "That's because Chao-zu's cooking again today. Come on, then. You can meet my other friends. They're all back at our table."

While Jenny and Miss Katayama fought their way back to their table, Jenny threw a quick and wary glance over the shoulder, seeing that Nik and Vegeta left the cafeteria. She swallowed hard, but didn't have any more time to think about this, as they quickly arrived at their table and she was swept up in a conversation between her friends and her former teacher.

~*~

Vegeta hadn't been in this office since Li had shown Jenny something that had convinced her to stay at this school. He had been well aware of her not-existing progress until then, but he had to admit that he was curious as to how Jenny was performing now. It had to be better than before. She was looking better, happier, more carefree and most of all, more confident than she had been in a long time. She was almost glowing.

Still, he had to ask the question, the moment he sat down across from Li, Nikanor and Lari, who had already been waiting in the office, when they had arrived. "How is she doing?"

"Great," Nik answered at once, but when Li gave him a sharp, but slightly amused look, he amended. "With great I mean really good. Her progress is amazing, when we fight alone. And I've also heard from her other teachers that they're pretty impressed with how she's doing in their classes. Anisah told me that she becomes steadily better at volleyball and that she loves this sport and while Jenny isn't too fond of gymnastic, Zoe can also see the progress there. And I can see how she uses things she learns there when she's fighting. There's still a long way to go, of course, but I'm not worried about her. Not anymore. In just a few years she'll be one of the best, I'm sure."

"Thank you, Nik," Li said with a dry grin. "That's what I wanted to tell Vegeta in a nutshell. Of course, my report about Jenny is a bit longer and more detailed. Would you like to hear it, Vegeta?"

"Yes."

"Good. The last time you've been here was on the night that Jenny decided to leave the school. You know that I have managed to convince her to stay and try again. How I did it is Jenny's story to tell. I'm sure she would love to share that story with you. Since then a lot has changed. Nik has taken over private training with Jenny and she has joined two clubs at this school, the volleyball club and the gymnastic club. Both of those clubs should help her hone her skills, which might and in fact do help her with her fighting training…"

With this introduction, Li spent the next two hours reporting everything about Jenny's training, how she had found her place at this school, and of course, not to forget, how she was performing in her normal school classes.

Vegeta listened attentively, positively surprised by what he was hearing. The last time he had seen the girl at this school, her performance had been abysmal at best. He had thought then that it had been a mistake to send her to this school, but now he saw that it had been exactly the right thing to do. At this moment, there was nothing that he had been able to teach her – he could have only helped her to become stronger – but she needed more than this to prepare for the battle that would come for her sometime in the future. She needed every help possible, every skill she might learn, and he was sure that the things she would learn at this school would help her tremendously to win that battle.

When Li was finished with his report, Vegeta was truly relieved. The girl would stay at this school, she was learning something new and helpful and she had good friends. In other words: everything was taken care of. Now he could inform Li of his intentions and see, if the old man thought it was possible.

~*~

It was already past noon, and Jenny and Suki Katayama were walking along the bank of the lake, as Vegeta touched down in front of them. Jenny frowned at him disapprovingly – hadn't he always forbidden her to show her abilities where other people might see her? "Finally," she teased him, though her insides were tightened painfully. Vegeta didn't look angry, so maybe Li hadn't had too many bad things to say about her. "What took you so long? Suki and I've been waiting for ages!"

While they had been talking, Miss Katayama had offered Jenny to call her by her first name. 'After all, we're no longer teacher and student. I'd rather like to be your friend, if that's okay with you.' At first, it had been weird to call her old teacher 'Suki' instead of 'Miss Katayama', but she was quickly getting used to it.

"There were many things, Li and I had to talk about," Vegeta simply said. "Are you hungry?"

Jenny didn't know, if she should be disappointed or relieved that Vegeta didn't delve deeper into what he and Li had to talk about, but for now, she decided not to ask and instead get along with him. "Starving."

Suki stared at her, her eyes wide. "But you've just had breakfast until one hour ago! How can you already be hungry again?"

Shrugging, Jenny replied with a grin, "I'm always hungry." Then, turning again to Vegeta, she asked, "You wanna go back to the cafeteria?"

Instead of answering her question, Vegeta just took a capsule out of his pocket, pushed the button and threw it to the ground. Before it hit the grass, a blanket and a basket materialized and settled on the ground.

"Nice," Jenny whistled appreciatively. "Did you do this?"

"Kioko."

"I see. Tell her thanks, the next time you see her."

Suki Katayama watched with a smile on her face, as Jenny plopped down on the blanket and curiously looked into the basket. A wide smile spread over the girl's face, as she took out the contents and spread them on the blanket, before telling her and Vegeta to come and sit down with her. She took the offered sandwich more out of politeness than hunger – she really had eaten too much during that second breakfast she had had with Jenny and her friends and she still couldn't understand how Jenny could already be hungry again – and watched in amazement as both Jenny and Vegeta piled huge piles of food on their plates. And not just that, but also eating all of that! She had never seen another person eat that much! Then again, she had to remember that Jenny and Vegeta were not like other people.

While they were eating, Jenny was talking the whole time she wasn't chewing or swallowing, telling Vegeta everything she had experienced since she had come to this school. She told him about Mailin and Damian, their odd little group of students, their teachers, classes (both normal school classes and fighting classes) and even admitted to her problems in the first few weeks.

When Jenny reached the part of her tale concerning the Dragon Swords, Vegeta raised an eyebrow. Suki Katayama couldn't read his face, when Jenny told him about Li collecting the mystical Dragon Balls and summoning the dragon Shenlong, but she could guess what he was thinking. Even Suki Katayama thought that it was too big a coincidence that Jenny of all people was destined to have those two special swords. Jenny, however, didn't seem to find this coincidence suspect. Still, all those things were just another part of Jenny's life that she first had to come to terms with, after Jenny had told her about her family's adventures with those spheres.

But, really… Magical spheres and dragons that can fulfill your wishes? Until she had met Jenny, those things had only appeared in fantasy stories. But it all really seemed to be true.

If someone had told her a year ago that all those things were real, she would have recommended that person to look for professional help. Yet, in Jenny's life, all those things were normal.

Time passed quickly, as Jenny regaled both of them with funny stories about her new school and her friends. Suki Katayama couldn't help but smile and laugh along with the girl and she could even see, when she was looking at him, that Vegeta was glad to hear those stories – he wasn't frowning nearly as much as he had in the beginning and allowed the occasional amused smirk to tug at his lips. All those stories were proof of how happy Jenny finally was and it was obvious in how his eyes were watching the girl (at least in those short moments that he allowed those emotions to show in unguarded moments), that he was relieved to see and hear this.

The sun was already starting to go down, signaling that it was already late afternoon and that the day was slowly coming to an end, when Jenny suddenly stopped telling stories. Either she had run out of them, or she thought that she had already talked enough that afternoon. Suki Katayama wasn't sure of what it was, but there was something slightly disconcerting about the grin that had just as suddenly appeared on Jenny's face.

"I just remembered something…" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet just a second later. "I'll be back in a few minutes… Just… try to get to know each other better, will ya?" Suki Katayama stared at Jenny with wide eyes, as the girl winked at her, before she disappeared in the woods behind the lake, leaving her and Vegeta alone. Just what the…

She turned to look at Vegeta, who was looking at the spot in the woods where Jenny had disappeared with a deep frown on his face. He completely ignored her gaze – or maybe he wasn't aware of it – and so she could use the chance to watch his profile, as the setting sun was illuminating the sharp features of his face. She could once again feel her face redden slightly and she immediately scolded herself. She wasn't a teenager, damn it, and looking at a – rather attractive, no, scratch that, damn hot – man shouldn't cause her to be that embarrassed, even if there were inappropriate thoughts running through her head.

And then, suddenly, as she thought of this, the scales fell from her eyes. While she and Jenny had been alone, Jenny had pelted her with questions about herself, her life, friends, family and, most importantly in this situation, her love life. This question, Jenny had delivered with a wink and a grin, just like the grin she had worn before she had disappeared just a minute ago.

"Oh…" she breathed. It all made sense. And then she laughed, causing Vegeta to look at her. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to, as Suki Katayama quickly explained her weird behavior. "Mr. Briefs… I'm terribly sorry about this, but I think that Jenny is trying to play matchmaker."

"Matchmaker?"

"Yes… She's been asking me personal questions all morning, among others also if I'm in a relationship, which I answered with no. And then, suddenly leaving us alone on this picnic blanket, just when there's one of the most beautiful sunsets…" She shook her head with a chuckle. "She's trying to set us up."

Suki Katayama swore she heard Vegeta mumble something like "Stupid brat" under his breath, as he rose from the blanket. He took a few steps away from her, but turned around, before he, too, disappeared in the woods. He was thinking for a moment and his mouth opened a few times, as if he didn't know what to say. Eventually, he took a deep breath. "Miss Katayama… I respect you for everything you have done for the girl and you are not an unattractive human female, but I have no intention of… having a relationship. Not with you, nor with any other female on this planet or in the universe."

Suki's eyes softened, as she looked at him struggle with his words. This was the most she had heard him say about himself. "You still love your late wife."

"It's… more complicated than that. Which I fully intend to talk about with the girl now."

He once again turned to the woods and took a few more steps, when Suki suddenly called after him, "Please… don't be too hard on Jenny. She… I think she just wanted us to be happy."

She thought she heard him say "I know", before he disappeared in the shadows of the woods. She sighed, as she rested her hands behind her on the blanket and leaned back to watch the sunset, a small smile playing on her lips. It was really sweet of Jenny to do something like this, but she should have known that it wouldn't work. She and Mr. Briefs were just too different and while, yes, it was true that she was physically attracted to this man (which woman wouldn't be?), she didn't feel anything else for him. And it was better this way.

Suki Katayama had closed her eyes, enjoying the last rays of sun of that day on her face, when she suddenly heard someone clear his throat behind her. She opened her eyes and craned her neck to look at whoever it was. "Yes?" she asked, regarding the man curiously. Thinking of attractive men, she mused, grinning inwardly. He was tall and muscular as well under his long sleeved white T-shirt, but the most prominent feature wasn't his bald head, but the third eye directly in the center of his forehead.

"You're a friend of Jenny's, right?"

"Yes," she replied. "My name is Suki Katayama. I was one of her teachers back in the Western Capital. And you are?"

"I'm sorry. I'm Tenshinhan," he introduced himself. "I was friends with her father… her biological one, I mean, Son Goku. And I teach at this school."

"Nice to meet you, Tenshinhan," she smiled at him and, suddenly feeling bold, asked, "Why don't you join me? I believe Jenny and Mr. Brief left me some food."

"Really?" Tenshinhan raised his eyebrows, as he settled down next to her. "That'd be a first."

~*~

Vegeta found Jenny just a few minutes later. She was sitting on a swing on the playground that belonged to Li's school and looked up, when she felt his coming up to her. She was frowning. "Why did you follow me? You were supposed to stay with Suki."

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Vegeta ignored her question. "Brat, we need to talk."

Seeing the scowl on his face, the frown on Jenny's face disappeared. "Oh… What… what do we need to talk about?"

"About your attempt to play _matchmaker_," he nearly spat the word, "between your former teacher and me. Your futile attempt, if I may say so."

"But I… I thought…"

"No, you didn't think, brat. If you did, you would've known that I'm not in the slightest interested in a relationship with that woman, or a relationship with any woman for that matter."

"Because of Bulma? Because, you know, I'm sure she would want you to be happy. As do I. I mean, now that I'm at this school the whole time, you must be alone. And Suki is a nice woman and she likes you."

Vegeta uncrossed his arms and clenched his fists at his sides, gritting his teeth. Yet, he swallowed his irritation at the oblivious girl in front of him, because she really didn't know. He had never talked to her about this and he doubted that his woman or her brother had talked to her. After all, she had been too young to think about things like that back then. He still thought she was too young now, after all, she was only ten human years old, but apparently he no longer had a choice. "Even if I were lonely, which I'm not, I wouldn't and couldn't take a new mate."

"_Couldn't_? What do you mean?" Jenny was genuinely confused now. Just what was Vegeta talking about?

"Saiyajins mate for life."

"For life?" Jenny just repeated stupidly.

"Yes, once a Saiyajin has chosen a mate and they have performed the mating act, there is no going back. Even when one partner dies, it is not possible for the living partner to choose a new mate."

"Never?"

"Never," Vegeta repeated. "Although some Saiyajins, who have lost their mate, took what you on earth call prostitutes to bed, for sexual satisfaction. But this is not what I wish for your former to be to me. Those women, and for the female warriors men, however, could never replace the true mate."

"That's so sad," Jenny mumbled, trying to imagine what it would be like to have found your mate and after that never to find love again. Her stomach clenched painfully, when she realized that this would most likely also be her fate. Boy, would she have to be careful, when she had her first boyfriend.

"You have to know that it is always bad to lose your mate. But it is even worse, when the partners are bonded to each other."

"Bonded? What does that mean?"

"A bond is the strongest connection two Saiyajins could have. It doesn't happen often, but if a bond is formed, those two Saiyajins are irrevocably bound to each other. If not blocked, they can hear each other's thoughts and feel each other's feelings. The death of one partner is usually lethal to the surviving partner. Only really strong-willed Saiyajins survive the death of their bonded mate."

Jenny was almost scared to ask the question that was on her mind, but still couldn't stop herself. "Did you and Bulma… did you have a bond?"

"Yes…"

Closing her eyes, Jenny took a deep breath, as she realized her mistake. How could she have ever thought that another woman, no matter how nice or attractive, could ever replace Bulma in Vegeta's heart, especially seeing now how closely they were, or had been, bound to each other. "How did it feel, when she died?"

Vegeta was silent for a long moment, before he finally replied, "As if a hole was punched straight through my chest." Although, when he compared the feeling of being shot through the heart by Frieza and losing his mate, Frieza's attack paled in comparison. And it had been because of this pain that he had wanted to leave this planet behind three, almost four, years ago, having hoped that something in the universe would have been able to kill him and release him from that pain. "And if it hadn't been for you making it so painfully clear that you needed me, I believe I would have long joined her in death."

"I still need you," Jenny mumbled quietly, suddenly getting a bit scared by what Vegeta had told her. But back then, she had been too young to understand what Bulma's death could have done to him. Back then, she had never thought Vegeta to be suicidal.

"I know," Vegeta replied. "But not as much as four years ago, when your grandmother and I were the only people left for you. You have found friends now, good friends. And that's why I talked to Li about what to do until summer."

"Until summer? What are you talking about, Vegeta?"

"I will spend the next half year, until summer, traveling around the world and training hard. This means that you won't return to our house until the summer holidays. Li says that it's okay and that you can stay here over the holidays and even celebrate Christmas with his family and the other students who stay."

"You're kiddin', right?" Jenny asked, confused and hurt by Vegeta's admission. How could he do this? She had been so looking forward to Christmas, to spend the holidays with him, to train with him again and simply spend time with him. "Please tell me, you're kidding!" She felt the tears well up in her eyes and her throat close up, but she blinked and swallowed hard, trying to hide this.

"I'm not kidding. Li and I believe that you're ready for this. This way, you'll be able to train without distractions from my side, and I'll be able to train without… being distracted by you." Vegeta winced inwardly at his choice of words, knowing that they probably sounded harsh. Hoping to soften the blow, he immediately added, "I will, of course, check on your ki now and then and if you are in trouble, just turn Super, so that I know that you need my help. Is that acceptable?"

Jenny only nodded. She knew that Vegeta had made his decision and she didn't want to come off as a whiny and clingy little girl. If both he and Li thought that she could do this, then she had to do this. Still she couldn't help but mumble, "I'm gonna miss you."

Looking up through her lashes, she saw Vegeta smirk at her. "I admit, I believe it will be strange not having you around all the time."

A slow smile spread over Jenny's face. This was Vegeta's way of saying that he was going to miss her, too. And this helped a bit to accept her _fate_ for the next half year. And who knew, maybe spending Christmas here at this school might be fun, with Mailin and Damian and Lari and Nik and maybe also Tenshinhan and Chao-zu and the other friends she had made here.

"But promise me, Vegeta, that we will spend this summer together."

"I promise. After all, I still want to see the progress you've made until then."

Jenny laughed lightly and shook her head. This was Vegeta to a tee.

~*~

Later that night, Jenny was sitting on her bed in her and Mailin's room, writing into her diary. Despite the disappointments of the day, there was a smile on her face, as she was writing. She and Vegeta had said goodbye a bit more than three hours ago, directly before dinner, and she had made him repeat his promise that she would come home in the summer. In return, she had to promise him to train hard and to surprise him in summer.

Just as she had said goodbye to him and he had turned to go, Suki Katayama had turned up, much to her astonishment, in the company of Tenshinhan. Vegeta had only nodded at her – Jenny thought that this was his apology – which she returned with a smile, and then took into the air, leaving her alone with Suki and Tenshinhan.

Suki then hugged her hard, telling her that everything will be alright and that she will come to visit again someday. Jenny noticed the furtive glance, her former teacher gave Tenshinhan, as she said this, and after she had watched the slightly awkward goodbye between Tenshinhan and Suki – a rather formal handshake during which a blush had appeared, not just on Suki's face, but also on Tenshinhan's – Jenny swore that she would tease Tenshinhan mercilessly during their next Saturday Night Dinner.

Looking up from her diary and out at the sky, Jenny's smile became more confident, as she swore another thing:

No matter what would happen in the next half year, she would come out of it, stronger than before. She would train hard and make Vegeta and her other teachers proud.

And, Jenny thought as she saw Nik and Anisah kiss shyly under her window, she would enjoy her time with her friends to its fullest.


	51. Part III: Birds and Bees

**A/N: OMG! Has it really been soo long already? I can't believe it and I'm soooooo sorry for this incredible and inexcusable long wait! But I will keep my word that I will finish the story! No matter how long it takes! Not just for my readers, but also for myself. This is the biggest project I've ever started and I won't rest until it is done! I swear! **

**So, I don't know, if you're still there, when you've started to read this so long ago... but if you are, and even if you just start reading now, don't forget my promise. Unless something really bad happens to me, I. WILL. FINISH. THIS.!**

**Thanks!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 50: Birds and Bees**

Life was good.

So good in fact that no one had really noticed how much time had passed. It was amazing really. When you were down and had a really bad time, seconds became minutes, minutes became hours and hours became days. This was a phenomenon which Jenny was pretty familiar with. When she was now looking back to her beginnings at Li's school, remembering how time had seemed to drag on then, the horrible days never wanting to end, she didn't know how she had survived this as long as she had. Time had seemed like this endless thing, an endless torture to make her life hell.

But now, now that everything was going really, really well, time was flying by.

As she was looking up at the sky, Jenny couldn't believe that after these summer holidays, she was going to start her fourth year at Li's school.

She was thirteen and a half years old now and much had changed in her life since she had started at that school.

For one, she was finally happy. She had friends, really good friends in her group at school, even though Anisah had graduated last year and moved into the village to work at the town's kindergarten – she simply couldn't be too far away from Nik, her boyfriend and Jenny's honorary big brother -, and best friends in Mailin and Damian. She really didn't know what she had done before she had met them. She didn't want to think back to a time, when she didn't have any friends and she didn't think that she could ever again live without them in her life, without seeing or at least talking to them once a day.

Shaking her head, Jenny turned her attention back to the bright blue sky and the few white and fluffy clouds. She had friends now and that was all that mattered. And in addition to that she had a place she could call her home – no, two places actually. Li's school and the small capsule house she shared with Vegeta were both her home.

She had even found a hobby besides fighting and – dare she say it? – studying. While gymnastics had been a club she had dropped as soon as possible, much to Zoe's dismay, Jenny had developed a passion for volleyball. Now that she was more in control of her human body, playing this sport had become pretty easy, even though she still couldn't jump high enough to hit the ball properly over the net. But her lack of height – though she had grown a lot in the past three years and was no longer as short and scrawny as she used to be – didn't matter in the position that she usually played. She was one of the two setters for her team and without wanting to boast she had to admit that she was really good at it.

Yes, Jenny thought with a smile, she was happy.

She still missed her grandma, and the rest of her family, of course, but what people said was true – time heals all wounds. At least mostly. She would always miss them, but she could also live her life and enjoy it. With the people in it, with the place she was living at. She could even imagine going back to the Western Capital, back to Capsule Corporation, once her training at Li's school was over, as long as she still got to see the people who had become family over the past few years.

Closing her eyes, Jenny took a deep breath of the warm and clean air, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, knowing fully well that this peace would come to an end soon enough. Because even though she had summer holidays from Li's school didn't mean that Vegeta would allow her to have too much free time while she was staying again with him. It would only be a matter of time until he would again demand that she come back to the gravity room, that her break was over.

She had had the weekend off, the first weekend after the school year had ended, but now it was Monday and so once again time to train with Vegeta. This morning they hadn't sparred at all, but he had already threatened that he wanted to see what she's learned this afternoon. She just hoped that it wouldn't take too long, because she still had other plans for tonight and it would totally suck, if she had to cancel them.

"Brat!"

Ah, here he was. "Coming!"

With a sigh, Jenny stood up and tugged a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear. Just three months ago, she had decided to let it grow out again, because it had become too bothersome in the long term to cut it every three to four weeks so that it stayed short – damn her Saiyajin genes, which only showed themselves in her appetite and her quickly growing hair while she was in her human form. And it was really growing quickly, as everyone could see. Only three months and it was already almost going down to her chin again. She couldn't wait until she could put all of it into a ponytail, or better yet, start to braid it again.

Stretching her whole body, Jenny took one last deep breath of the summer air, before she turned to go back to the gravity room. It was really hot outside today, and she could feel the sweat run down her face and back even though she wasn't doing anything. But the heat was nice, a perfect contrast to the bitterly cold winter they had had.

Vegeta was tapping his foot impatiently, as usual with his arms crossed in front of his chest, as he was leaning against the gravity room, waiting for her to return from their break. He pondered for a moment, if they shouldn't spar outside of the GR instead, because inside it was even hotter than on the outside. On the other hand, there were many planets out there and not to forget the Room of Spirit and Time, where it was even hotter, and besides, the girl should be able to fight under different and difficult circumstances. It wouldn't harm her to sweat a bit.

"Finally," he grumbled, as the brat rounded the corner.

However, just as almost every time he laid his eyes on her in the past few days he was startled by how much she had changed since he had seen her at Christmas. While she had steadily grown over the first three years at the school, she had hit a real growth spurt in the past six months. And this meant that she hadn't just grown in height, although she was no longer that short brat she had been when she had started at the school. Back then, she had barely reached up to his chest, but now she was measuring about 5'3" and he was sure that she wouldn't stop at that. Still, in addition to her gained height, other… things… had begun grow. The young girl, the child, whose full guardianship he had gotten six years ago, was slowly turning into a young woman.

"Geez, grumpy much?" she replied with an annoyed tone in her voice.

Oh yes, this was another thing he had noticed. While she had already been cheeky as a child, this streak seemed not only to have multiplied, but fused with an irritation that usually appeared out of nowhere. He had already been a victim of her unpredictable moods a couple of times since she had returned to their house three days ago.

Was this what Kakarotto's oldest brat had been scared of? What had he called it? Oh, right… puberty. There had been no word for this on Vegetasei – the process of growing up, the path a child took to become an adult. There were no bouts of stubbornness, of rebellion in Saiyajinchildren. When a Saiyajinchild grew up, their mental abilities usually grew, making them more sensible, along with the growth of the body. But apparently the human genes in her body were stronger in this case, as she was showing the typical signs of a human child growing up.

Well, at least she would spend the majority of this _phase_ at that school, so he wouldn't need to deal with it. There she had her friends, who were either going through the same thing or had just come out of that phase and become young adults. They could help her get through it, both with the emotional changes and the physical changes. Once these summer holidays were over, she would return to that school until Christmas and Christmas break would be a short break, after all. So maybe she would be over this phase by the time she came home for the next summer holidays.

And no, he wasn't terrified of having to deal with her changes on his own. Dende forbid if he needed to have _that_ talk with her. Though there probably was no way around, not with the Saiyajinblood that was running through her veins. But he had hope that it wouldn't be for quite some time. Saiyajin females were usually late in this part of their physical development.

He shuddered inwardly. No, he was sure that he still had time, so no need to… worry… about it now.

"Get into the GR. We'll have to get some hard training done this afternoon, if you still want to go to that match tonight."

"You said I could go!" Jenny protested defiantly, as she followed Vegeta into the gravity room. "You said that it was okay!"

"Yes, you can go. When you train hard this afternoon. I want to see you give your best in our sparring match. If I'm satisfied with you – yes, only if – you can go to that match."

"But… but I already told the others that I'd be there! You have to let me go! This is a once in a lifetime chance to see two teams like them play against each other, without having to pay anything!"

The door closed behind them and she watched with a pout as Vegeta punched in the gravity at the control panel. Just a few seconds later, the lights around them started to flash red and Jenny felt the air around her get a lot heavier. She quickly countered this by raising her ki, jumping directly into the Super Saiyajin level. After all, Vegeta was doing the same.

He wasn't saying anything to her pleading look, just regarding her with this mocking smirk on her face. "Have you finished whining? Because I'd really like to start. Show me how strong you've become since we've last fought."

Grumbling something unintelligible under her breath, she got into a fighting stance, leveling him with a deep scowl. He only shook his head slightly at her temper and attacked without another warning. However, he was impressed, when Jenny not only blocked his fist with her arm, but retaliated with a kick on her own faster than he had ever seen her do it before. He just barely managed to dodge it, his own leg whirling around. He saw her grit her teeth, as she once again used her arm to block this attack.

There was a concentrated look on her face, as a blue light appeared in her other hand, and Vegeta had to duck to evade the ki-blast that she directed at his face. Smirking, Vegeta let himself drop to his hands and managed to pull her legs out from under her with his own. However, Jenny managed to catch herself before she hit the ground with her back and flipped back to her feet, already back in an offensive stance. Vegeta jumped back himself and, mirroring her, took on a defensive stance, waiting for her next attack.

Three seconds had passed since the first attack. Vegeta's smirk deepened, as she rushed at him without taking a breather between her attacks. At least one thing hadn't changed. She was still able to surprise him with the progress she made.

* * *

"Ow…" Jenny moaned, as she limped out of the gravity room. Her whole body was hurting, every single muscle protesting against movement. Already she could see the bruises marking her skin all over her body and she gently touched her face, feeling her eye, where Vegeta's fist had connected in the last minutes of their sparring match. It was pretty sore and she didn't need to look into a mirror to know that she would be sporting a black eye for at least one or two days.

She could already feel everyone's eyes on her tonight, watching her and wondering where all the blue, violet and green marks on her body were from. Not her friends, of course. They knew from her tales what training with Vegeta entailed and this hadn't just been simple training. This had been a full-blown sparring match, with Vegeta even reaching for the second level towards the end. This was where most of her bruises were coming from. But at least he seemed to have been satisfied with her performance, as he had ended the sparring match in time for her to shower and get dressed before she left for her night out.

No, Jenny wasn't worried about her friends, though she could already imagine their reactions, when they saw her banged-up form. No, she was worried about all the other people at the event, about what they would say, about their pointing fingers and whispers. Oh god, and what if she got to meet any of the players? What would they say? She really didn't want to deal with all of this, but she had to… unless…

Jenny quickly hurried into the house and threw open the doors of the cabinet, where they were keeping the bandages, gauze, painkillers and… She frowned, as she couldn't find the one thing she desperately needed right now.

"Vegeta, where are you keeping the senzus nowadays?" she called over her shoulder, as Vegeta walked past the bathroom in the direction of his own room.

He stopped dead in his track and she thought that a shadow passed over his face, as he answered, "There aren't any."

The frown deepened. "What do you mean? If we're out of senzus, why haven't you gone to Korin's Tower and gotten new ones from Yajirobi?"

Vegeta sighed, as he finally turned to her fully. He had hoped that he didn't have to tell her this so soon, but apparently he didn't have another choice. "There are no more senzu beans. According to that fat wannabe-samurai he has given us the last ones in winter, although I'm sure that he has eaten the last ones and gotten even fatter."

This had come as a bad surprise for him, too. Ever since he had come to stay on this planet, he had relied on the senzu beans to heal him, when he was wounded too badly to recover on his own or quickly enough. But when Buu had been on the loose, he had killed Korin, the only one who could reap the beans. There had still been a big supply of them, which that fat samurai – who had only survived Buu's attack because he had hidden deep inside Korin's platform – had taken care of. Always, when he and Jenny needed more beans, they had gone to him. However, deep inside, Vegeta had known that this supply wouldn't last forever, but he had hoped that it would have lasted a bit longer.

"No more senzus…" Jenny repeated in a faint whisper, as those words sunk in. Contrary to Vegeta, she hadn't known a time without senzus. Usually she had always been allowed to eat one, when she had been beaten up in training so much that she couldn't function normally afterwards. This had been extremely important, while she had been going to school in the Western Capital. There had been no need to alarm the teachers and most importantly, Social Services, and bruises and other wounds would have been a sure way to do just that. "Damn… Seems like we have to be careful from now on."

Vegeta nodded gravely. This went against everything they had done in training until now. There had never been a need to be careful, not with the senzus. They didn't even have a regeneration tank – Bulma had never thought it necessary to build one. And why? Because they had had a seemingly endless supply of senzus to heal them, when their injuries had gotten too bad.

Jenny sighed once more deeply, closing the cabinet door and first now really seeing the damage done to her eye. It was already black and clearly swollen. This really sucked, but she was sure that Yajirobi wasn't keeping any senzus from them. He was too afraid of Vegeta to do something like that, so they just had to deal with it. Here went her chance at becoming stronger from one minute to another.

She just hoped that there wouldn't be any new threats to them.

And for the first time in her life Jenny feared that one of them wouldn't recover completely from a fight – be it just a simple sparring match or maybe a battle to protect this planet.

"You should get cleaned up and changed now, if you want to be on time for the match," Vegeta told her quietly, tearing her out of her thoughts, before he went to his room.

Jenny nodded in response, but didn't remove her eyes from her mirror image. Somehow, after this revelation that there was nothing to miraculously heal them, if they were wounded badly, made this match tonight seem unimportant. But she had promised her friends that she'd be there, so she got ready. And maybe this would take her mind off this matter.

And really. It wasn't that bad. Just as she had said – they just needed to be more careful from now on.

Yeah, Jenny mocked herself. Try to tell yourself that and you might just believe it… sometime. In the far future. Maybe.

* * *

"Oh my god, Jenny!" Mailin gasped, as her eyes fell on her best friend. "What happened to you?"

"Vegeta," Jenny only sighed, as she joined her friend outside the gym of the local high school a bit later than planned. People were already streaming inside, but she had tried to make her black eye seem less… black… with some concealer. Still, there was nothing she could have done about the bruises and other wounds on her arms. It was still too warm outside for wearing something with long sleeves. She was already sweating again in her jeans, but they were at least hiding the colorful spots on her legs. "Where are the others?"

"Already inside. I mean, you were kinda late… and Anisah just couldn't wait any longer – she wanted to get some really good seats – and Nik and the others went with her. You know, Nik can't refuse her anything. They're saving us some seats."

"That's good," Jenny said, knowing that she had to apologize for this habit of being late that she seemed to develop lately. A small and slightly excited smile on her face crept on her face. In just a couple of minutes she would have the honor of watching two of the best volleyball teams of the western regions play against each other. The team of this high school had won a tournament and having the two teams play a friendly match in their gym was one of the prizes. This match had been the only thing their volleyball team had been able to talk about the last few days of school, much to the chagrin of their friends, who had had to listen to it all the time.

Mailin and Jenny quickly found the others inside and Jenny almost squealed in excitement about the seats they had. Right in the middle, in one line with the net, but a bit higher, so that they had a good look over the whole field. As they sat down, her friends and the others of her team exclaimed about her looks, but she quickly reassured them with the same one-word answer as with Mailin. Right before she apologized for – once again – being late, at which the others just rolled their eyes, as they were slowly getting used to it.

Soon after they had arrived the match began. And it was breathtaking. Jenny was sure that, even if she trained for five or ten more years, she would never be that good. Yes, she loved playing, and she thought she was good at it, but those women were really great! It was absolutely fantastic watching them play.

Their passes and attacks were as good as flawless, their teamwork amazing and it was so fast, while at the same time not being hectic at all. Jenny was sitting on the edge of her seat the whole time, not knowing which team to cheer for, but filled with so much exhilaration and adrenalin from watching that she was ready to burst. And she wasn't the only one of her friends, as her former team captain Anisah and the rest of her current team, were reacting just like her.

The match took almost an eternity, both teams not giving an inch and in the end, the team from the Western Capital won by a small margin. Afterwards they allowed the fans on the field to get autographs at talk for a bit. Anisah was right in the front of the group and according to the look on her face, she was truly enjoying herself. Jenny, however, kept herself in the background along with Damian, who would have had trouble among all those people with his wheelchair.

Jenny didn't know why, but somehow she was suddenly feeling edgy with all those people around and she also didn't feel so well. She hadn't really noticed it during the match, as it had really been too exciting to think about anything else, but now that the excitement was dying down, she could feel a creeping headache and a stomachache on top of that. She guessed that it was some aftereffects of the sparring match with Vegeta. Scowling but knowing that she couldn't change this – oh, and this wouldn't be the first time she'd have to deal with this, with the senzus being all gone.

Great, just great.

Sighing, Jenny turned to Damian. All of a sudden, she didn't want to stay here any longer. She only wanted to go home and crawl into her warm and comfy bed. "Hey Damian… could you tell the others that I went home. I'm not really feeling well."

Damian eyed her worriedly, but eventually nodded. "Alright… Go home, get some sleep and see that those bruises disappear quickly, okay?"

"I'll do my best," Jenny replied, rolling her eyes, as she from one moment to the next felt annoyed by her friend's worry. After all, this wasn't the first time they had seen her covered in bruises like this… Geez.

Without another word, Jenny left Damian behind and, once she was out of sight, transformed and flew back to their house in the woods. She shook her head. Just what the hell was wrong with her? One moment, she was completely happy, and then suddenly she felt like ripping off everyone's head. This couldn't be normal. She usually didn't feel like this. Those mood swings of the past few days were giving even her whiplash.

When she landed in front of the house, she immediately sensed that Vegeta was again in the gravity room. This was even better. She didn't know, how she might react, if she had to talk to him now. Better to just retreat to her room, without any contact to the outside world, and hope that everything would be better tomorrow.

* * *

It was already past midnight, when Vegeta finished his training session and returned to the house. He had felt the brat come back a couple of hours ago already and had been surprised, when she had gone straight to bed. This was strange. For one, he had never expected her home before midnight and on the other hand not to go directly to bed afterwards. She hadn't even stopped in the kitchen for a late night snack, which was really highly unusual.

He began to worry slightly that he had hurt her more than he had thought during their sparring match this afternoon and this worry just grew to a slight panic, as he walked past her room and smelled something which was really not good under the given circumstances of their previous fight.

Blood.

Immediately, though knowing deep in his mind that he was most-likely overreacting, he threw her door open and entered her room. "Brat?" he asked gruffly, startling her awake.

"'Geta?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes, as she switched on the light on her nightstand. "What's going on?"

"Are you hurt? You're bleeding." And yes, the smell had only grown stronger, when he had come into her room. So she really was the source. She must still be bleeding from one of her wounds. It was… disconcerting that there was a wound that hadn't closed yet.

"What are you talking about? I'm…" But suddenly, she became incredibly pale, as a realization hit her. No, no, no, no, no… Please, not now! Couldn't this have waited until she was back at school? Carefully, almost scared, Jenny reached with her hand under her blanket, and then, from one second to another, a deep blush appeared on her face. Without another word, she jumped out of the bed, fled her room and locked herself in the bathroom.

Vegeta looked after her, startled, having not at all expected a reaction like this. Then, when he gazed around the room, his eyes were suddenly drawn to a spot on her bed sheet, a red spot. He froze, suddenly horrified, as he, too, realized what this meant. "Shit…" Turning on his heels, he followed the girl to the bathroom, but found that he couldn't open the door. After having pondered for a second what he should do now – what did she need? Comfort? Something else? He was completely at a loss! – he gently knocked at the door. "Brat?"

"Go away!" he heard her whine from the inside.

Jenny heard Vegeta's sigh on the other side of the door, but found that she didn't care. Why couldn't he get a hint? Wasn't it enough to tell him to go away once? "Brat?" she heard him ask again. "Are you alright?"

"'m fine!" she shouted back. "Now go away! Go!"

Another sigh and then finally the retreating footsteps and just a short time later, his ki was in his own room, leaving Jenny alone to wallow in misery.

Oh, Dende, this was so embarrassing! Why did it have to happen now of all times? Now that she had already waited for so long – more than one year, ever since Mailin had first gotten _this_ – she really could have waited a couple of weeks longer. And why, oh why did Vegeta have to smell this! A normal father would have never figured this out, but no, Vegeta with his super-senses just stormed into her room and found her like this.

Jenny sniffed and noticed that tears were rolling down her cheeks. She laughed quietly, as she wiped them away. At least she now knew the reason for her mood swings, or at least she could blame them on this. Her monthlies. Her period. She couldn't believe that she had been PMSing!

Damn…

It wasn't that she wasn't prepared. In a way, she had expected it any day, as most girls her age did, so she had all the necessary items in her room. But she would have rather had her girlfriends with her right now, and not Vegeta of all people.

She groaned, as she realized that she would need to face him again in the morning.

* * *

It was past ten o'clock the next morning, when Jenny bleary-eyed stumbled into the kitchen, only to shriek slightly, when she saw that Vegeta was sitting right in front of her at the kitchen table. She had barely slept last night and still didn't feel so well. She still had cramps and was pretty tired, so she hadn't used her sixth sense at all that morning.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked suspiciously, going to the cupboard to get a bowl and some of her favorite cereals. As she took the milk out of the fridge, she added, "Shouldn't you be training?"

"Brat, we need to talk."

Jenny froze for a second, before she poured the milk into the bowl with the cereals. "No, we so don't need to talk! There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine. It's natural. I'll get used to it. And I already know everything about it."

"No, you don't," he countered quietly.

Jenny joined him at the table and noticed immediately by the way he kept averting his eyes that this talk was just as uncomfortable for him as it was for her. "Please, Vegeta… We both don't want to talk about it, so please stop it."

"You're right," Vegeta admitted, as he finally raised his eyes to look at her. What he needed to tell her was very important and she needed to get the message now, as he surely didn't want to have this talk again. Ever again. "But there's something I have to tell you." Jenny wanted to say something, obviously again pleading with him not to do this, but he raised his hand to stop her. "Listen, I'm aware that you probably already know a lot about… your situation… and also about… sexual intercourse—"

"Vegeta!" Jenny squealed horrified, once again feeling the heat of a blush in her face, and more than ready to flee the room.

"No, hear me out. What you know about this, however, only pertains to humans. You are not fully human, so we have to consider your Saiyajinside," Vegeta said completely matter-of-factly, not one ounce of emotion in his voice. "While I was still young, back before Frieza destroyed Vegetasei, I had needed to study a lot about our culture and race as the heir to the throne, so there are some important details that I know about your situation. Now, as it is, if you were a full-blooded Saiyajin and living on Vegetasei, you'd be now considered of age, a woman. However, full-blooded Saiyajin females first experience their first monthly bleeding when they have reached an age which would equal to about sixteen human years. From that moment on, they have not only crossed the boundary between childhood and adulthood, but they will also start to experience attraction to male Saiyajins. Not before. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Jenny frowned, as she let this monologue sink in for a minute, once again marveling about how different two cultures could be. And she wondered, how she would fit into this. What exactly meant this for her? Would her human part or her Saiyajin part be more prominent? Bah! It was so confusing to have the blood of two races flow through her veins. Way to complicated.

"Sooo… you're saying that now that I'm… a woman… at least biologically… I will suddenly be attracted to boys?"

Nodding, Vegeta explained, "It could be. But with your unique situation, we can only guess. I only want to impress on you to be careful whatever you do. Do you remember what I told you about mating?"

Jenny mumbled a quiet, "Yeah." As if she could ever forget this warning. Saiyajin mated for life. Fantastic. So, no wrong move on her side or she'd be stuck with some poor human boy, or worse yet, he would be stuck with her. Fan-effing-tastic!

"Good." Vegeta was relieved and allowed his posture to show it, as he slumped slightly back in his chair before he got up and allowed once again some emotion in his voice. He sounded glad that this talk was over, but then again, so was Jenny. This had been beyond awkward and she hoped that they would never had to repeat this. "I'm going to train now. If you want, you don't need to train for the next few days. At least, today I'd suggest you call your female friends and do something together."

Jenny gaped at Vegeta as he left the kitchen, not believing that he was really giving her the next few days off. So, not wanting him to suddenly change his mind, Jenny quickly got the phone and called Mailin. She was now so in the mood for day filled with movies and junk food.


	52. Part III: First Crush

**A/N: Yay, someone is still reading! I'm sooo happy! And this time, I really tried to hurry! So, here it is, the next chappie! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 51: First Crush**

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Jenny, happy birthday to you!"

Jenny was grinning brightly, as her friends finished this song and she was finally allowed to blow out the candles on the huge chocolate cake they had brought along with them. It was a tradition among them to wake the birthday child directly after midnight and sing for them and afterwards eat the cake. And unpack the presents, of course! Li knew about this tradition, but he turned a blind eye to it, knowing that such practices were good for the morale at his school, as long as they didn't misuse his trust and weren't slacking off in class later that day.

But today, Jenny couldn't care less about it, because she was allowed to sleep in and just be lazy. Birthdays were a really nice invention. Especially when they gave her the privilege of not having to do anything at school except for enjoying the day. No classes – neither normal school classes or fighting classes – no responsibilities. Not to forget this really yummy cake and the presents!

"So, what did you wish for?" Nik asked with a wink, as he tried to snack on the cake's frosting. A sharp hit on the back of his head from Zoe however, stopped him from doing this. "Ouch! Damn it, woman!"

Feeling childish and giddy at having all her friends with her again on her birthday, Jenny stuck out her tongue. "Sorry, can't tell ya. And even if I could, I wouldn't. A girl should be allowed her secrets."

"Oooh," Ejnar took the opportunity to tease, "so it's about a boy…"

Instead of rising to the teasing, Jenny only rolled her eyes. Contrary to Vegeta's warning, she hadn't really been attracted to any of the boys she had met until now, and even if she were, some of them were strictly out of bounds. So for example Ejnar himself, who, while being what most girls would consider 'really hot', was going steady with another boy at school. This ruled him out. Selvyn, on the other hand, was pretty handsome himself, but Jenny knew from a very secure source, which meant an overheard conversation between the boy in question and Nik, that the brown-haired boy had a crush on her best friend Mailin. So another no-go. Nik was out of the question because of two things – one, he was far too old for her and two, he and Anisah were simply too cute together. This left the last boy from their group – Damian. Jenny had to admit, he was cute, what with his shaggy hair and sparkling green eyes and all, but she would never see him as boyfriend-material. He was just her best male friend, her Damian-shaped friend. Like a brother. But he could make another girl very happy someday.

So, no thinking of boys as of yet and therewith no wishing about boys.

Well, okay, her wish had been about a boy, but she wouldn't tell them. She was very superstitious about everything concerning wishes, so she would never tell anyone her wish. Otherwise it might just be her luck and it would never be fulfilled. Now, she could at least hope. Hope that she might see her brothers, and especially Goten, her other half, again, and this before it was her time to go to the Afterlife.

Still, nothing short of a miracle or of the Kaioushin bending some rules and allowing one or both of her brothers to visit her on Earth for a couple of hours could fulfill her wish. A twinge of regret and guilt tightened her stomach, as she thought about New Namek and the spaceship that she had destroyed so many years ago. Their only possibility to get the Namekian Dragonballs and resurrect everyone who had died since Babidi had arrived on Earth. So much pain and heartbreak could have been avoided, if she hadn't destroyed it.

"Hey, why the long face?" Damian tore her out of her thoughts. "It's your birthday, a reason to be happy! So smile and let us have some cake!"

Forcing a smile on her face, Jenny tried to banish the depressing thoughts and turn her full attention back to her friends. "Oh yeah, there's nothing better than some cake at midnight… oh, wait… there is! Prezzies!"

"Patience, little grasshopper," Nik told her and reached out to ruffle her hair. But Jenny was quicker and evaded his 'attack', mock-scowling at him. "Your present is at Tenshinhan's."

"Tenshinhan's?" Jenny sounded shocked. This was the first time she didn't get her presents at midnight. And did she hear right? There was only one? Not to sound spoiled or anything, but in the last few years she had truly enjoyed getting presents from her friends. "But why?"

"Because we're all having dinner over there tonight anyway _and_ it's a bit bigger than usual." Nik poked her into the side. "Come on, stop pouting. The wait'll be worth it, you'll see."

Bigger than usual? And she'd have to wait until tonight? Great, now her curiosity was even greater than before, but she knew her friends and this meant she really had to take the suspense until tonight. "Alright… but if I have to wait until tonight, I want a bigger piece of cake than usual!"

Her friends chuckled at her antics, but complied and divided up the cake, with Jenny getting the biggest piece, of course. Not that she wouldn't have gotten it anyway. It was her birthday, after all.

* * *

Jenny was whistling quietly, as she was walking through the snow the next morning. The day was really beautiful, fresh snow covering everything and not to forget the blue sky and the sun shining down on her. Everyone else was in classes right now and Jenny just came from a late breakfast in the kitchens – thanks so much, Chao-Zu! – and wanted to go back to her room to get a blanket and a book. With the sun shining down on her, she was pretty sure that the lake was a good place to get some reading done.

However, she didn't get far, as she almost collided with Li, as they both rounded a corner of the dorm building. In a sudden attack of clumsiness – which Jenny still had every so often, despite the better control she now had over her body – she stumbled backwards and would have fallen into the snow, if Li hadn't caught her arm with his fast reflexes.

"Hey, hey," he laughed quietly, "careful."

"Sorry," Jenny apologized with a sheepish grin on her face. "Hey Li."

"Nothing to be sorry for." Li waved her off with a smile. "I should have paid more attention myself. But actually, it's good bumping into you. You're just the girl I was looking for."

"You were looking for me?" Jenny asked confused. "Why?"

Chuckling, Li put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, first I wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Fourteen, huh? I can't believe it's been three and a half years since I saw you fight those bikers. You were still a small thing back then."

"Li…" Jenny warned, as she fought the blush that was threatening to appear on her face.

"Alright," Li laughed, "I'm shutting up now. But wishing you a happy birthday wasn't the only thing I wanted. I also have to ask you a favor."

"Sure… what is it?"

"Later today, a new student will arrive," Li explained. "And I know it's your free day, but everyone else is busy, so I wanted to ask you to welcome him and show him around. That is, if don't have anything better to do on your birthday."

"'s okay," Jenny shrugged. "I guess I would have been bored this afternoon anyway. So, what's the deal with the new student?"

Chuckling, Li answered, "Why don't we go to the kitchens for a cup of cocoa and then I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Sounds great."

A few minutes later, the two of them were sitting at the wooden table in the back of the kitchens, each of them having a steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of them. Courtesy of Chao-zu, who, fortunately, had lunch duty today. Which would leave him free for the feast he was very likely to produce tonight. Inhaling deeply, Jenny caught the scent of cinnamon in the chocolate and smiled. Another Chao-zu special.

"Okay, Li… enough stalling. What's the what with the new boy?" she finally asked after Li hadn't said anything since they had received their hot chocolates. As a matter of fact, now that she looked at him closely, she noticed that he was a bit nervous. This was strange. Li was never nervous when he was expecting a new student – excited, yes, but nervous. No.

"His name is Hamal, he's fifteen years old and he's from the southern regions, from a rather large clan living near the Southern Capital. His family is very high regarded in his clan and apparently there is a very large responsibility resting on his shoulders. He is groomed to be a part of the family business and so it has been understandably hard to convince him to come to this school."

Jenny frowned, as she took another sip from her hot chocolate. Somehow, she had the feeling that there was more to this _Hamal_ than Li was telling her. "But that's not what's got you all nervousy."

"You're much more observant that I give you credit for," Li admitted sheepishly. "But you're right. It's not his position in his family that I'm worried about. It's his cultural background, or rather the culture of the whole clan."

"Why?"

Frowning slightly, Li put his mug back on the table, before he answered, "It's about the way they regard girls and women."

"Wait," Jenny interrupted him, feeling anger well up inside of her. Li wasn't seriously considering letting someone who thought that women were far beneath him come to this school. This was only asking for trouble. Sure, Jenny was pretty tolerant of other cultures and religions, but this was going too far. "You're not telling me that women don't have any rights in their culture, are you?" The anger and indignation she was feeling for this was clearly visible in her voice.

Jenny was ready to argue with her teacher, ready to convince him that someone with this mindset would only have and probably cause problems at this school, especially seeing that all the girls here were pretty strong – and this not just with their muscles. None of them would like to hear him talk bad about their gender, telling them about their right place. However, what she hadn't expected was the amused chuckle, which quickly turned into full-blown laughter.

"Li! This is no joking matter!"

Trying to get his laughter back under control, Li said, still chuckling, "Of course, you're right. However, you shouldn't judge the boy too quickly. As a matter of fact, it is quite the opposite of what you're thinking. In their culture, women are very highly regarded and they can do all the things they want to. Many of them work in high positions in their clans. However, there's one thing. They are very protective of their women, no harm may come to them, so there's one thing that the women simply don't do."

The way Li was looking at her, Jenny guessed that he was expecting her to find the solution by herself, only with the help of the clues he had given her. Taking another sip from her hot chocolate, Jenny mulled over what Li had told her. Highly regarded. Good jobs. No harm. That's it! No harm! "Women don't fight in their culture," she blurted out.

"That's right. And this was another reason for Hamal's reluctance to come here, once I've told him that both boys and girls are taught martial arts at my school. However, he has offered to keep an open mind and take a look at how things work around here. And just as every student, it's up to him, if he wants to stay to finish his training or to leave the school, if he doesn't."

Nodding, Jenny thought that it certainly won't be easy for the new boy. She really couldn't imagine suddenly going to a place where she wasn't allowed to fight anymore. Going to a completely different place, a completely different culture, where everything you were taught all your life was null and void. Everything in her would rebel at such a place. "Alright, I'll help you show him around. When do you want me to come to your office?"

"He will arrive at about noon and then I will show him to his room. So I guess one o'clock would be okay."

* * *

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late…" Jenny mumbled, as she skidded around a corner, almost slipping on the ice that had gathered underneath the snow. How could she have lost track of time like this? One moment, she was sitting at lunch with her friends and then suddenly it was already one o'clock and no one had told her! Just as she arrived at Li's house, her clumsiness reared its head again and she found herself face to face with the snowy ground. "Ow…" she muttered, more out of embarrassment than out of actual pain, as she climbed to her feet again. Dusting herself off, she cast furtive glances around, but it seemed as if no one had witnessed her klutz-attack. Phew…

Now much more carefully, Jenny went into the house and directly to Li's office. Once there, she knocked at the door and took a deep breath, when Li asked her to come in. "Ah, Jenny… there you are. Hamal, I would like you to meet Jenny, one of my best students. Jenny, this is Hamal."

When she had entered the room, she could only see the back of the boy's head, his hair as black as the night, but when he turned around and got up, when Li introduced her, it took all her control to not stare at him open mouthed. Never before had she seen a creature as beautiful as him. Tall, caramel colored skin, shiny black hair that was falling into breathtaking dark blue eyes and a sharp jaw line made up this perfect specimen of a man. Slightly calloused hands gently took her own and he breathed a light kiss over her knuckles. "It's nice to meet you, Jenny."

"L-likewise," Jenny could only stutter, trying to calm her racing heart and hoping against hope that her face was not as red as it felt like. This was just… wow! What was that feeling? The heat running through her body, the quick thumping of her heart, the breathlessness…

"Alright, Jenny," Li's voice tore her out of her stupor, "Hamal has already been to his room, but he hasn't seen the rest of the school yet. I trust you to show him all the important things."

"S-sure," Jenny quickly said, cursing herself that she was still completely wobbly on her knees. "You wanna go?"

"Lead the way."

Just as she thought she would regain her composure again, his smile caught her off guard again. She swallowed hard and wondered, how she would survive this day, or his stay at this school in general. And her worries grew even more, when Li called after her, "Oh, Jenny, I almost forgot. Hamal will join your group."

On the way outside, Jenny didn't say anything, still too dazed and too worried about what might escape her mouth to open it. But Hamal was just as quiet, obviously still taking everything in. As they stepped out of the house, Jenny had just gathered her courage to ask him, what he would like to see first, when her foot hit an icy spot and she once again was on her way to meet the ground. This time, however, two strong arms caught her just in time and a light chuckle could be heard next to her ear.

"Careful…"

Blushing deeply, Jenny allowed Hamal to help her back up, but there was a sheepish grin on her face, as she admitted, "You better get used to this. When I'm not fighting, I'm totally clumsy, though it has become a lot better. I swear my friends are betting behind my back, about when I will again stumble over air."

"Then I better watch out and catch you every time you fall."

_Was this guy for real?_

"You better," Jenny quickly told him with a grin, glad that the ice seemed to be broken thanks to her second klutz-attack that day. "So, where do you wanna go first? If you're hungry, we can go to the cafeteria or the kitchens – I'm sure they still have something for you. Or would you like to see the gym or the armory or…"

"Jenny," Hamal laughed. "You're babbling. But for your information, I'm not hungry. So there's no need to go to the cafeteria, yet. And the rest… I guess it's up to you. It doesn't matter, what I'll see first, as long as you'll still show me everything."

"Okay… Then let's go to the armory and from there we go to the gym."

While Jenny was showing him around, she found out that it was surprisingly easy to talk to him. He asked her many questions, about where she was from, how long she'd been fighting, when she had come to this school and many more. And Jenny found herself just as curious about the new student. He told her more about where he came from, about his family and his culture. Jenny noticed, how thoughtful he became, when they entered the gym and he saw the fighting girls. How he winced each time, one of them was hit.

"You know, it's just part of our training," she told him quietly, when one girl went down and Hamal let out a sharp hiss. "The cuts, the bruises, everything. We want to fight. We enjoy it."

"I know… I can see it on their faces," he admitted, just as quietly. "It's just hard to watch this. If you were raised the way I was, you would also have problems. But," he then said with a dazzling smile, "I promised Li that I'd be open minded. I imagine it won't be easy, but I have to accept that you were all raised differently."

"That we were, but we also have to accept how you were raised. But don't worry, we'll help you adjust," Jenny promised, daringly putting her hand over his. She was rewarded with another smile that made her knees go weak. "So, you wanna go on? I'd like to introduce you to Tenshinhan, Suki and Chao-zu."

"Sure," Hamal agreed and Jenny was startled to realize that, when he moved his hand away from hers, she really would have liked him to have held on.

She followed him outside and then took over the lead. Or rather, walked next to him, while she was showing him to their next destination – Tenshinhan's and Chao-zu's hut. Well, it wasn't precisely their hut anymore. Just a few months after they had met, when Jenny had invited her to the school, her former teacher Suki Katayama had moved in with Tenshinhan and begun to teach at their school. And then again, just a short time later, they had married in a small and private ceremony.

Jenny remembered this with a grin. While it had been her intention to match up Suki and Vegeta, she had to admit that Suki and Tenshinhan made a much cuter couple. Now she just couldn't wait until they had children. Though she hoped that the children wouldn't have three eyes like Tenshinhan, because no matter how good a friend he was, the third eye still gave her the wiggins sometimes.

"So, here we are," she said, as they stopped in front of the small house. Jenny knocked at the door, something she usually didn't need to do, and just a few seconds later, the door was opened by Suki, wearing an apron and looking a bit surprised by seeing Jenny in front of the door.

"Jenny! I wasn't expecting you, at least not yet! Happy birthday, dear," Suki said, as she gathered Jenny in a tight hug.

"Thanks," Jenny said smiling, once again fighting a small blush. "And I wouldn't have come by until tonight, if Li hadn't asked me to show around our new student. Suki, this is Hamal. He's gonna be in our group."

"Nice to meet you, Hamal," Suki greeted him and shook the boy's hand. "I'm Suki Katayama. I'm one of the two teachers at the school who teach the non-fighting subjects."

"Nice to meet you, too, Miss Katayama," he replied, but then turned to Jenny, "You didn't tell me that it was your birthday. You wasted a part of your birthday to show me around."

"I thought Li had told you," Jenny said shrugging. "And besides, it's no big deal. I would've been bored this afternoon anyway. And it's a real pleasure showing you around and getting to know you."

"It's a real pleasure getting to know you as well," Hamal told her smiling. "And thanks a lot for sacrificing a part of your special day for me. I just wished I had a gift for you, to say thank you."

"Hey, you didn't know, so no big," Jenny waved him off. "But hey, I've got an idea. Why don't you come to the party tonight? Okay, it's not gonna be a real party, just a get together of some friends. We'll meet here at Tenshinhan's, Chao-zu and Suki will spoil us with their skills in the kitchen and we'll just have a good time." Suddenly a sheepish grin spread over her face, as she turned to Suki, "Of course just, if you don't mind."

"Of course not," Suki told her with a wink. "Any friend of Jenny's is welcome."

"Jenny, I really don't want to intrude."

"Nonsense, you're not intruding. After all, you're a part of our group and the other guys will be there, too. So you'll fit right in."

* * *

Jenny had no idea, why she was so nervous. She was standing in front of her mirror, frowning at her reflection. She had to be at Tenshinhan's in five minutes and the others were already there, but probably for the first time in her life, Jenny didn't know what to wear. At this moment, she was wearing boots and skinny jeans that Mailin had talked her into getting and a dark green, long-sleeved peasant blouse. Admittedly, it looked pretty good, but would it be good enough?

Shaking her head, Jenny threw her other options onto her bed and put on her thick jacket and scarf. Even if she stood in front of the mirror for another thirty minutes, she wasn't going to find anything better to wear. Switching off the light, Jenny left the room and hurried downstairs. She was going to be late, again! Once she stepped outside, she shuddered, as a breeze hit her. It was again damn cold and she had to walk through the snow for a few minutes, so she tightly wrapped her arms around herself and began her trek over to Tenshinhan's.

Bundled up as she was, Jenny almost didn't notice the other person that was standing outside. "Hamal? What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you. I know that your friends have already left, but there was still light on in your room, so I thought I could accompany you. This way I can also keep my promise to catch you, should you slip again." There was a teasing grin as he said this, and Jenny grumbled about her clumsiness under her breath. "And besides, I thought I could give you this, before we meet up with your friends."

A wrapped box had appeared in his hands, holding it out for Jenny to take it. "Oh, you really shouldn't have," Jenny replied with a shy grin, as she took the box. "Where did you get it? And what's in there?"

"Master Li went into town later this afternoon, after we got back to the dorms, and I asked him if I could join him. I went to the store there, _Kioko's_, and once the nice owner figured out that I was looking for a small gift for you, she gave me this. She said it's your favorite chocolate."

"Oooh, really? That's so sweet, thank you," Jenny said beaming. She really wanted to hug him, to thank him for the nice present, but wasn't sure if she could do it already. They had only known each other for a few hours, after all. Instead, she settled for taking his hand and squeezing it. "Now we better go… I was already late, but now we're even more late."

"You're right. Let's not let your friends wait any longer for the birthday girl…" With a gentle tug at her hand, Hamal pulled her along. Jenny's heart soared, as he didn't let go of her hand until they were standing in front of the hut.

"You know, they're gonna be your friends, too."

Hamal laughed, a sound that sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. "You're a very optimistic girl. I like that."

This time, when they reached the house, Jenny didn't knock, but just went inside. There she was immediately greeted by her friends, hugged and passed around to those who hadn't had the opportunity to wish her a happy birthday, yet. First after everyone was done with her, Jenny had the chance to introduce Hamal to them. Just as she had expected, he was accepted warmly into their group, and just a short time later, they were all sitting around a large table, which was loaded with enough food to feed an entire army.

They feasted and talked and laughed, Hamal joining in, telling the others about himself and other stories, much to Jenny's delight. It really seemed as if he was giving her friends a chance, even though half of them were girls who were fighting. Maybe it would really work with him at this school. She really hoped so.

Once everyone was full and had even managed to eat at least two helpings of the delicious chocolate pudding that Suki had prepared for dessert, the table was cleared and Jenny noticed how Nik and Tenshinhan disappeared. She was almost giddy, when she realized what this meant – she was finally going to get her present!

And her suspicions proved to be correct, as they came back just a few minutes later with a long colorfully wrapped package. Grinning brightly, she jumped up, much to her friends' amusement. Nik even laughed, as he said, "Alright, Jenny… You've been patient all day. So, here's your prezzie. But I've got one warning – before you can use it, you will have to wait a bit longer."

"What are you talking about?" Jenny asked, as she put the package on the table and then began to tear the paper open.

However, the moment she spotted what was inside, her eyes went wide. There, in front of her, was a sheath, or better, two sheaths, made of black leather. A long one and a short one, almost crossing each other, with two adjustable straps of the same leather. There was metal at their tips and the top, where the swords entered the sheaths.

"This is… amazing…" she breathed, as she very carefully took the sheaths into her hands, feeling the soft and at the same time sturdy leather under her fingertips. They looked as if they were to be worn on her back, and without needing her friends to tell her so, Jenny slipped her arms through the straps. She adjusted the lengths of the straps and then rolled her shoulders. She barely noticed the sheaths on her back. "Thank you guys, thanks so much!"

She hugged each of them in turn, still not believing what her friends had given her. When she got to Nik, he explained, "It's handmade by Li, though Zoe designed it. We just gave him some money and the designs and he did the rest."

"Then I'll have to thank him tomorrow, as well," she replied grinning, but the grin was quickly replaced by a pout. "But it's not fair! Now I have a birthday present that I can't use for another couple of years."

Nik laughed and ruffled through her long hair, "But you can hang them into your room and you'll know what you're training for."

Laughing as well, Jenny hugged Nik again, but as she let go of him, she noticed Hamal going to the door out of the corner of her eyes. "I'll be back in a few," she told Nik and then went to her, hopefully, new friend. "Hey, you're leaving without saying goodbye?"

"I apologize, I didn't want to disturb you. But I'm really tired, it's been a long day," he explained.

"It's okay, I can understand. Here, let me show you outside." Forgoing her own jacket, she followed Hamal outside. "Thanks again for coming and for the chocolate of course. You made a chocoholic very happy tonight."

"Thank you for having me," Hamal replied smiling, before taking Jenny's hand again and kissing her knuckles just as he had done earlier that day. However, this time the look in his eyes was completely different, almost smoldering. "I'm really glad to have met such a nice and beautiful young woman on my first day."

Blushing again, Jenny lowered her gaze slightly. This was the first time that a boy had called her beautiful. And most importantly, also meant it. "Thanks…"

A strand of her blond hair fell into her eyes and another pleasant shudder ran down her spine, as Hamal tugged it back behind her ear. "You better go back inside. It's cold."

Jenny nodded and then, before she could get cold feet again, embraced the new boy. "Thanks again, for coming. You made the day even nicer. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Jenny. Sleep well."

Jenny stared after him for a moment, after he had let go of her and was on his way back to the dorms. Once he had disappeared in the darkness, she sighed with a dreamy smile on her face. She felt so warm, even though it was freezing outside, but common sense told her that it would really be better to go back inside. Besides, she still had guests in there, after all.

However, she hadn't expected the whistles and cheers from her friends, when she had closed the door behind her. Apparently, they had all watched through the window what had happened outside. Great.

Mailin was grinning brightly, as she said, "Oh girl, you've got it bad!"

* * *

Yes, Jenny was attracted to the new boy. Yes, she had a really bad crush on him. And yes, she had no idea, how to deal with it. This was the first time this had happened to her after all! So she did the best she could do in still being nice to him, trying to act as normal as possible and hopefully hiding really well what she was feeling for him.

However, it was a lot easier said than done.

Since he was working with the quarterstaff, it would fall to Jenny to train with him, but in the first two weeks, she was lucky, as Li was taking some time to personally train with the new student. But once those two weeks were over, it was up to her to tutor him. At least for the first few months.

She tried, she really did, to talk and joke with him like she did with her other friends, but it was getting increasingly difficult, especially as he had claimed the seat next to her during the meals.

However, just before the two weeks were over, something happened that she had never expected. On Saturday morning, after breakfast, Hamal asked her to go for a walk with him. Confused, but with a racing heart, she agreed. It was a beautiful day, if a bit cold, but the sun was shining and there was no cloud at the sky. Her hands were sweaty, so she wiped them in her jeans, and this just in time, as Hamal suddenly took her hands into his own and said, his dark blue eyes meeting her light blue ones,

"Jenny, there's something I need to ask you," he said, sounding a bit nervous himself.

"What is it?"

"I…" Hamal cleared his throat, suddenly not sounding as eloquent as he usually did. "You're truly a great girl. Funny, beautiful, smart… everything a guy could want. And I wanted to ask you, if you'd do me the honor to go out with me tonight."

"As in on a date?" Jenny asked slowly.

"Preferably."

Jenny didn't know what to say. Okay, she knew what she wanted to say, but what if this was a dream, or just a joke? Could she really say yes?

Apparently, Jenny was hesitating too long, because a disappointed look replaced the expectant one on Hamal's face. "I see…"

"No, wait," Jenny hurried to say, grabbing his hand as he turned to go. "I'd love to go on a date with you. Really. I was just surprised that you asked me."

"Great!" Hamal was beaming at her. "I'll be at your door at six o'clock tonight. We'll go into town. Dinner and movie, perhaps? I've heard that those are the classics."

"Sounds good," she replied with a bright grin on her face. She really couldn't believe it. She was going on her first date with a really great boy!

* * *

They were lucky that a few more students had decided to head into town that night, so Nik had offered to drive them all into town in a small bus and bring them back to school later after the movies were over. Jenny was really glad for that, because walking the distance would have taken too long, and it was also far too cold for this.

Jenny and Hamal started their date with dinner in a nice restaurant in town, nothing too fancy, but also not too cheap. They enjoyed a delicious meal – Jenny swore she had never had a steak this good – and with good conversation and a lot of laughter the time passed quickly and they had to pay to go to the movies. Being the gentleman that he was, Hamal paid for everything, though it went a bit against Jenny's independent streak to accept it. The movie was okay, though some special effects were really bad, but at least this gave them something to laugh and talk about on their way back to the school.

Hamal had his arm wrapped her shoulder and had her pulled close against him, and he didn't let go, as they got into the bus and took the seat furthest in the back. Jenny relished in the warmth of his body and pressed herself even tighter against him. She sighed happily. The only thing missing now was a goodnight kiss. Or maybe even more than a simple goodnight kiss.

Nik let them out of the bus in the main yard and all students headed back to the dorms. However, before Jenny and Hamal went inside, Jenny suddenly got another idea. It wasn't too late, yet, not even eleven o'clock and this meant no curfew yet. Grabbing his hand, Jenny pulled him away from the others.

"Where are we going?" Hamal asked laughing. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to the gym. I challenge you to a sparring match," Jenny told him only glancing over her shoulder, but still grinning. She didn't notice the dark look pass over his face.

Inside the gym, Jenny took off her jacket and pulled the blouse that she had borrowed from Mailin over her head. She was wearing a top underneath, so it wasn't as if she was doing striptease in front of her… boyfriend? Was he her boyfriend now?

Hamal also took off his jacket, only much more slowly. "Are you sure that this is a good idea, Jenny? What if we get caught? I don't want to get you into trouble."

"Hey, first of all, it's me who'd get me into trouble," she said, as she passed him a quarterstaff. "And second, we're allowed to train as long as we want, as long as we're in our dorms at curfew. Now, come on. I wanna see what you can do."

Still hesitating, Hamal followed Jenny into the gym onto one of the mats. Jenny made the first move and Hamal managed to block her hit. "Not bad," she said, grinning in excitement, and attacked again.

Jenny wasn't using her full strength, of course, and just the basic moves. She shouldn't forget that Hamal might have had some previous training, but that he was still fairly new to this. But she was impressed by what he could do, the way he moved and instinctively parried her blows. He was a lot better than she had expected and it was really fun sparring with him and according to the light sparkle in his eyes, he seemed to enjoy it as well. She couldn't wait until Monday, when she got to train with him for real.

Jenny lost almost track of time, so she was surprised, when Hamal pointed out that it was almost curfew and that they'd better head back, or they would really get into trouble. They quickly got dressed again and hurried to the dorms. Once again being a gentleman, he brought her to the door to her room. Here it comes, Jenny thought, once again feeling incredibly nervous. This was usually the moment in all the movies, when the boy kissed the girl.

"So…"

"So…"

"It was really nice," Jenny offered. "Thanks for the great night."

"I enjoyed going out with you as well, Jenny. I had a lot of fun."

And then he did it. Hamal carefully leaned down and placed his lips upon hers. It was soft and light, but still better than she had imagined. Tingles spread all through her body and she had to resist the urge to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him closer.

All too soon, Hamal pulled away. Jenny sighed and opened her eyes again. He was still very close to her and she could feel his breath on her face. "Goodnight," he whispered, and placed another kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight…" Jenny replied just as quietly and then disappeared in her room, ready to face the Spanish Inquisition going by the name of Mailin.

* * *

"What do you mean, you're breaking up with me?" Jenny asked shocked the next day, as Hamal took her aside before lunch. Here she had expected some smoochies or cuddling, but not this! She fought the tears that were threatening to appear in her eyes. No, she wouldn't cry. She wouldn't!

"I'm leaving the school," Hamal told her soothingly. "I'm sorry… I've tried, I've really tried, but I can't do this. You've shown me this last night."

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything."

"You've shown me how it is to fight against a girl, a woman. While you were a great sparring partner, I've felt so bad afterwards. By fighting against you, I've gone against everything I've been taught. I could have hurt you and I never could have forgiven myself. That's why I can't do this. I'm sorry…"

"So, it's not because of me?"

"No…" Hamal shook his head forcefully and gently grabbed her shoulder. "I meant what I said yesterday. You are truly an extraordinary young woman and any man would be happy to have you at his side. And I would have loved to be this man, but then I would have had to ask you give up fighting, and I could never do that. Fighting is in your blood and this is something I can't take away from you. You would be unhappy and I couldn't bear that…"

Jenny nodded, still not crying, but feeling so incredibly small and insecure, though his words had been slightly soothing. "I'll miss you," she whispered eventually.

"And I'll miss you… and once again, I'm so sorry…" He kissed her on the forehead one last time and then turned around and left.

Jenny watched him retreat, feeling numb, until she couldn't see him anymore. Then she turned on her heels and went back to her room, where Mailin found her a short time later. First when she told Mailin what had happened, she let her tear fall. Mailin, fulfilling her duty as best friend, stayed with her the whole afternoon, even organizing a huge bowl of ice cream as comfort food, and allowed Jenny to wallow, reassuring her friend again and again that Hamal was an idiot and that everything will be fine.

Fortunately, Jenny's feelings for Hamal had really been just a crush, and while he had been her first date and first kiss, Jenny realized a few weeks later, that she was already over him.


	53. Part III: The Graduation Tournament

**A/N: Yay, only six weeks for this chapter. Next to work, real life and having to write the final paper for my exam not bad, huh? And it's an extra long chapter on top of that. I had thought of cutting it into two, but somehow couldn't find the right place to do this, so here we are. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 52: The Graduation Tournament**

"Think of your elbow," Nik panted, as he dodged the quarterstaff that was flying towards him. "Yeah, just like that. Very good."

He and Jenny were sparring and had been doing so for the last three hours. Blocking, dodging, attacking, almost no breaks except for a minute here or there to drink something. And this was no light sparring either. In the past few weeks, Nik had decided that he would go full out, to see how Jenny would fair against this, and she had surprised him. To be completely honest, a few years ago, just after she had started, he had almost believed that she would never get to this level.

Nik could feel the sweat running down his face, his neck and his back and he was sure that their match would be over soon, because except for the grin on Jenny's face, she looked pretty exhausted as well. He wasn't sure how she felt, but every part of his body was hurting, screaming at him to stop, or at least to slow down and take it easy. Jenny had been keeping him on his toes the whole time, and this wasn't the first time she had done this.

Gone was the little girl who couldn't properly hold the staff or the sword, gone were the insecurities while fighting. Instead he was now facing a confident and competent fighter, against whom he was probably going to lose. Again. Because Jenny beating him in their sparring matches – be it with the quarterstaff or the swords – had become a quite common theme in the past few weeks. And somehow, she wasn't even aware of it.

He really needed to talk to Li, he decided, as he tried and failed to dodge the quarterstaff, as it hit him on the back. Nik went down to his knees and dropped his own staff. "I surrender," he groaned, already knowing that, come morning, his body would be littered with bruises. Oh yeah, gone was the time when he left a sparring match with Jenny unscathed.

"Already?" Jenny asked incredulously. "But we're just getting started!"

"You're kidding, right? My whole body is hurting!"

"Then you shouldn't hold back and allow me to hit you so often," Jenny countered, holding out her hand and helping him back to his feet.

Nik actually raised his eyebrows at that, as Jenny turned around and picked up his quarterstaff as well. Was she really thinking that he had been holding back, when he had, in fact, been giving everything? "Delusional," he muttered under his breath, so that Jenny wouldn't hear him.

But there was a wide grin on his face. He really needed to talk to Li.

"So, we better hit the showers. I'll see ya at dinner?"

"Sure," Jenny replied, as she was already on her way to the armory to bring the quarterstaffs back. First when she was sure that Nik wouldn't see or hear her anymore, she let out a sigh. She really hoped that Nik would stop holding back soon, because while she enjoyed the sparring matches and still thought they were challenging, she felt that she needed… more.

* * *

Nik groaned, as he stretched his arms over his head, feeling a few joints plop. He was already feeling loads better after the shower and some stretching exercises, but neither the hot water nor the exercises would keep his skin from turning blue, where Jenny had hit him really hard. Well, he was a fighter, so he just had to live with it. Though it hurt. A lot. And he was a man and wasn't allowed to whine. Damn.

Rolling his shoulders slightly, he walked through Li's house and knocked at the door to his office. With any luck, Li hadn't gone to dinner yet and he could still talk to him. He smiled relieved, when he heard Li's voice ask him to come in.

"Hey Li," Nik greeted him, as he slumped down on the soft couch in the corner of the office. He had to suppress another groan, hoping that Li wouldn't notice how sore he was, but the older teacher must have seen something pass over his face, as he sat down across from him chuckling.

"Hard training today?"

"Not really," Nik replied, "'twas just the last sparring match today. I'm totally beat."

"And yet you're here and not at dinner or in your room," Li pointed out. "So, what brings you here? Is it about the graduation test?"

"As a matter of fact, it is," Nik admitted. "I think I've found another candidate to take the test, but I wanted to hear your opinion first."

"Who is it?"

"Jenny." Their gazes met for a second, as Li looked at him, not with surprise, as he had expected, but with understanding. "In the past few weeks, I've been going full out during our sparring matches and it seems that we're about equal. I beat her, she beats me. But… the weird thing is… she thinks I'm still holding back."

"So, you think she's ready to take the test."

Nodding, Nik continued with his explanation. "Strength-wise and technique-wise, yes, I think she's ready. She's certainly one of the best fighters we have at the moment. She could wipe the floor with several older students, I'm sure of that."

"So…" Li said again thoughtfully, "you think she has reached her full potential, that there's nothing left that we could teach her?"

"Yes, I believe that she has come as far as the limitations of her human body allow her to come." The expression on Nik's face was one of complete seriousness. He had been thinking long and hard about this, and he had come to the conclusion that he had taught Jenny everything he knew. And she had been soaking it up like a sponge. Only lately, in the past few weeks, he hadn't seen any progress in her. Other teachers had said the same about her, when he had discreetly inquired about it. Of course, Nik had always been really careful that Jenny wouldn't find out about his thoughts about her training. "Sure, she still makes mistakes now and then, but we all do. That's because we're only human."

"Human…" Li muttered, and then leaned back in his chair for a moment, closing his eyes. Nik waited patiently for Li to open his eyes again, to finish his ponderings, but Li's voice sounded through the room before he opened his eyes again. "Tell me… do you think that, if we'd let her stay here for one more year, we'd hold her back?"

"Yes," Nik answered with conviction. "Her human body has reached its full potential. There's nothing more for us to do other than let her go, so that she can enhance that, what she has learned here, in her Saiyajinform. We can't offer her that kind of training. We would never stand a chance in a sparring session against her and because of that we would be more of a hindrance than a help. She needs to do this alone, or with Vegeta. Although," he added with a grin, "seeing her perform that what we have taught her in her Saiyajinform would be totally awesome!"

Li couldn't suppress the laugh at seeing the excited look on his former student's face. "I'm sure it would be 'totally awesome'," he agreed, still chuckling, but quickly sobered up. "Nik, I'm glad that you have come to see me, because you've just confirmed what I've suspected as well. Jenny is ready to take the test."

Nik sighed in relief. He had been a bit afraid of what Li thought of his judgment, but hearing him say that he was thinking the same gave him a small boost of confidence. Still, not all his concerns about Jenny were gone. "But Li, there's still something, I'm worried about. Jenny doesn't expect to graduate for another couple of years and I'm not sure if she even wants to take the test, if she believes that she's ready for this. And I'm also a bit afraid of the setback she might experience, if it somehow shows during the test that she wasn't ready after all."

"Tell me, Nik, in the years that you have been at this school, has there ever been a student who has failed at the test?" Nik thought back for a moment, but then shook his head. "See? It's because almost none of them do. Ever since I've founded this school, there have been three students who didn't graduate after taking the test, and this was back at the beginning. And even then, it hadn't been them who had failed, but it had been my judgment. However, I believe in the past few decades my judgment has become a lot better. You see, basically, the moment I decide with the other teachers that a student is ready to take the test, he or she has already graduated. The test is just a formality, nothing else."

Nik was stunned to hear this. Though it was already his third year as a teacher here at this school, he hadn't known that there was no meaning to the test. He had already helped with two of those tests and never had he even suspected that they didn't mean anything in the end, that it was already decided that the student would graduate. "Do the other teachers know?"

"Some," Li admitted with a sheepish grin, "the ones that I trust most not to tell it to their students. I don't want the students to take the _test_ too lightly. As of now, you are one of those that I trust, not to blab it to your friends."

"Don't worry, Li," Nik replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "I solemnly swear that I won't tell anyone about how the test isn't a real test. Now, let's get back to Jenny."

"Yeah, Jenny," Li mumbled thoughtfully. He shared Nik's worries about Jenny thinking that she wasn't ready. "Only what to do about her?"

Both of them fell silent for a moment, until suddenly a wide, mischievous grin spread over Nik's face. "I think I've got an idea."

* * *

Wednesday morning. The week was almost over, as was the school year. Note even two more weeks and then she would go back to Vegeta and spend once again the summer holidays training with him and hoping that she could still spend some time with her friends, just as last summer. But before she could go home there was one big event she was looking forward to – the final test of those students who would graduate at the end of the year.

This year, two of their group would graduate – given that they passed the test. Ejnar and Zoe.

Jenny sighed. Once those two were gone, only she and Sel were left of their group. Until now, there had been no new students that fit to them, when she wasn't counting Hamal, who had, after all, only been there for two weeks before he bolted. Stupid coward, she cursed in her thoughts. Oh yeah, she was long over him. But this didn't mean that she wasn't angry at him for giving up so quickly.

"Good morning, Jenny," Mailin greeted her with a bright smile, as she joined Jenny in the bathroom. "How was the morning run?"

"It was okay," Jenny replied with a yawn. Even after almost four years at this school, she would never get used to getting up at the crack of dawn, or in winter, looooong before dawn. Weekend and sleeping in had never sounded as good as during the months that she had to get up so early. She just couldn't understand Nik, who, even though as teacher no longer needed to go on the morning runs, still joined them every single morning. Suddenly, Jenny frowned. "Wait… Nik wasn't there…"

"Really?" Mailin asked in disbelief. "He's never missed the morning run, unless he was really ill. What did you do to him during your sparring match yesterday?"

"Nothing, really," Jenny reassured her friend, who was looking at her incredulously. "_Really! _He was at dinner, yesterday, and he was normal! I'll just ask him at breakfast."

"Let's do that," Mailin agreed.

They both finished their business in the bathroom and, freshly showered and dressed, they walked to breakfast together. Damian was already waiting for them at their table, complaining about them always taking longer in the bathroom. The girls just laughed it off and turned their attention to their breakfast. A few minutes later they were joined by Selvyn, Zoe and Ejnar.

"Hey Jenny," Zoe said, as she sat down next to the younger, but since about two years ago, taller girl. "I've met Li outside. He asks you to come to him after breakfast."

"What did you do?" Damian asked suspiciously.

Jenny threw her hands in the air and shook her head. Why did everyone always think that it was her fault? "I didn't do anything. _Really!_"

Grumbling, she turned her attention back to her breakfast, but still couldn't help but wonder, why Li wanted to see her. As far as she knew, she really hadn't done anything that might warrant a visit to Li. And if Li just wanted a friendly chat, he wouldn't summon her to his office. Looking around, she hoped to find Nik. Maybe he knew more about what Li might want from her. But her friend was still nowhere to be seen.

Damn it! Where was he?

Once she was finished with her breakfast, Jenny excused herself from her friends and walked quickly to Li's house. She had decided that Li just had to know something about Nik's no-show during the morning run and breakfast and thought she could use his wanting to see her to ask him about her missing friend.

She only had to knock once before she heard Li's voice telling her to come inside and she just wanted to say hello to her teacher, when she saw that one of the chairs in front of the desk was occupied by none other than her missing friend Nik. "Here you are!" she said instead of greeting Li. "I've been worried about you, after you missed the morning run and breakfast. Where've you been?"

"Hey Jenny," Nik greeted her with a cheeky grin and then turned slightly in his chair, pushing his right leg to the side, a leg that was in encased in a white cast. "I'm sorry you missed me, but I was down in town to get this."

"What happened? What did you do?"

Nik chuckled dryly. "Missed the last step of the stairs this morning and broke my leg. Kinda embarrassing, huh?"

"Does it hurt? When will the cast come off?"

"Nah, doesn't hurt… the cast's just itching a bit. And it will come off in about six weeks. And this kinda sucks."

"And this is also the reason why I've asked you to come to my office," Li threw in, amused by the fact that Jenny seemed to have completely forgotten that he was there and that he had asked to see her. But it also warmed his heart to see how worried she was for her friend.

Jenny looked up startled, her eyes wide. She had really forgotten that Li was also in the room. Blushing lightly and with an embarrassed chuckle, Jenny scratched the back of her head. "Oops… sorry Li, I was kinda distracted. But first, good morning."

"Good morning, Jenny," Li chuckled again, but decided to spare the girl any more embarrassment and get straight to the point. "As you have noticed, Nik is currently unable to perform his duties at this school and I've asked you to come here because of this."

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked, a suspicious note creeping into her voice. Why would Li ask her of all people to see him when Nik was injured? She was just a student here, after all.

"Ah, don't worry, Jenny. I'm not asking you to take over his classes. That's all covered." Jenny almost breathed a sigh of relief, when Li assured her this. However, the grin on his face promised a 'but'. She dreaded it, but wasn't surprised when he really continued with this stupid word. "But with the graduation test coming up next Saturday, I really need your help. But why don't you sit down, while we're talking about it? Would you like some coffee?"

"No, thanks," Jenny replied, as she sat down next to Nik. She gave her friend a warning look, as he seemed to be in on whatever Li wanted to ask of her. Of course he was in on it; it was because of him that she was here after all. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"Face Ejnar and Zoe during the test," Li told her bluntly, thinking it best to get over with it as quickly as possible. Her eyes widened, but before she could say or do anything, Li continued, "You will fight Ejnar with the swords and Zoe with the quarterstaff. But don't worry, that's the only two fights you'll have to participate in, as Zoe is facing another graduating student with the sword during the test."

"Don't worry?" Jenny mumbled in disbelief. "Don't worry? Li, I'm fourteen years old, I've only been at this school for four years! I can't face them in a real fight! They'll kick my ass!"

"Language, Jenny," Li admonished her gently, but smiled inwardly. This was just the reaction he and Nik had expected and he was glad that Nik had had this brilliant idea to get her to fight. When she was already like this, when she only had to substitute, how would she have reacted, if they had told her that she would be an active participant in the graduation test, meaning that she was taking this test as well? "I'm not expecting an answer right now, but tomorrow morning I would like to know what you've decided."

"Li, I really…."

"Think about it," he interrupted her. "Talk to your friends about it. Make your decision. And tell me tomorrow. But I have to tell you that it would really be a big help, if you decided to do this. As you know, the graduating students are always facing other graduating students during the test. However, this time we were short of two opponents, one in the category 'sword' and one in the category 'quarterstaff'. I've asked Nik to fight the two students instead, seeing as he's only been out of school himself for only a few years. But now, with Nik out of the picture, we have a problem. I really don't want to ask older teachers, as they might have the unfair advantage of experience on the students. And currently, you are the only student advanced enough with the quarterstaff to take on older students. And since your work with the sword is also by far more than satisfactory, we thought to ask you to replace Nik in both his fights, instead of involving even more students."

"Please, Jenny, think about it…"

Jenny turned her head and looked into Nik's wide eyes begging her to do this. He had perfected the puppy dog eyes and they worked on many people, only his girls, meaning Anisah, Zoe, Mailin and Jenny herself, were somewhat immune to it, after having been exposed to them too often. Today, however, Jenny felt pity for him with the broken leg and all and allowed the eyes to work on her. "Alright, I'll think about it and tell you guys tomorrow."

"That's all we ask, Jenny, that's all we ask." Though Li really hoped that she would agree to this, that somehow the Saiyajin in her would drive her to accept the challenge of fighting seemingly stronger opponents in public. Or maybe, if it wasn't the Saiyajinside, it would be the compassionate human side and the guilty conscience that would tell her to help her friends out.

* * *

Jenny was late for classes – she had barely realized that she had spent most of the morning in Li's office -, but fortunately Suki had already been informed by Li that he had needed to talk to Jenny. Mailin and Damian wanted know why she had to go to Li, of course, but Jenny first got the opportunity to tell them the whole story in their lunch break. Her friends listened with rapt attention and surprise, while they were walking to the cafeteria and going to their table. Jenny was glad to finally get this off her chest, after having already stewed over this ever since Li and Nik had asked her to do this.

"That's awesome," Damian said astonished, once Jenny had told them everything that had occurred in Li's office. "I mean… of course not with Nik's broken leg, but you know what I mean."

"What's awesome?" Selvyn wanted to know, as he, Ejnar and Zoe sat down at their table, at the same time as Zoe asked slightly panicky,

"Nik's got a broken leg? But he's supposed to face Ejnar and me during the graduation fights, he can't have broken leg!"

"Aw, don't worry," Damian quickly tried to calm her. "Jenny's his replacement."

"Jenny's what?" Ejnar asked confused, just as Jenny cried out,

"Hey, I haven't said yes, yet!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Selvyn wanted to know, sounding confused.

Jenny sighed and buried her face in her hands. Sure, Li had asked her to talk to her friends about this, but she already knew what they would say. For now basically the only thing she needed was some time to think about this. Alone. Without her friends' input.

Fortunately, she didn't need to say anything, yet, as Damian, still being the most excited of the group, decided to fill their friends in on what had happened that morning. "Li asked Jenny to replace Nik in the fights against you two, because of his broken leg."

"Wow!" Ejnar whistled in appreciation. "That's amazing. Jenny, that's really a great honor! I can't wait to fight against you! It's gonna be just great!"

"But I haven't said yes, yet!" Jenny repeated, frustrated. Why were they all so excited about it? They were her friends, friends who she had trained and sparred with! They all had to know that she wasn't ready for something as big as this! She still had a couple of years left at this school, so how could they expect her to participate in the graduation tournament as opponent of two graduating students. Li said that he didn't want teachers to fight, because they had too much experience and that this would be unfair, but wouldn't it also be unfair to let them fight against an opponent that was so much weaker and worse than them?

"But you're going to, right? Right?" Zoe asked her. "'Cause I really don't wanna fight a teacher! And to be honest, after Nik, you'd be my second choice."

"Zoe is right," Ejnar agreed. "If they've really asked you to replace him, you just have to say yes."

Jenny shook her head, not wanting to hear more about it, but when Selvyn put his hand over hers, she looked up at him. His eyes were kind and sympathetic and even though the only thing she now wanted to do was to get out of here and get some quiet time, away from her friends, so that she could think about it without anyone trying to convince her, she stayed where she was and listened to what he had to say.

"Jenny," he said softly. "I know that this is quite overwhelming and that, in the end, it's your choice. But please, really, really think about the chance you get. You get the chance to participate in the graduation tournament, in front of an audience, without any pressure. Just… just think of it as a training match, a simple sparring match, a test run of what will happen, when it's your turn to do this for real. But now, it doesn't matter, if you win or lose, you can do it just for fun."

"But what if I make a fool out of myself?" Jenny asked quietly, voicing the fear that had been nagging her the whole time, which had kept her from even considering it.

"You won't, trust me," Selvyn reassured her. "You are a good fighter, Jenny, no one doubts it. Least of all Li and Nik. If they think that you can participate as opponent for Ejnar and Zoe, then you can be a worthy opponent. Think about it, Jenny."

"Thanks," Jenny mumbled, as she got up. She was no longer hungry, and if she got hungry later this afternoon, she could still go to the kitchens for a snack. Now she needed to be alone and think. And while she was thinking, she could just as well get some training done. "I'm sorry guys… I'll see ya later."

* * *

It was later in the afternoon, after the regular training was over, when Selvyn walked to the gym, where Jenny had been since she had left them at lunch. With the graduation tournament looming on the horizon and summer starting most of the regular training had been held outside, so that the graduating students could use the gym to prepare for their fights. After all, a lot depended on them.

As he entered the stands of the gym, he wasn't surprised to see Nik there, sitting on one of the benches of the stands, with his crutches lying next to him on the floor. "Hey," he greeted him, sitting down next to the older boy. "How's the leg?"

"It's good," Nik told him. "It's just… the itching is so annoying."

"I see," Selvyn mumbled thoughtfully and turned his attention back to Jenny, who was practicing with two swords – two swords with blunt edges that Li had specifically made for her training. In the background, she had some classical music playing, which was slow and gentle one moment and then quickly became light and fast. Her movements were in sync to the music, one position gliding flawlessly into the next. It looked truly beautiful and if he didn't like Mailin so much, he could have fallen in love with Jenny right then and there.

When Selvyn looked back to Nik, he saw that the other boy was a bit lost in thoughts, though he was still watching Jenny's every movement.

"She's really good," he said to Nik. "I can understand why you want her to participate on Saturday."

"Yeah, over the last few years she's become an amazing fighter," Nik replied, his voice filled with pride.

They both fell silent again, once again watching Jenny. The music changed, the classical piece being replaced by the beats of some heavy rock music. Immediately her movement changed as well, becoming more aggressive, faster, harder.

"So," Selvyn said at length, "what's gonna happen to me next year? With Ejnar, Zoe and Jenny gone, I'll be the only one left in our group."

Nik's head swiveled around so fast it was a wonder that he didn't get whiplash. "What are you talking about?"

Rolling his eyes, Selvyn told him, "Come on, Nik. I'm sure the others are too nervous about the test to realize this, and I'm not stupid. I've been wondering for the past few weeks, why Jenny wasn't scheduled to graduate with the others this year, so I haven't been surprised, when Jenny told us this morning that you've asked her to _replace_ you."

Grinning, Nik chuckled, "Sometimes you're just too smart for your own good. But you're right. I'm sure, Jenny will kill me, when this is over, for not telling her, but you've seen her reaction. Li and I were pretty sure that she'd never participate if she knew that this is for real."

"Yeah, for someone usually so observant, she really doesn't see her own abilities clearly."

"Yeah, that's our Jenny," Nik agreed with a small smile, once again turning his attention back to the girl in the middle of the gym.

* * *

Oh sweet Dende, what the hell was she doing here?

Dressed in comfortable fighting clothes, consisting of her favorite black training top and jazz pants, Jenny was standing in the midst of the graduating students, waiting for Li to say some last words before the fights began. It was half past nine in the morning – the fights would begin at ten o'clock – and the sun was shining brightly and warmly down on them. A perfect day for the humiliation she was sure she would experience today. The stands were filled with the families and friends from the graduating students, as well as other students, who just wanted to watch the fights.

Great, just great.

She had only been to one other tournament, and this tournament had consisted of only one fight for her, before she had been disqualified. And after that, earth had gone to hell.

Why, oh why had her curiosity and stubbornness and not to forget her conscience won, when she had decided whether she would help out Li by replacing Nik in the graduation tournament? There was no turning back now, and even though she had trained hard in the past few days, she was sure that she would be the laugh of the school once this tournament was over.

"Hey Jenny!" She whirled around startled and saw Nik hobbling up to her. "How are you doing?"

"Just peachy," she mumbled, swallowing hard. Was there some place where she could hide?

"Don't worry, Jenny," Nik told her with a comforting smile. "You'll do great, I'm sure. Just do your best and everything will be fine. Don't forget that."

"I'll try…" Jenny mumbled again, and after he had given her one more smile, Nik hobbled away again, to the front, where Li was now standing.

The moment he cleared his throat, all attention was immediately upon him. He smiled brightly, as he said, "Good morning everyone. I'm glad to see that you're all here and healthy, ready to participate in the graduation tournament. Now I would once again like to remind you of the rules… The fights last thirty minutes and end when the time is up, one of you is out of the ring or knocked out, we count you out or when you surrender. Between each fight we'll have a break of fifteen minutes. There'll be a lunch break from quarter to one until quarter to two and we'll have our last fight at four o'clock. We'll tell you, if you have passed the test until five o'clock and the ceremony to celebrate the graduating students starts at six. And I know I've told you before, but I'd like to tell you once again that you don't need to win the fights to pass the test. Just do your best, show us everything you've learned, and it should be enough. Do you have any questions?"

"How do we know, when it's our turn?" a boy asked.

Chuckling, Li replied, "Sorry, I knew I've forgotten something. At the notice board over there you'll now find the schedule for today." They all looked over their shoulders to the notice board that had previously been empty, but now showed a white sheet of paper. "Go, take a look. I'm sure you're all curious, when you're going to fight."

Excited chatter broke out around her and Jenny followed the other students to the schedule for the fight, looking for her name. She knew it would appear twice and she quickly found it. Her first fight would be at half past eleven against Ejnar with the swords. And then she would be up against Zoe with the quarterstaff directly after the lunch break at quarter to two.

"Oh god, I'm starting," Zoe groaned next to her.

"Come on," Ejnar, who had appeared on Jenny's other side, said, "at least your first fight will be over soon. Me and Jenny will have to wait until half past eleven."

"It's Jenny and I, and you're right," Zoe sighed. "So, Jenny, you're up to the fights?"

Burying her face in her hands, she muttered, "What have I gotten myself into?"

"Don't complain, Jenny," Ejnar grinned at her and took her hands away from her face. "You had the chance to say no, but you didn't, and now you have to go through with it. But come on, it'll be fun! Let's go find some seats and cheer for Zoe."

"Okay," Jenny agreed reluctantly and let herself be pulled away. "Good luck, Zoe!"

* * *

Zoe's first fight ended after thirty minutes in a draw, but Jenny had always known that Zoe's strength lied with the quarterstaff. She was still very good with the sword, though, and had shown this in an excellent fight against her opponent. Jenny was more than sure that Zoe would pass this test, especially since the other fight would be against her.

However, during the second fight Jenny found it difficult to concentrate and towards the end, she and Ejnar left the stands to get ready for their fight. She tried to relax and went through a series of katas to warm up. This helped a bit to clear her mind, but the time to prepare was over too soon and Li announced the next fight to start in five minutes.

The next moment, she and Ejnar were standing at the entrance of the ring, ready to enter when called.

"Are you ready, Jenny?" Ejnar asked her with an excited grin.

Jenny swallowed before she mumbled, "I think I have to puke."

Ejnar laughed and clapped her on the back. "Keep it inside until the end of the fight, okay?"

"I'll do my best."

"And now I'd like to introduce the next two students. Ejnar and Jenny and they are going to fight with the swords," Li's voice pulled Jenny's full attention back to the upcoming fight.

She and Ejnar stepped into the ring and stopped a few yards apart. Two teachers handed them their weapons for this fight and somehow Jenny immediately felt calmer upon having the two training swords in her hands. While they weren't the same ones as the Dragon Swords, she still felt as if they were vibrating in her hands, as if they belonged there. The noise of the audience disappeared in the background and Jenny found herself concentrate on the situation at hand. Once Li said so, she was going to fight Ejnar.

Finally Li gave the signal and an excited grin spread over her face, as Ejnar got into a fighting stance with his long broadsword held in his right hand. This, fighting, was what she was born to do, so why was she afraid? This was her arena, her playground. And even if she lost, she would learn so many new things.

She could do this.

Right at this moment, Ejnar attacked, swinging his sword at her. The grin on her face widened even more, as she managed to block his hit with both of her swords and pushed him back a few steps.

Ooh, this was going to be so much fun!

The noises of the audience around them disappeared, as all her concentration was on the fight. Energy cursed through her veins, excitement and adrenalin pushing her further than she had ever gone at this school. Everything came to her so easily, blocking, dodging, attacking. Using her advantage of being smaller and nimbler than the tall and muscular Ejnar, she kept weaving around him. The swords were like extensions of her arms, almost moving of her own accord.

Or, Jenny thought, still grinning, as she managed to hit Ejnar's leg with the blunt edge of the long sword, maybe all this training had just made the movements with the swords part of her fighting instincts. Her body just knew what to do. She didn't need to think about the movements, she just acted. The only thing she needed to think about was the tactic she would use. But that was easy. While Ejnar was definitely stronger, Jenny was faster, and she was already using this to her advantage.

Ejnar cursed, when Jenny's sword connected with his leg. It actually hurt and she was almost too fast for him to get a good hit himself. But he was still enjoying himself immensely. When Jenny had told them that she had accepted Li's request to replace Nik, he had been secretly relieved that he didn't have to fight against Nik. He had been so sure that, while Jenny would surely put up a good fight, he would defeat her, but now he suddenly wasn't so sure anymore.

He had never expected Jenny to be this good! This fight surpassed any expectations he had had. He hadn't had that much fun during a fight in a very long time.

Then, finally, he landed a hit on Jenny's back, sending her stumbling to the ground. She groaned, as she pushed herself back to her feet. Damn, that had hurt. Ejnar was really strong.

"Oh god, Jenny, I'm sorry… are you alright?" her worried opponent asked her, as he leaned down.

"Damn it, Ejnar," she grumbled. "You shouldn't worry about me. I'm your opponent for Dende's sake! You should be happy that I was on the ground!"

"Oops… right…" He grinned sheepishly, and fastened his grip on his sword again.

Jenny's grin transformed into a mischievous smirk, as she announced, "But you just wait. I'll get you for that!" And then she was on him, lashing out with the long sword in her right hand, followed by a sharp jab with the short sword in her left hand, when he managed to block the first one. Ejnar whirled around, just barely missing the blunt point of the short sword, and immediately retaliated with a strong hit of his own.

Jenny gritted her teeth, as she blocked Ejnar's sword with the sword in her left hand. Her arms vibrated under the strength of the hit and her palms stung, but she refused to give in. With a snarl, she pushed forwards, but Ejnar pushed against her. Instead of gaining ground, she was losing ground, as Ejnar forced her to take one, then two steps backwards. Finally, she gave in, changing her tactic, and dropped to the ground. One leg swung around, surprising Ejnar and the next moment he was lying on his back, with Jenny's sword at his throat.

She smirked down at him, breathing hard, not really wanting to believe that it appeared as if she had won. "Do you give up?"

Ejnar replied with a grin, "Nope." And then, he grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the ground as well. Jenny shrieked in surprise, but rolled away. Ejnar was doing the same and the moment they were on their feet again, their swords clashed. Jenny almost staggered under the strength, once again feeling the pain in her palms and wrists, but she didn't give in. Their swords met again and again, and Jenny once again began to rely on her speed to evade his hits.

Finally, Jenny had no idea how much time later, she had miraculously managed to drive Ejnar towards the edge of the ring without any of them noticing it. They first realized this, when Ejnar made a step backwards to dodge an attack and felt only air underneath his foot. Floundering, he cursed and he would have landed outside the ring, if Jenny hadn't dropped the sword in her left hand and grabbed Ejnar's wrist. Immediately his fingers curled around her arm and Jenny pulled him back.

"Now we're even," she told him, as she picked up her sword again.

"Yeah, thanks," Ejnar replied with a sheepish grin. "You could have just let me fall."

"Yeah, yeah… But I didn't. Now, let's get this over this."

"Sure, sure…" Ejnar replied with a grin, as he realized something. Behind Jenny, he could see Li and Nik and both of them were smiling proudly, because of Jenny he presumed. Apparently, Jenny wasn't just Nik's replacement, no, she was in this tournament for real. Only, she didn't know it.

They both got again into a fighting stance, but before any of them could make a first move, a gong sounded through the air. The signal for the end of the fight.

Jenny looked around startled, as the crowd began to cheer. Was it already over?

"The thirty minutes are up," Li announced. "The fight ends in a draw, even though both Ejnar and Jenny had their chances to end the fight earlier. However, in a show of fairness, they've given their opponent another chance. Now we'll have another break of fifteen minutes, before the last fight before lunch starts."

Once Jenny and Ejnar stepped out of the ring, they were enthusiastically greeted by their friends, congratulating them on a great fight. She didn't notice the knowing look passing between Nik, Selvyn and Ejnar, still too stunned about her own performance. The first fight in the graduation ceremony and she hadn't lost. Okay, she hadn't won either, but this didn't matter. She had stood her own in a graduation fight, and she was sure that she could be proud of that fact.

Now, feeling somewhat less nervous after not having made a fool out of herself in the first fight, Jenny enjoyed her first meal that day at lunch break. It didn't even matter that she was up against Zoe directly after, because for one she knew that Zoe was better with the quarterstaff than she was, and second, she had already proven to herself and the rest of the student body that she could fight with the sword.

Her friends had been right – now that she had seen what the graduation tournament was like, she wasn't scared to participate once it was her time to do so.

After lunch, Jenny and Zoe were bantering back and forth on their way to the ring. They didn't even stop, as Li announced them. Grinning brightly in anticipation, they stepped into the ring and accepted the quarterstaff, as it was handed to them.

"Are you ready, Jenny?" Zoe asked her. "Ready to get your ass kicked?"

"Bring it on," Jenny replied and they both got into a fighting stance.

And then, when Li told them to start, Jenny once again felt her blood pump through her veins and all the outside noises faded. It was just her and Zoe in this ring, and no one else.

The next second, Zoe attacked and while she was busy dodging, blocking and attacking herself, Jenny quickly realized that while she was good, Zoe was better. The quarterstaff was Zoe's favorite weapon, just as Jenny's were the two swords. Jenny knew that once Zoe had graduated, Li would present her with the weapon that had chosen her, a beautifully crafted staff. And it was because of this that Jenny slowly but surely noticed how Zoe was beating her. She was losing ground, Zoe was a bit smaller than her and now had the advantage that she had used against Ejnar.

But somehow, it didn't bother Jenny much, though the Saiyajin in her grumbled a bit at the coming defeat. Yet, true to her nature, Jenny refused to give up. So, when Zoe first managed to hit her in the stomach with one end of the staff, and then disarmed her with another twist of her staff, Jenny wanted to continue the fight without her staff.

However, now she was even more at a disadvantage. Without a weapon and pain blossoming in her stomach and hand, she wasn't fast enough to block the staff when it hit her face. Something cracked, pain shot through her face and Jenny felt something warm run over her mouth.

Damn! It seemed as if her nose was broken.

Distracted by this, Jenny didn't react, when Zoe again swung the staff at her, hitting her in the back, at the exact same spot where Ejnar's sword had already hit her earlier this day. Jenny dropped to the ground, slightly dazed. She tried to get back up, but a weight on her back kept her down. Jenny didn't know, if it was Zoe's foot or the staff, but even as she managed to push herself up slightly, she didn't get far and was pressed to the ground again.

What should she do now? Give up, or keep fighting until the time was up?

Fortunately, this decision was taken from her, when Li began to count. If she didn't manage to get up by the time he got to ten, the fight was over and she had lost.

Naturally, Jenny kept trying, but with the blood still gushing from her broken nose and the pain in her stomach, face and back, Li called out "_Ten!"_ before she had managed to get up. With a sigh, she let her body go limp and felt as the weight on her back disappeared. Jenny heard Li announce Zoe as winner of this fight three minutes before the thirty minutes were up (had they really fought almost half an hour?) and then, just a short moment later, she was surrounded by feet and eventually Zoe's worried face.

"Jenny, are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," she groaned, hearing how her voice sounded strange through the broken nose, and now finally pushed herself up into a kneeling position. There, where her face had been lying since she had hit the ground was a small puddle of blood. Yikes.

"Oh god, I'm so, so sorry," Zoe apologized, as she took in Jenny's battered face and bleeding nose. "You should go to the infirmary."

"It's fine," Jenny insisted, knowing that she just needed to get somewhere quiet, so that she could set her nose and then use the nifty technique that Tenshinhan had shown her a few years ago to heal the nose. "Let's get out of here…"

"Okay…" Zoe and her other friends helped her to her feet and then led her away from the ring and the crowd. "Where do you wanna go?"

"Over there, to the tree line," Jenny told them.

Once there, she sat down, leaning against a tree and took a deep breath through her mouth. Damn, who would have thought that a broken nose would hurt this much. "Ejnar, could you please set the nose? I don't want it to look crooked, when it's healed."

"Are you sure…" Ejnar said hesitantly. However, one pointed glare from Jenny told him that this had been a stupid thing to say. So he knelt down across from her, put his palms over her nose and then pulled. He winced, as another crack sounded through the air, but Jenny remained quiet. There were tears of pain running down her face and she was breathing hard, but seemed to be okay otherwise.

"How does it look?" Jenny asked as the pain from the realigning began to fade – damn, this had hurt! -, but she could already hear how her voice sounded more normal. She could still feel the warm liquid running from her nose, but otherwise the nose was feeling lighter somehow.

"Pretty, as always," Zoe said with a worried chuckle, "but I still think that you should go to the infirmary."

"Nah, just give me a few minutes, and it'll be okay," Jenny told them, as she was already closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. She concentrated on her ki and just a few seconds later could feel its warmth settle around her nose, healing it. Her friends knew about this technique, but even though Jenny had tried to teach it to them, it only seemed to work for people who had a lot of experience with ki. She could feel the bleeding stop and the pain fade to a slight ache, but she didn't stop until all the pain was gone.

Once she didn't feel anything anymore, even when she wrinkled her nose, she let the ki go and opened her eyes. Everyone was staring at her in amazement.

"Wow," Damian breathed. "No bruise, no swelling, no more bleeding."

"Yeah, gotta love ki," Jenny told him grinning, though she could already follow his line of thoughts. Just a couple of weeks ago, he had yet again come back from a doctor's appointment in disappointment, after he had been told for the umpteenth time that there was nothing they could do to repair the damage done to the nerves of his spine. After having given him hope that they might have found a new procedure, of course. "Only too bad that it just works on small injuries like this."

"Yeah, too bad," Damian agreed and Jenny reached out to squeeze his hand.

"Hey guys," they suddenly heard Nik say, as he hobbled up to them on his crutches. "Urgh, Jenny, you look disgusting. How's the nose?"

"Healed," she told him, but as she looked down at herself, she grimaced. Great, her favorite top was ruined by all the blood. And she desperately needed to get cleaned up. "But what brings you here?"

"Li asked me to tell you guys, since you're finished with the fights, that you have all passed," Nik told them grinning. "Congrats, guys! I knew you could do this!"

"Yes," Zoe hissed and exchanged a high-five with Ejnar, who was grinning just as brightly. And then they were hugging Jenny, Ejnar even going so far as picking her up and whirling her around once, both of them laughing.

Jenny was truly happy for her friends, but somewhere, deep down, she had a weird feeling, as she caught Nik's twinkling eyes.

* * *

It was six o'clock and the graduation ceremony had just started in the cafeteria with Li's congratulations to all the students who had passed this test – which was everyone who had participated in the tournament. His speech was great and didn't last long, for which everyone was thankful. The graduating students were sitting in the first two rows and Jenny and her friends had gotten the seats directly behind them. Jenny could see them wriggling in their seats and fiddling with their dark green (one of the students had exclaimed that they 'thank god' weren't maroon) graduation robes in excitement. In just a few minutes, Li would call them forwards to the stage, where they would receive their diploma and their weapons. If Jenny was completely honest, she was a bit jealous that they would finally get their weapons. She couldn't wait to hold the Dragon Swords in her hands again.

And then it was time. Li called the names of the students and as Ejnar and Zoe were called and given their diplomas and weapons, Jenny and her friends cheered extra loudly, even going as far as standing up while they were applauding, just as they had already done for Nik and Anisah in the previous years.

Once everyone was on the stage, Jenny expected Li to say some last words and then the graduates to throw the caps into the air, just as he did every year, but everyone hushed, as Nik stepped onto the stage, without the cast on his legs and the crutches. Jenny's breath caught in her throat, as she realized that he was carrying one more diploma, a graduation gown and cap over his arm, and very familiar sword sheaths including two leather hilts emerging from the sheaths.

No, no, no, no, no!

"Oh…" Jenny heard Mailin exhale next to her, as the same thing that Jenny didn't want to realize occurred to her, too.

They fucking tricked her!

Nik stopped in front of the microphone, grinning mischievously, as he gazed over the crowd. "Hello everyone," he greeted them, "I'm sure many of you wonder, where my cast and crutches have gone. Well, I'm glad to be rid of them after the last few days, especially as I never needed them. It's all been an elaborate scheme cooked up by Li and me to get one person to participate in the graduation tournament, who would've never participated otherwise, at least not if we had told her that she was going to take the test for real."

Some students chuckled and many looks were directed at Jenny, all of them knowing why she had taken part in the tournament – or least they had thought they had known until now. The girl in question swallowed hard, but on the inside, she was fuming. Ooh, they were so going to get a piece of her mind, once she got to them – alone preferably.

"Now, I know that she doesn't like to be the center of attention, and because of this I won't make this long and drawn out. I'd thought of preparing this long and boring speech about how small she had been, when she had started at this school, and about how back then, we'd been worried if she'd ever get the hang of fighting with weapons. Well, she did, and today she has shown this. But seeing as she already looks ready to kill me, I'll make it short. Dear students and colleagues, we have one more student who has passed the test today and graduates from this school tonight. She will, along with her fellow graduates, receive this diploma and the weapon that has chosen her. Jenny Son, please come up to the stage and get what you've worked so hard for in the last four years."

Jenny had half a mind to just be stubborn and remain seated, but the urgings and not so gentle nudging from her friends next to her convinced her that it would probably far less painful, if she just got up there and got this over with. So, with a sigh Jenny walked onto the stage under the applause from the other students; loudest of all were the standing ovations from her friends.

She wanted to keep glaring, especially, when she saw the smug grin on Nik's face, but when he handed her the diploma and the sheaths with the Dragon Swords – holding them in her hands somehow felt like coming home -, she couldn't help but smile.

"Congratulations, Jenny… You've truly earned this. And… I'm sorry for deceiving you like this," Nik told her with a sheepish grin, before hugging her tightly.

"Thanks," Jenny mumbled against his shoulder. "But don't think I won't retaliate for this."

"I can't wait," Nik chuckled, as he let go again. "And now, you better put this on. Your fellow graduates are waiting."

Jenny, still smiling, quickly pulled on the robe and put the cap on her head, before joining the other graduates. Ejnar and Zoe pulled her to stand between them, each of them clapping her back and grinning at her. She saw Li beaming at her, too, and somehow, she couldn't feel that angry at him any longer.

"And now," Li announced, now standing next to Nik, "I'd like to present our graduates this year. Congratulations to all of you."

And as one, they all threw their caps into the air, to the wild applause of the remaining students.


	54. Part III: An old new Home

**A/N: A belated Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you had some nice holidays with your loved ones. I certainly did and I've used some of my free time to write this chapter for you. I hope to get another chapter finished before I have to go back to work. I can already promise you that the chapter after this will be a crucial one. I actually wanted to include it in this one, but then this chapter took on a life on its own and voilà, this is the result. Now you have to wait until the next chapter to find out what I've planned. **

**But now, have fun with this one! And if I don't get the next chapter out before the 31st I'll already wish you a happy new year!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 53: An old new Home**

The party was in full swing. One of the students was the DJ and other students were dancing to the music he was playing. Others, mostly the parents or guardians of the graduates, were sitting at the tables, eating, talking, laughing. Everyone was having a lot of fun. Even Jenny, who was still a bit shell-shocked about everything that had happened today. A part of her still found it very hard to believe that she had already graduated from this school, that she had actually become this good over the past four years.

But another part of her was really proud of what she had accomplished. Four years ago, when she had started at this school and Li had told her about how she was going to train – as a human – she would have never thought that she'd get the hang of this. She had been so clumsy, so insecure. And all this had changed over the course of the past few years. She just hadn't wanted to believe or notice it.

"Come on, Zoe, now that you've graduated you can finally tell us, what you're planning to do now!" Nik said, pulling Jenny out of her thoughts. Zoe had always refused to tell them what she was going to do once she had graduated and she hadn't said a word, contrary to Ejnar, who had quickly told them that he was going to stay in the village for another year until his boyfriend Mika graduated. And then they would see where they would end up.

"Alright, alright," she agreed laughing. "I'm gonna tell you. I've been thinking long and hard about it and I've decided to go back to the Eastern Capital."

"But you hated your life there," Ejnar threw in, clearly surprised by her decision.

"I hated my life," Zoe contradicted. "It had nothing to do with the place. But when Li found me, I wasn't the only child living on the streets. I wasn't the only child who had to steal and… do other things to survive. And because of that, I want to go back. I want to open a shelter for kids who, like me, don't have anywhere to go and don't have any perspective. I want to show them that they can become good persons. Li has already promised to help me until I can run the place on my own. It will have some sleeping facilities, a big kitchen, two community bathrooms, a common room and also a dojo, where the kids can either learn how to defend themselves or just let off some steam."

"Wow," Anisah breathed. "That's really… brave I guess."

Zoe shrugged, obviously embarrassed and continued to say something else, but Jenny's mind began to wander. She hadn't really thought about this before, but now, as Zoe was telling them what she was planning to do now, Jenny realized that she had no idea about what she could do now. After all, just this morning she had still thought that she'd had a couple of more years at this school. And now, in one week, once the school year was over, it really was over. No more fighting classes for her, no more morning runs… Everything she had known during the last four years was over.

"Excuse me, I'm gonna get something to drink," Jenny suddenly said and stood up, heading for the refreshments. But when she saw Li standing there, talking to Lari, Jenny turned on the spot and let her feet carry her towards the door and outside. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to Li or still felt resentful for how he had gotten her to participate in the tournament and therewith graduate, but right now she only needed some peace.

The fresh summer air outside immediately calmed her a bit and she took a couple of deep breaths before crossing the courtyard. The sky was starlit and there wasn't a single cloud to be seen at the sky. Jenny sighed. Everything was so peaceful out here. She really was going to miss this – the quiet, the nature and of course, the people, when she returned to the Western Capital, when she returned home…

Home… Did she really want to go back already? Leave her friends and her life of the past four years behind? But then again, could she really stay here, knowing that she wouldn't have any more fighting classes to go to? She would still have the volleyball team, but somehow with more and more older students graduating (two more of her team had graduated along with her this year) the team wasn't what it used to be when she had started. She would still have Mailin and Damian, but Zoe, Anisah and Ejnar would be gone. Sel would follow soon after. Would she even still have a place here? What would she do once normal school classes were out? Would Li allow her to teach some classes? No, this would be unlikely. She was still a minor, after all.

No, somehow, Jenny thought, she would feel out of place if she stayed, despite her best friends still living here. Jenny's purpose, learning how to fight with swords, becoming worthy of the Dragon Swords, was fulfilled. It was time to start something new and she couldn't start it here. But what could she expect of a return to the Western Capital? What was waiting for her there?

Her feet carried her along the shore of the lake, closer to the edge of the woods, where a rustling noise tore her out of her thoughts. The fighting stance, even without swords, still came to her naturally, but she relaxed immediately, when she recognized the person that stepped out of the shadows.

A huge grin spread over Jenny's face, as she did one of the few things she knew he hated. She sprinted up to him and hugged him tightly. Unbidden tears rose in her eyes, which she quickly blinked away before he noticed them. Vegeta would never forgive her, if she cried just because she had missed him. And oh, how she had missed him in the past year. After all, she hadn't seen him once since she had returned to school last September. Those almost ten months had been too long.

Before he could push her away, Jenny let go of him and said with a cheeky grin, "Hi Vegeta."

"Brat," he acknowledged her. And could she actually see an amused smirk dancing on his lips? Yep, there it was. He was happy to see her, too, and he hadn't minded the hug as much as he would always like her to think. "I believe congratulations are in order."

"Thanks…" She was still grinning brightly. If Vegeta said something like that, it could only mean that he was proud of her and her achievements. Still, it wouldn't hurt him to say more about how good she was in the fights, right? "Soo… you've seen the fights?"

A nod.

"Aaaand?"

There it was again, the amused smirk tugging at his lips, as he answered, "Your performance was… satisfactory."

In Vegeta-speak, this meant very good. But of course, he was always pushing her for more. And she wouldn't want to have it any other way.

Ooh, how much she wanted to tell him that it was sooo good to see him again. To hear him praise (well, it was praise coming from his mouth) her again. To feel his steady presence. But she couldn't say any of this. It would only make him uncomfortable.

"Sooo," she said slowly, as she sat down at the bank of the lake. She could still feel Vegeta's presence behind her – of course he wouldn't sit down with her. "What are we gonna now?"

Vegeta didn't answer for a moment, but Jenny didn't turn around. "It's up to you," he told her eventually. "Li says that you can stay at this school as long as you like, until you graduate from normal classes if you wish."

"I see," Jenny mumbled. This was exactly, what she had expected. But hadn't she just thought that this was something she didn't want? That she didn't belong here any longer? "Vegeta… what do _you_ want?"

Silence. That was the only answer she got, and she really should have known it. Other people never saw it, but Vegeta sacrificed a lot more for her sake than he should. And this was just another reason for why she couldn't stay at this school any longer. Except for the summer holidays, Vegeta had been alone for the past four years, doing only Dende knew what. There were times when even she couldn't pinpoint his location. He had to be lonely.

So, finally, Jenny made her decision. She turned around to him with a smile, as she announced, "Let's go home, Vegeta."

* * *

The last days at Li's school passed in a blur. Every graduating student was packing and slowly saying goodbye to the place that had been their home and the people who had been their family for the past few years. Jenny was no exception, but she didn't want any teary goodbyes. After all, with her abilities, she could come back and visit her friends any time she wanted to. And they were going to talk on the phone all the time – at least that's what they promised each other.

Her friends had been very understanding of her decision to return home, saying that even though they had hoped that she would stay, they had already expected her decision. Jenny felt particularly guilty for leaving Mailin again alone in her room. They had spent many good moments in that room, funny moments, sad moments… Mailin and Damian had become her best friends, almost like another brother and sister, and it was hard to leave them behind. But she made sure to spend a lot of time with them, and her other friends of course – Nik, Anisah, Zoe, Ejnar, Selvyn – during her last days at the school, always reassuring them that she was just a short phone call or flight away. She even got – in a private moment with him – Selvyn to promise that he wouldn't wait any longer until he asked Mailin out. Before it was too late. And finally, two days later, she saw the two of them walking shyly hand in hand.

And during the last days, Nik even got the fight with Jenny that he had wanted. With her being transformed and everything. Needless to say that he was lying on his back, weaponless and with Jenny's training sword trained at his neck in one second flat. Jenny had been worried for a moment that she had hurt his pride – especially since she had been holding back – but Nik had just laughed and allowed her to help him to his feet again, saying that he was glad to have such powerful people on his side.

All too sudden, it was Jenny's last day and she was packing her last belongings into her backpack. The room seemed somehow bare without her stuff and she wasn't the only one noticing it.

"It'll be strange, you know," Mailin mumbled, trying to spread her own things to make up for the space that Jenny had left. "Sleeping here without you."

"Yeah, I know," Jenny said, joining Mailin on her bed. "It'll also be weird back home, without all of you around. But I don't belong here anymore… and you know that I'll be back so often to visit you that you'll soon be sick of me."

"I know… and you'll let us visit you, too… right?"

"Of course… and now cheer up! I'll call you guys the moment the phone company has hooked us up again. I promise."

"Actually," Damian's voice sounded from the door. "We won't have to wait for a call from you for so long." He wheeled into the room followed by her other friends, carrying a small box wrapped up in colorful paper on his lap.

Nik quickly walked past him and flopped down on the other side of her, causing the mattress to squeak. "Yeah, you know how we always give our graduates a 'going home present', after all you've chipped in for the others, too. And we all thought that you should have this…"

He motioned for Damian to hand over the present and Jenny took it eagerly, curiously tearing into the paper. Ooh, how much she loved presents! Once the paper was gone and the box opened, she was staring at something small, black and shiny. "Oooh, a cell phone! Thank you guys!"

"It's a prepaid phone," Damian explained. "It's already charged and ready to be used. You find all our numbers in the contact list. So, call us the moment you get home."

"I will… oh thank you guys!" She hugged everyone in turn, suddenly feeling the tears in her eyes. Oh no, she really didn't want to cry. After all, it wasn't goodbye, it was just a 'see ya later'. And she had to push her tears back, when she felt a ki flare up outside. It was time. "Vegeta's here… I better go…"

"Come on," Mailin said, clutching Jenny's hand. "We'll show you out."

The whole group followed Jenny outside and Jenny had been right, Vegeta was waiting with Li in his usual stance – arms crossed in front of his chest, scowl on his face. But Jenny smiled. It would be good to live with him again. Make him loosen up again. He had become way too stiff in the past few years without her around to keep him company.

Another group of 'see ya later'-hugs were exchanged and then Jenny was standing in front of Li. Actually she felt like hugging him, but didn't know if this would be appropriate, so she just stuck out her hand. Grinning, Li solved her problem. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sad to see you go," he told her.

"Aww, don't worry," Jenny said teasingly, as they let go of each other. "I'll be back to visit you before you know it." Then, she once again took his right hand into both of hers and said, "Li, thank you. For everything. I… I wish there was more I could do or say for what you've done… saying thank you just doesn't seem to be enough…"

"It's more than enough… your thank you and witnessing how the insecure little girl has transformed into a confident young woman is everything I need."

A blush rose in Jenny's cheeks, but she was smiling, as she stepped back to stand next to Vegeta. Earlier today she had already said her 'see ya laters' to Lari, Tenshinhan, Chao-zu and Suki, and she was happy for that, otherwise she was sure that she surely would have cried. But now it was time to go. Raising her hand to wave at her friends – her family really – she called out, "See ya!" and then rose into the sky, followed by Vegeta. And with a flare of energy they were off.

* * *

Jenny got a weird feeling in her stomach, as she and Vegeta landed in front of Capsule Corporation. More than four years ago they had left this place and Jenny hadn't known then when, or if they would ever return… home. Sure, the little capsule house in the woods had been some kind of home, but Jenny had never gotten around to really personalizing her room. All her personal things had been at Li's school, which had basically been her home during that time. But deep inside, her real home was and would always be Capsule Corporation.

Only, how much had it changed since they had left it behind? Had it changed at all? Well, except for the dust, most of which the cleaning bots had hopefully taken care of, there wasn't anything that could have changed. No one had lived there, after all.

But the Western Capital surely had changed. When they had flown over the city, Jenny had seen that many things had improved over the past four and a half years since she had been there. Many buildings had been rebuilt, the city seemed again more alive than it had been back then and overall most destruction sites had been cleared. Jenny was happy to see this, as it meant that the people were no longer dwelling on what Buu had destroyed, but were ready for new things.

Just as she was.

Gathering all her courage – she had no idea what she was afraid of, really – Jenny stepped through the front door and immediately wrinkled her nose. There was no dust in the hallway, the cleaning bots had made sure of that, but there was still a musty smell in the air. Still, she had expected it. One of the first things she needed to do was to open as many windows as possible.

But before she did that, she had to see her own room. She didn't want the cleaning bots in there – this was something she had never allowed. She didn't want some bots to clean her room, she'd rather do it herself (if she did it at all). Grinning wryly Jenny wondered, if she should arm herself with a mask and feather duster before she braved her room. The dust bunnies must be deadly.

"So, I'm gonna go unpack… and get my room ready…" Jenny told Vegeta, who had stepped into the house behind her. "What are you gonna do?"

"Train."

Rolling her eyes, Jenny watched him disappear again. She had almost forgotten that Vegeta had already brought the most important thing – the gravity room – and his few personal belongings, which meant his clothes, back to the Western Capital the day before.

So, with a sigh, Jenny made her way to her room, but already in the hallway she noticed that it was strange to be back. Everything was so familiar and at the same time different. Rooms seemed to have become smaller – which could be contributed to the fact that she had grown quite a bit over the course of the past few years – but the living room was still the living room and the kitchen was still the kitchen. Jenny hoped that it was fully stocked, because she was sure that she would be starving, once she was done with her room.

And there it was, the door closed, just like any other room in this building. Jenny's hand rested on the doorknob for a moment, before she took a deep breath and pushed it open, fearing what she would find. And she had been right with her fears. The curtains of the windows were still closed, but with the help of the small rays of light that found their way through some gaps she could see the dust fly through the air. One of those rays landed on a desk at the wall and even there she could see the thick layer of dust.

Great… For once she should have allowed the cleaning bots into the room. After Jenny had dropped her backpack outside her room, the first thing she did was stride over to her window, pull the curtains open to let the light inside and then open the windows wide. Immediately the warm summer air flooded the room and the light breeze sent even more dust into the air. Sighing again, Jenny resigned herself to the fact that probably even with Saiyajin speed she would spend the rest of the day in this room.

But before she got the cleaning supplies, Jenny pulled her new cell phone out of her pocket and spent the next couple of minutes reassuring her friends that she had arrived home safely and telling them that she would be busy the whole day with cleaning her room, while she was opening the windows of the most important rooms in the house.

Twenty minutes later, Jenny was transformed and armed, not with her Dragon Swords, but with a feather duster, water, several cleaning agents, wiping cloths and the vacuum cleaner. A smirk appeared on Jenny's face, as she thought that a war cry wouldn't be out of place with the task lying in front of her.

"Alright, ready or not, here I come," Jenny whispered and then braved her room. Over the next couple of hours she fought against dust bunnies, with the cable of the vacuum cleaner, involuntarily flooded her bathroom and conquered the space under the beds, where even more dust bunnies had taken up residence.

The battle against them was hard and painful and even in her Saiyajin form she was sweating slightly, when she wrung out the final cloth and put all the cleaning supplies back into the storage room where they belonged. However, when Jenny saw the result, meaning her clean room, she was happy. Now she recognized everything again, the three beds, the wallpapers, the desks… everything.

And then she frowned.

What Jenny saw in front of her was a child's room, not that of a teenage girl. The beds were small, made for children, the wallpaper on her side of the room depicted girly themes, pink hearts and fairies (she had already hated the wallpaper back then, but her grandma had picked them, so she didn't have the heart to complain) and on Goten's and Trunks' side of the room the wallpaper showed cars and planes. Only the curtains were a neutral dark blue color, but the rest she couldn't live with. This had to change. And she was going to spend the next few nights on the couch in the living room – or in one of the guest rooms – because there was no way she would fit into her old bed.

Sitting down on her bed – or what used to be her bed – Jenny looked around the room. The wallpapers had to go, of course, so did her bed. But… Her gaze landed on Goten's and Trunks' beds. Her grandma had once asked her, about two years after Buu, if they shouldn't replace the beds with something else. Jenny remembered only too clearly her reaction. Back then she had still held onto the hope that by some miracle Trunks and Goten would return. But now, almost exactly seven years p.B. (post Buu) it was clear that they would never come back to life. If they had found a way out of the Afterlife, they would have done this by now.

So, now, after all this time, Jenny finally felt ready to get rid of the beds and put the space to her own use. A couch would be nice and a TV on her own, so that she wouldn't have to compete with Vegeta in the living room (yes, Vegeta sometimes was a TV junkie, even if just to criticize whatever he was watching).

Slowly but surely a new room appeared in front of her inner eye and not wanting to lose that picture, Jenny quickly grabbed a piece of paper and made a sketch. It wasn't very good, as she was artistically challenged, but she was sure that she recognized how she wanted things to be. The next thing was a list of things she would need and how much they could cost and the longer it got, the more worried Jenny became that she had to cross things off. So she began to put brackets around the items that she could do without.

After sitting in front of the list for ten more minutes without adding anything, Jenny added a final total to the list and swallowed. If she had to use her allowance to pay for this, she would have to go at least three years without any money, but maybe Vegeta was generous and she could use some of the money he got each month for living expenses (which was always much more than they needed anyway).

So, with list in hand Jenny went into the kitchen, where she could feel Vegeta. He had taken a break about fifteen minutes ago and was now probably preparing dinner. At the thought of dinner, Jenny's stomach rumbled and she looked at the clock in her room. Half past seven at night. No wonder that she was hungry. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.

When she got closer to the kitchen, her nose told her that she was right. And she grinned. Vegeta was preparing a welcome home meal, her favorite, spaghetti Bolognese. "Smells good," Jenny said, as she plopped down on her chair at the kitchen table. "When can we eat?"

"Ten minutes," was Vegeta's short answer.

"Good, I'm starving."

Jenny had no idea how long it would still take to get over seeing Vegeta standing at the stove and stirring sauce in a pot, while the spaghetti were cooking all on their own.

Finally, the seemingly endless ten minutes later, Vegeta put the spaghetti and the pots on the table. Jenny had used the ten minutes wisely and set the table and poured each of them a large glass of water. They spent the next minutes eating in silence, only the sounds of the cutlery scraping against the plates could be heard. Jenny hoped that Vegeta would be more open to her endeavor with a full stomach.

When they were finished, Jenny cleared the plates away and put them into the dishwasher. Vegeta remained seated, which surprised Jenny. Usually he would be up and back in the GR the moment they both had finished eating. Then she noticed that he was holding the list she had made in his hands.

Oops… She had wanted to ease him into this.

"I see you found my list," she said slowly, sitting down across from him again.

"Yes."

"I… I'd like to have these things for my room… you see… it… it doesn't really fit to me anymore…"

"What do the brackets mean?"

"They're things I don't necessarily need, but would like to have… In case I don't have enough money for them. I'd also be ready to use my allowance to pay for all these things. I could even get a job, so that I have some money… What are you doing?"

Vegeta had said nothing during her ramblings, but simply gotten up and gone to one of the cupboards in the kitchen. He opened the door and then entered a number in the safe that was hidden behind it. Jenny grinned at Bulma's hiding place for this. No thief would ever suspect that they safe was in the kitchen. Seeing as Vegeta was standing with his back to her, Jenny couldn't see what he was taking out of it, but she was hoping for some money that she could use.

She had never expected the shiny black card that Vegeta put in front of her. Bulma's old credit card, which would now be Vegeta's. "Vegeta?"

"There's enough money in our account that we can live comfortably for the next ten years and it's growing each month. Call your friends and go shopping." He smirked, as he walked past Jenny. "But first, we're going to train."

Jenny sighed, but grinned. Yeah, it was good to be home.

* * *

The next couple of days passed in a blur. Jenny had called Mailin and Damian and just one day later there were two visitors at Capsule Corporation, all three of them camped out in the guest room that Jenny was occupying until her room was ready. On the first day Jenny was showing them around town and in the two days after they enjoyed buying all the things on Jenny's list. Being filthy rich definitely had its perks. And the good thing was, it didn't bother Mailin and Damian at all. As a matter of fact, they had just as much fun spending the money for the new room as she had.

Once they had ordered new furniture it was time to paint the room. So after they had cleared out all the already existing furniture – Jenny had decided to donate the furniture, as it was all still in good conditions and there were definitely still people out there who needed it – they covered the carpet on the floor and painted the walls white.

While Jenny, Mailin and Damian were waiting for the white paint to dry, they mixed the purple and green paint they had bought with more white paint so that they had different shades of purple and green. Then, finally, they could finish the walls by drawing circles and spirals and other simple patterns on the white walls.

"Perfect," Jenny announced, when they were finished and looked at their artwork. Her whole body, clothes, face and hair, was covered in paint, and Mailin and Damian didn't look much better. But they'd had a lot of fun, including a paint fight, and gone were the hearts, fairies, cars and planes.

Then came the furniture. Jenny had fallen in love with a black queen-sized four-poster bed made of iron. The curtains were a deep purple color and matching to this Jenny had chosen purple and green bedclothes. The couch was purple as well with green pillows and they had even exchanged the curtains at the windows. They were just as purple as the hangings around the bed.

Jenny even got a TV, a 37 inch flat screen, a stereo with a dock for her mp3 player, and a new notebook for the just as new black desk. They had also found a new closet and a set of drawers for her room, all of them black. One would think that this might make the room look gloomy, but it didn't. The windows with the adjoining balcony were large enough to throw enough light into the room and the white walls did the rest.

When they were finished with the whole room, pictures of her friends, of Li's school and of course of her family adorned the walls, as well as a full length mirror right next to the closet. And, at the wall right opposite her bed, Jenny had put the Dragon Swords, visible for everyone.

Yes, Jenny thought, as she, Mailin and Damian were sitting on the new couch and watching TV. She just loved her new room. All this money was put to good use. Even Vegeta agreed to the improvements, though he lamented that she hadn't chosen the royal blue color. He reluctantly relented, when Jenny pointed out that she wasn't royalty. And besides, while blue was a nice color, she just liked purple and green better.

So, when Jenny was lying on the comfortable mattress during the first night in her new room, with Mailin and Damian sleeping on the fold out couch and a mattress on the floor, she was smiling.

It really was good to be home.

And the next obstacle was still a couple of weeks away.

The Western Capital High School.


	55. Part III: The Project

**A/N: Yay! I did it! Another chapter after just two days of writing and editing. I'm good! But now I don't know when I'll get around to writing the next one. I'll do my best but I can't promise anything, even though knowing that there are still people out there reading this story and reviewing (a lot of thanks, by the way) helps my motivation and muse. Well, I've been working forwards to this chapter for a long time now, one of the first turning points… or just to spoil you a bit… two important turning points. I'm so happy to finally be able to post those scenes that have been in my head for so long. **

**Now, I don't want to keep you waiting any longer! Keep reading and enjoy! And of course a Happy New Year!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 54: The Project**

September had come much quicker than she had anticipated, the summer holidays having passed in a blur of hanging out with her friends, getting used to living in the Western Capital again and training with Vegeta. When Jenny had made the decision to go back, she hadn't believed that Capsule Corporation would feel like home again that quickly. But the fact that her friends were really just one flight or a phone call away helped a lot. Contrary to her life here before, she now had friends she could count on. Good friends. And with them she could brave everything.

Even high school, although they didn't go there with her. But she had their support, from a talk on the phone the night before to the message she had had on her cell phone this morning, consisting only of a few words. _U can do it!_

Oh, but how could she do it, when she couldn't even find the right outfit for her first day at the Western Capital High School? She wanted to blend in like the other normal kids and thanks to being at a relatively normal school in the past years, she would at least have far less problems at doing that than her big brother Gohan had had when he had started high school.

But… just how difficult could it be to find something to wear that wasn't too tacky, too dorky or too normal?

Frustrated, Jenny eventually decided on a pair of light blue jeans and a purple T-shirt, as well as some white sneakers. Her hair went up into a simple pony tail and after a quick look into her mirror, Jenny decided that while it still wasn't perfect, it was good enough to not get too much attention. She had no idea, how big this school was, but being the new face would certainly already draw enough attention in itself.

"Brat!"

"I'm coming!"

She and Vegeta needed to see the principal before she went to classes, to finish up some last bureaucratic stuff. She hadn't met that guy yet, and neither had Vegeta, as their lawyers had enrolled her. So the principal had insisted on meeting both of them and getting Vegeta's signature for the enrollment. And since Jenny wanted to make a good impression – not like the time she had started elementary school – she really didn't want to be late.

It was a walk of thirty minutes during which they didn't talk. But contrary to the last time, she wasn't sullenly walking behind him, but next to him, wringing her hands nervously. She was nervous and excited at the same time, but ready to face them. This time she knew what not to do. This time she knew to keep her mouth shut about the supernatural things in her life. This time she wouldn't draw any unnecessary attention to herself.

The principal was already expecting them, as they were ushered into his office by the elderly secretary the moment they arrived. And now they were sitting in front of his desk. Jenny smiled nervously, trying to make up for the stoic look on Vegeta's face. Well, at least he wasn't scowling openly and he had even dressed for the occasion in dark jeans and a black shirt. Very human…

"So," the principal, a man in his mid fifties with receding gray hair, began. Jenny wasn't sure yet if she liked him or not. "Your file says that you have attended a private school until before the summer holidays. May I ask what kind of school it was?"

Jenny glanced at Vegeta for help, but realized that she was on her own here. Vegeta was only here for the necessary signatures to finish the enrollment. "Well… it was a school for martial arts. Next to normal schooling, we were trained in the art of fighting with different weapons."

The principal looked at her appraisingly, before he said, "I see… Why a girl like you should drop out of a school like this."

Alright, Jenny… take a deep breath. No need to lash out at him, Jenny reminded herself, while fighting the anger rising up in her. "Actually, I graduated. There was nothing left for them to teach me, so I took the test and graduated along with several other, older classmates."

The principal's eyes widened comically, as he quickly spluttered an apology and then went on with normal business. Jenny sat back in her chair with a smug look on her face, while the principal and Vegeta went over the forms, and eventually Jenny got her timetable and a map of the school and they were dismissed.

Just at this moment, the warning bell for third period rang. Jenny had been lucky that the first day of school started this late.

"Okay, I guess I better get to class."

"You better do…"

"So, I'll see you later, I guess," Jenny said nervously, suddenly not really wanting to face her new classmates and teachers. At this moment she regretted not having stayed at Li's school, where she knew everyone and everything.

"Later," Vegeta agreed and turned to go. However, before he took the first step, he threw a warning glance over his shoulder. "Brat…"

Jenny grinned cheekily, considering that the last two times she had gotten this warning she had messed up. "Yeah, I know… I'll behave. I promise. Honestly."

Another nod, and Vegeta was gone.

Taking one deep breath, Jenny located her classroom on the map, memorizing the quickest way from the principal's office to said classroom and then stuffed the map into her bag. "Here I come," she mumbled, fastening her grip on the strap of her backpack, and then walked out of the principal's hallway…

… directly into one of the most gorgeous guys she had ever seen.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry," she mumbled, immediately bending down to help him pick up the books he had dropped upon the crash. "I'm such a klutz."

Fortunately, the guy just laughed, and, as they both straightened again, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry… I am… Are you? Have I mentioned just how sorry I am? I mean, it's just… it's my first day and all and I'm…" Her eyes met bright and twinkling blue ones, just like her own. "And I'm babbling… I'm sorry, I gotta go…"

The guy just looked after her, shaking his head which caused his curly blond hair to fall into his eyes. "Hey, Cam, you coming?" another boy called, tearing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Cam answered, once again looking over his shoulder to where the girl had disappeared behind a corner. Ah well, he would surely see her again.

* * *

Even with the memorized path in her mind, Jenny got almost lost twice and had to ask for directions. Because of this, all the doors were already closed when she finally got to her classroom. Yay, way to make a good impression on her teacher and the new classmates. After she had knocked tentatively at the door, she carefully opened it and stepped inside.

"Sorry, I'm late," she told her teacher, a woman in her forties with short cropped dark hair, as she closed the door behind her. "I got lost."

At first glance, her teacher seemed to be nice. At least the woman was smiling at her, which was something. "Jenny, right?" she asked, coming up to her and shaking her hand. "I was already expecting you. I'm Mrs. Müller, your homeroom teacher. Welcome to your class."

"Thanks…" Jenny mumbled a bit shyly, feeling all eyes on her.

"So, would you like to introduce yourself now or later?"

She was given a choice? That's nice. "Now, I guess… Better get this out of the way." She cracked a small smile, causing her classmates to snicker. Well, at least they still thought she was funny. "Okay… there's not much to tell. My name is Son Jenny and I'm fourteen years old. My father died before I was born and my mother died giving birth to me and my twin brother. Now, you probably don't believe it, but since my parents were friends with Bulma Briefs, she and her husband Vegeta took me and my brothers in after my mother's death. But Bulma and my brothers were killed by Buu's attacks and so it was just Vegeta, my grandma and me until my grandma died too. I've spent the last four years at a private school, learning to fight with swords and the quarterstaff and now that I've graduated, I've come back to the Western Capital. So as you can guess, I'm a martial artist, but before you ask, no, Mr. Satan is not my idol." This got some surprised noises from the classmates, but Jenny stayed calm. "My idols are the fighters that I actually know. My big brother, some friends and not to forget my stepfather Vegeta for example."

"How long have you been training to become a martial artist?" a pimply and pretty weak looking boy in the back asked.

"I've started training when I was four years old," Jenny answered, ignoring the surprised and awed noises her classmates made. "And I've been training since then."

"Wait…" another classmate, a perky girl with black curls and pale skin asked. "You said that your name is Son Jenny. Are you in any way related to a guy called Son Goku?"

"Yeah," Jenny replied slowly. "Son Goku was my father."

"Who is this Son Goku?" one more student asked.

Jenny didn't get to look at the student, as the girl from before immediately supplied an answer. "Son Goku won the twenty-third Tenkaichi Budokai and participated as a boy in the twenty-first and twenty-second, both time getting to be in the final fight. In true martial arts circles he's a legend."

Groaning inwardly, Jenny wondered how she always managed to draw this attention on herself. Honestly, it wasn't her fault that she seemed to be related in one way or another to famous people.

"Alright guys," Mrs. Müller thankfully interrupted them before a discussion could erupt. "Enough with the twenty questions. Now Jenny, why don't you sit down next to Mellie?" The perky girl with the black curls waved at her and first now Jenny noticed that the seat next to her was empty. "And then we can go on."

With a grateful smile at her teacher, Jenny sat down on the empty chair, dropping her bag next to her. The girl, Mellie, stuck out her hand and Jenny shook it. "Nice to meet ya," Mellie said grinning.

"Nice to meet you, too…"

* * *

School wasn't… that bad. After the first lunch break, Jenny started to hang with Mellie and her tight-knit group of friends. And while she was sure that they would never be as good friends as she was with Mailin and Damian and also the others from her group at Li's school, she liked spending time with them at her new school. They were fun and didn't ask too many questions, which suited Jenny just fine.

The only real downside of that school was that it didn't have a volleyball team. It had a soccer team, a basketball team, even a martial arts club, into which she had been invited but had declined. But no volleyball.

With her new life, time once again seemed to speed up. September blended into October, October into November… Christmas came and went and so did Jenny's fifteenth birthday. She was having a small celebration with Mailin and Damian directly on her birthday, followed by a party at Li's school with all her friends the weekend after. It was great as always and it was one of the few times when Jenny had second thoughts about having left Li's school and her friends.

Her new life wasn't necessarily mind-blowingly great, but it was okay. She was happy, always busy and she talked to her friends and saw them frequently, but sometimes she really missed her old life.

Still, after the party, she went back to the Western Capital and her new life.

This new life went on just the same as in the past couple of months. School, training, meeting her friends. Until March, when their history teacher (an old woman, blind as a bat and always getting their names wrong) announced that for their midterm grades they had to do a project. And that they would have to draw lots to get their topic. Oh yeah, and they only had four weeks to complete it. April 15 was their deadline. The requirements were a written report, ten to twelve pages, saved on a CD (probably so that their teacher could zoom the text until she could read it) followed by a presentation in front of the class.

Great, just great.

Jenny sullenly doodled on her notebook, while the teacher was walking around, letting the students draw the lots with their topics. Apparently there was one big topic for the whole project and they were all getting subtopics. And their teacher hadn't even told them about the big topic, probably to make this whole thing more mysterious. Fantastic.

Finally it was Jenny's turn to draw the lot, keeping it in her closed fist. They were first allowed to open it, when everyone had theirs. Oooh, the suspense. Note the sarcasm.

Still bored, Jenny opened her lot along with everyone else and could only stare at the name written on it.

_Son Goku_

What the… She looked up and then over to Mellie, seeing what name she had on her lot. Jackie Chun.

Huh?

"Now that you've all seen the name on your lots, can someone tell me, what all these persons have in common?" the teacher asked in her shrill voice.

Whispers broke out among the students, as they looked at the names the others had gotten, but no one seemed to make the connection. But Jenny had already made the connection after having heard two more names float around.

Tenshinhan.

Mr. Satan.

"They have all competed in the Tenkaichi Budokai in the past forty years," she whispered, somehow breaking through despite speaking so quietly.

Her teacher immediately honed in on her and clapped excitedly into her hands. "That's it, Penny, at least almost. Seeing as the Tenkaichi Budokai will be revived this year after a break of eight years, the school board has decided that the history midterm for all students in the ninth grade will be a biography of a famous participant in the Tenkaichi Budokais of the past fifty years."

Jenny once again stared at the name on her lot. _Fan-fucking-tastic! _A twelve pages biography on daddy dearest, a man she had only met once and the impression he had left hadn't been the best one.

The next thing the teacher did was call out their names from the register and note down the fighter they had gotten. And just as Jenny had expected, some students thought it was unfair that she had to do her biography about her father.

"A father who died before I was even born and I have never met," Jenny pointed out, effectively shutting them up. She didn't admit to her classmates that doing this biography about Son Goku was the last thing she wanted to do. Couldn't she have gotten one of the others? Krillin? Tenshinhan? Chao-zu? Doing this paper about Tenshinhan and Chao-zu would have been a piece of cake with knowing them personally and all.

She was grumbling about the paper all the way back home and when she got into the gravity room with Vegeta, she tried to push it to the back of her mind. Obviously unsuccessfully, as even Vegeta seemed to pick up on her bad mood. But when he asked her, if something was wrong, she just said that she had had a bad day at school. There was no need for him to know that she would have to unbury the past of his greatest rival.

The only person she told that night was Mailin on the phone, but first after making sure that Vegeta was in the GR and couldn't overhear it.

"You know," Mailin said, "maybe you don't need to do all the research all by yourself. After all, there are still some people alive who knew your father. Tenshinhan and Chao-zu for example. You could interview them. Try to find some footage about the tournaments he participated in. Write down what Gohan has told you in his stories."

"Good idea…" Jenny had completely forgotten that some of Son Goku's friends were still alive. But then again, this meant talking about him, something which she had avidly avoided until now. "I guess I'll have to talk to them…" And maybe they could direct her to some more people who had a past with daddy dearest.

* * *

Two days later, on a Saturday of course, Jenny was sitting in the hut Tenshinhan and Chao-zu lived in with Suki, having their now monthly dinner with them. Tenshinhan had actually been happy that she wanted to talk about Son Goku with him, when she had called and told him about her midterm project.

But he was slowly getting worried again, when during dinner she stayed clear of anything that was related to the topic. So he just asked her about school in general, about her life back in the Western Capital and other things, but never about her project.

First when Suki had cleared the plates away and had told them that she would go into the study to read a bit and leave them alone for their interview, Jenny got out her notebook and booted it. Tenshinhan was a bit concerned by the professional look on her face, when she started the interview. It almost seemed as if she didn't have any personal interest in finding out things about her father.

"Okay… I know that you've known Goku for a long time… and that you think that he's a great guy, but please don't sugarcoat anything. Tell me how he really was, without… you know… just without all the praise you guys seem to have for him. Be honest, that's all I ask." She took a deep breath. "So, I've heard some stories… but how did you meet him? It was sometime before the twenty-second Tenkaichi Budokai, right?"

"Yeah… I have to admit that Chao-zu and I haven't always been as we are now. Our former master, Tsurusennin, has brought us up to believe in cruelty and cold-heartedness. When Goku met us, we were terrorizing a village, while we were preparing for the the tournament. He didn't get the best impression of us and exposed us to the villagers. We had to flee and returned to our school. And then we met again at the tournament, where he and Muten Roshi slowly made us doubt our upbringing and in the end put us on the right path…"

That's how Tenshinhan began to tell Jenny everything about the Son Goku he had gotten to know. About the training and the battles, the tournaments and about how, in the end, when Goku had decided to stay dead after Cell, Tenshinhan broke off from the group of Z-fighters to live his own life with Chao-zu.

Jenny only asked a few questions now and then, but diligently taking notes the whole time, her fingers flying over the keyboard of her notebook. And the questions that she asked, Tenshinhan tried to answer as honestly as possible.

"After the tournament, when you won, Krillin was killed, right? What did Goku do?"

"He went after the people who did this. He went after Piccolo's minions and then Piccolo himself. He didn't stop until Piccolo was dead. And then he went to Kami, training for when Piccolo would return."

"So, he went after Piccolo all on his own? What did you do, while he was doing this?"

"Our group went back to Roshi's island, trying to figure out what we could do against Piccolo. Roshi taught me the Mafuba, and when he died using it, we searched out Piccolo. I was prepared to use the Mafuba myself, but I could only watch how Goku defeated Piccolo in a hard fight."

"And he just went off training again after that… without checking on Krillin or Roshi or Chao-zu."

This wasn't a question, so Tenshinhan didn't answer, instead just going on with his story. Another time, when Jenny had a question, was about what happened after the twenty-third Tenkaichi Budokai.

"From what Gohan told me, my parents flew off into the sunset, barely knowing each other, mind you, and then married… When was the next time you saw him?"

"After the wedding?" Tenshinhan frowned, and when he looked back, he found out that he didn't like the answer himself. "When Goku came back from Yadrat, one year after the fight against Frieza on Namek. I was already dead, when he arrived to the fight against Nappa and… Vegeta."

"That was… what? Seven years after the Budokai?" Tenshinhan could only nod. "Is it true that Goku abandoned Gohan, putting his fate into Piccolo's hands, just so he could train in the Afterlife? And is it true that, until you saw him at the battle against the Saiyajins, you didn't even know that Gohan existed? That none of the others knew of Gohan's existence until he was already four years old?" Again, he could only nod. "What happened after Goku came back from Yadrat?"

"Mirai Trunks warned us about the Jinzoningen and we all went separate ways again. To train."

Tenshinhan's words almost got stuck in his throat, when he uttered the last two words. But he went on anyway, all the way through the battle against the Jinzoningen and Cell, until the moment when Goku decided to stay dead.

"What reason did he give for not wanting to be resurrected, besides thinking that Earth would be a safer place without him? Which we both know is utter bullshit, because as long as strong warriors live here, Earth will always be a target. And basically, Gohan was stronger than him back then, which meant that he would draw the attention of other strong warriors. So, what else did he say?"

Tenshinhan didn't look at Jenny, as he answered, "He said that because he could keep his body, his death wasn't a big loss and that he would have a fun time in the Afterlife, with all the warriors around that he could train with. And that he was sorry, if it hurt your mother and your brother," he quickly added, when the look on Jenny's face darkened slightly.

It was already way past midnight, when they were finished, and Tenshinhan wasn't sure if he had done a good job. Chao-zu looked uncharacteristically worried, too, as Jenny put her notebook back into her backpack and thanked them for the interview. Jenny seemed to have the instinct to find all of Goku's flaws in his tale, pointing them out and digging deeper. And while he was telling his story, Tenshinhan had only become all too aware of those flaws too. But he hoped he had managed to point out that overall, Goku was a good guy and that everyone had flaws, that everyone made mistakes.

"You know," Tenshinhan said, when he and Chao-zu showed her out. "If you want to know more about Goku, before I met him, you should go to Roshi's Island. Maybe the old turtle is still alive and can tell you some things about the time Goku spent there. And visit Yajirobe and Upa. Upa and his family live at the bottom of Korin's Tower. I'm sure they can help you, too."

"Thanks, I'm gonna check on them in the next few days," Jenny told him, smiling for the first time since she had started the interview. "And also thanks for being honest with me. I think I'm slowly getting a clearer picture of Son Goku."

"You're welcome," Tenshinhan returned her smile. "Just… when you write your report… don't judge Goku too harshly, okay? He had to make many hard decisions and he had always done everything in his power to save the world."

"I won't judge him at all," Jenny replied, her voice suddenly cold. "I'll only tell it as it is. Goodnight, Tenshinhan. Chao-zu. I'll visit you again soon."

And then, with a flare of ki, she shot up into the sky.

Tenshinhan sighed, when she was gone, and turned to Chao-zu. "I think we've just done a really big mistake."

"No, Tenshinhan," Chao-zu told him quietly. "It wasn't us, who made the mistakes."

* * *

Over the next few days, Jenny was gathering more information about Son Goku. Her visit to Korin's Tower turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. Sure, Upa and Yajirobe filled some blanks in the story, but overall it wasn't as much as she had gotten from Tenshinhan and Chao-zu. And even though she already had some information about the twenty-second and twenty-third Tenkaichi Budokai, she still had nothing on the first or Goku's life before the second. Not even a visit to the house she was born in helped her.

So she only had one more chance to fill the missing blanks. She really hoped that the turtle from Roshi's Island was still alive.

"Where are you going?" Vegeta asked her, as she was about to leave the house again directly after lunch.

Jenny stopped dead in her tracks, having hoped that Vegeta wouldn't notice her absence from training. Yeah, fat chance. "I have to do more research about the paper for my midterm project."

"I see… Tell me again, what was this project about?"

"Oh… nothing that would interest you. A really boring subject really. And that's why I have to do more research. So, I'll see ya tonight!"

Vegeta watched her leave, taking into the sky, a frown marring his face. Ever since she had come home from school with the news of the midterm project, she had been different. Annoyed most of the time, angry at other times. But never at him. Sometimes he even thought that she was looking at him with a weird look on her face, something he couldn't interpret. Her behavior was really strange.

Jenny reached Roshi's Island after about one hour's flight. She hadn't wanted to go too fast, afraid that Vegeta would notice the rise in her ki and figure out where she was going. When she landed on the beach, she noticed at once how much the little house had fallen into disrepair in the past years. The chances that someone was still living there was close to zero. Damn…

The door opened easily enough and Jenny stepped inside carefully. "Hello? Is anyone here?" she called out, ready to defend herself if something or someone jumped out at her. Much to her surprise, the house didn't look as bad on the inside as it did on the outside. It was actually very clean and she could hear the quiet hum of the fridge. "Hello?"

"Hello? Can I help you?"

Jenny whirled around startled and almost had a ki-ball ready, when she noticed the large green turtle crawl through the door. Smiling, Jenny replied, "Yeah, I hope you can. You see, I have to do a project at school about Son Goku, a biography if you will, and I was told that you could fill me in on the early years. I've already got everything from the twenty-second Budokai onward, but it's the time before that I have almost nothing on."

"Oh well, I can tell you some stories about Goku, when he was still a boy," the turtle offered, as she came to a stop in front of Jenny. "But why don't you tell me your name first? And please sit down."

"My name is Jenny," she told the turtle, as she took a seat on the couch. While the turtle crawled up to her, Jenny took out her notebook and switched it on. "And thanks for wanting to help me. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem. It will be good to reminisce a bit, especially in my age."

Jenny chuckled, only able to guess the turtle's age. A hundred? Two hundred years? Or maybe even older? Once she had opened the notes on her computer, she said to the turtle, "Okay… I'm ready, if you are."

"Ah, yes… I remember when I first met young Son Goku. I believe he had just started his journey with Bulma to look for the Dragon Balls. You must know, Goku had lived very secluded for the first eleven years of his life, at first with his grandfather Son Gohan and then alone, after Gohan had died in an accident. And then Bulma came along and introduced him to the wide world. But back to how I met him. Goku rescued me, brought me to the ocean and then I introduced him to Muten Roshi, who later offered to train him…"

While the turtle spun her tale about Son Goku, Jenny once again diligently took notes. She had heard some of this from Bulma, but had a hard time to remember this, when she had started writing. It had been more than eight years ago, after all. And even though the turtle described Goku as a naïve and sweet little boy, Jenny quickly realized that even back then, before the threats had become really dangerous, Son Goku had been obsessed with training and getting stronger.

Always going off on his own - at first just to look for the Dragon Balls but then fighting against the Red Ribbon Army. Taking out soldiers and Commanders and in the end even the General without asking anyone for help. And after that, when he wanted to return to Muten Roshi to train some more, he was told that there was nothing left that the Turtle Hermit could teach him. What did he do? Instead of training with his friends, he went off again. Alone. Leaving his so-called friends behind.

This really seemed to be the theme of his life, Jenny reflected, when the turtle finished her tale. Always going off, always leaving his friends and his family behind, always training to become stronger.

"You know," the turtle suddenly interrupted her thoughts. "I'm sure we still have the tapes of the three Budokais in which he participated. You can have them, if you want to see him fight."

"Sure… where are they?" The turtle showed her to a cabinet at the wall and indeed, there were a couple of tapes titled _Tenkaichi Budokai_ with a 21, 22 and 23 behind it. This was great. Now she could watch the fights, get even more information for her paper from this. She quickly stored them in some capsules. "Thanks a lot… When do you want to have them back?"

"Keep them," the turtle. "It's always good to have some memory of family."

"What?" Jenny looked up from the tapes startled. "How…? I didn't tell you…"

"You have his eyes. Your father's eyes."

Said eyes immediately turned cold, losing any resemblance they might have had to Son Goku's kind ones. "Thanks again for the information. And the tapes. I'll bring them back as soon as I'm done with them. Goodbye."

Without another word or another glance backwards, Jenny left the house and took off into the sky, leaving a very sad and disappointed turtle behind.

* * *

Jenny spent the next afternoons after school watching the tapes from the fight, gaining even more information from them. When she was done with them, Jenny was sure that she had enough notes to fill the required number of pages, so the next thing she did was open a new document on the computer and start writing.

It took longer than she had thought. It was a lot more difficult to put the notes into a coherent text, a biography of his life, than she had imagined. Especially as there were a lot of things that had to be changed so that she wouldn't be put into the loony bin, once she had handed it in. Every battle had to be taken down a notch or two, no mentions of Saiyajins or Namek or Frieza, at least not in the original sense, and Son Goku had of course never been at the Cell Games. So one week of writing passed, two weeks of writing passed and at the end of the third week Jenny was happy to finally write down the final lines. After all, the last chance to hand it in was the next day.

_So, after looking back at the twenty-nine years of his life, it is easy to see that there were few things that were important in Son Goku's life. For most people it's their family or their friends, but even though his reason was often to protect the people he claimed to love, it was Son Goku's goal in life to always become stronger, to become a better fighter. No one can dispute the fact that when it came to fighting, Son Goku was a genius, one of the best fighters this world had ever had, but it was his love for fighting that overshadowed everything else in his life._

_Whenever he had to choose between staying with his family and friends and not getting stronger, or training, he always chose training. Even when it wasn't a life or death situation. Even if it was just the next tournament. The call of the fight, of the challenge, was always stronger than the call of his loved ones._

Jenny saved the document and closed it. Now she would take a break and then read it again, looking for typos and other mistakes, before she burned it on the required CD-ROM.

Closing the lid of her notebook, Jenny slipped off her chair. It was almost dark outside, but Vegeta was still training. So it would still be some time until dinner, but she was feeling hungry for a snack now. There just had to be something in the kitchen that could help her survive until dinner.

A bright grin spread over Jenny's face, when she opened the fridge and saw the last piece of chocolate cake that Jenny had bought two days ago. It really was a wonder that Vegeta hadn't eaten it yet. And it wasn't even a small piece.

Jenny was just finished with the cake, ready to face her paper again, hopefully for the last time (except for the presentation), when Vegeta entered the kitchen. "You done with that paper?" he asked gruffly. Jenny couldn't blame him. After all, she had spent many hours on it that she could have spent training with him.

Training. There was that word again.

And suddenly she froze.

"Brat?"

"Almost…" she answered, shaken from her stupor, but now with a burning question on her lips. Only she wasn't sure, if she could ask it. What would he make of it? And yet, she needed to know. Especially after everything she had found out about Son Goku, the man who kept abandoning his family, only to get stronger, only to be ready for the next fight. "Vegeta… can I ask you a question? It's… kind of personal…"

Vegeta had been rummaging through the fridge himself, when she asked him this. So he used the time to take some things out and close the door to the fridge again until he answered. The girl was really acting strange, and more out of curiosity about what she wanted, he said, "Go ahead."

Swallowing hard, Jenny tried to find the right way to ask it. "If… I mean… If you ever had to choose between training, I mean getting stronger… and me? And if you had to give up the other thing if you chose one… What would you choose?" The moment the question left her mouth, Jenny was scared. If Vegeta gave the answer she expected, but dreaded, she would be devastated.

Now it was Vegeta's turn to freeze. Had the girl honestly just asked that? He slowly turned around, seeing that she was staring at the plate. Just what the hell had brought on this question? Hadn't he repeatedly told her that he wasn't going anywhere?

And then, suddenly, it seemed to make sense. It had to be connected to her paper somehow. Vegeta cursed himself for not demanding to know the topic, when she had acted to evasively whenever he brought it up. Not to forget her behavior in the past weeks, the furtive, almost scared glances she spared him. The looks he couldn't identify. Almost as if she was unconsciously always comparing him… but to whom? It didn't make any sense… except… She had spent a lot of time at Triclops' house that one Saturday and she usually never brought her notebook along for their dinners. And the other time he could have sworn he had felt her near that old pervert's island. But would a teacher really be so cruel to give her that topic?

Vegeta was startled out of his thoughts, when Jenny pushed her chair back. "It's okay… you don't need to say anything… I understand…"

She was almost scampering out of the kitchen, stumbling over her own feet, when his voice stopped her. "Brat… Jenny…"

With her hand on the doorframe, she gave him a scared and at the same time hopeful look over her shoulder. And if someone had asked him that question fifteen, no, ten years ago, if he would stay with his rival's daughter instead of training to get stronger, the answer would have been easy. However, much to his surprise, it was still easy, only different.

"I would choose you."

He wasn't Kakarotto. He would never abandon his family. The girl had wormed herself into his heart in a way only one more person had ever done. Bulma, his wife, his mate. Not even Trunks had managed this, neither of them. She was his family, his true family. He couldn't tell her how relieved he had been, when she had told him that she would like to return home. The loneliness he had experienced, the empty house, all this was finally over. Not even training could fill that hole she had left, when she had gone to Li's school.

Sometimes Vegeta was still startled by the changes in his life since he had arrived on this pathetic ball of mud. How he had changed from the coldhearted killer with no attachments to a man who would do everything for the people close to him. Being close to someone. A concept that had been completely unfamiliar to him until he had begun his new life on Earth. Even Nappa, his bodyguard and partner as long as he could remember hadn't been a person he had been close to. See how easy it had been to blow him to pieces. And the only thing Vegeta had felt, when he had killed him, had been the regret that his almost obliterated race had just lost another member.

But then Bulma had come along and he had discovered what it meant to be close to someone, to… love someone. She had shown him to open his heart, even if it was still incredibly hard to do it, and the girl was following in his mate's footsteps. She never allowed him to withdraw into himself, at least not for long, surprising him with spontaneous hugs and other attempts at physical affection, no matter how hard he tried to pretend that he didn't like it. He would be a liar, if he said that he didn't want to have her in his life anymore.

So, yes, he would always choose her.

* * *

Two conflicting emotions were warring inside of Jenny, while she was proofreading her paper. For one, she couldn't be happier with Vegeta's answer, couldn't be more relieved. It hadn't been what she had expected, but she believed him. Vegeta just didn't lie. Not even to spare her feelings. So she was elated to know that he would always be there for her, even if he had to choose.

On the other hand, a hate unlike she had ever known rose up inside of her. Hate for a man she didn't know. Hate for a man who had abandoned his family again and again. Hate for a man who had left his only son in the hands of the enemy. Hate for a man who had left his wife without excuse, without a goodbye. Hate for a man who always let others clean up his mess. Hate for a man who had destroyed the innocence of a boy by letting him be consumed by so much anger that he lost himself in the process. Hate for a man who only cared about two things – power and fighting.

This man, Son Goku, would _never_ be her father. He had lost that chance a long time ago.

Two hours later, Jenny was finally finished with the paper. She had hopefully corrected all the mistakes and shortened the sentences that had gotten too long. Now it was ready to be burned on a CD. With a sigh of relief, Jenny opened the drawer of her desk in which she kept the CD-ROMs, only to come up empty.

Huh?

She had been so sure that she still had one CD. She looked in other drawers, but there was nothing.

Damn! Where could she get a CD at this time of the night? All the stores were closed already – it was Sunday, after all.

Damn it! That old hag would surely give her a failing grade, if she didn't get the CD tomorrow. She could print it out, sure, but the requirements for the midterm project clearly stated that it had to be on CD.

Then an idea hit her. Hadn't Bulma always saved her projects on CDs? Maybe there was an empty one in her lab, or some rewritable ones that she could use.

With this idea in mind, Jenny hurried over to the part of the building, where the different labs were located. She was surprised, when she entered the code to Bulma's lab, that she still remembered it so clearly. Jenny hadn't been in the lab since before Buu – none of them had gone there since the attacks. And except for the few times when she needed to get some spare parts for the gravity room, Jenny had stayed clear of this area. But now it was an emergency. Vegeta would never forgive her, if she failed that class, no matter how useless it was.

A shiver ran down her spine at the ghostly eeriness of this place. Memories of working with Bulma in this room began to haunt her and it almost felt as if her ghost was still in this place, tinkering away. But of course Jenny knew better. Bulma was in the Afterlife, having moved on. Probably and hopefully happy, despite the fact that her mate was still here on Earth.

She didn't even want to imagine the reunion of those two, when it was time for them to meet again. It would either involve a lot of yelling or a lot of… other things. One thing, however, she was sure of. They wouldn't see either of them for at least a couple of days.

While Jenny was walking through the lab, she noticed that it was unexpectedly clean, but apparently there were still some cleaning bots that took care of the dust in this room. Fortunately, because honestly Jenny didn't want to dig through inches of dust for finding the CD she so desperately needed. Bulma's workspace, meaning her desk, the by now far outdated computer, and a workbench was as chaotic as when she had left it, but Jenny had learned at an early age that even in this chaos was some order. You only had to know where to look.

Grinning, Jenny fished a bunch of CDs out of the bottom drawers, but much to her dismay, none of them were empty. Ah! But most of them were rewritable ones. Her chances at handing the project in tomorrow had just risen. Taking the CDs, Jenny left the lab and the ghosts behind. First when she was walking back to her room, she noticed the goose bumps on her arms and rubbed them. Would it be like this every time, when she was confronted with the past now?

Shaking her head to get rid of these thoughts, Jenny opened the CD-R drive of her notebook and put the first CD inside. Before she deleted anything, she had to make sure that it wasn't something important, after all. Bulma would have her head, if she deleted some precious blueprints.

Fortunately Jenny had installed a lot of the software Bulma used for making blueprints and such on her notebook, just in case she ever felt like trying to draw a blueprint of something herself, so she had no problems opening the only file called CC SS 5.08.

Jenny eyes widened, as she scrolled through the blueprints.

No… no? Could it be? Could it be possible?

She hadn't known. Bulma had never told her that there were blueprints left.

And suddenly, Jenny felt stupid that she had never looked for this before, while at the same time a hope she had long buried flared up within her again.

"Brat! Dinner is ready!"

"Coming!" she called back, her hands shaking in excitement. She clenched her fists, stopping the shaking. She couldn't betray her feelings.

No… she couldn't tell Vegeta about this, yet. First she had to make sure that it was possible. She couldn't give him hope only to crush it again. First thing tomorrow, she had to take this CD and make sure. Screw school, this was more important.

As Jenny left her room, her notebook's screensaver activated - pictures of herself with her friends at Li's school - effectively covering the blueprints of a space ship.


	56. Part III: Overcoming Obstacles

**A/N: I can't believe it! Even though I hadn't expected to finish another chapter this quickly, here it is. But tomorrow, I really have to start preparing for classes again. Maybe I'll have some time to write in the evenings, but I better don't promise another chapter before the Christmas break is over. And once school starts again, well, you know the deal… I'll do my best but can't promise regular updates.**

**Well, thanks again for the review and for still sticking with me for this story. There's still a lot going to happen and I can't wait to read your reactions to everything that I'm planning. **

**But for now, the new chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 55: Overcoming Obstacles**

Jenny had no idea, how she had survived dinner with Vegeta, after having found the blueprints for the spaceship. She had been so close to telling him about her discovery a couple of times, not knowing how she would be able to keep it a secret much longer. But each time her mouth wanted to open, she clenched it shut again or just stuffed some more rice into it.

Dinner conversation, while always being rare, was non-existent that night, as Jenny's thoughts just kept wandering to probable scenarios and… problems. If Vegeta had noticed her anxiety or absentmindedness he didn't show it, probably still chalking it up to the weird question that she had asked him earlier that night.

There were a few things that she hadn't thought about in the excitement upon discovering the blueprints. For one, even if they somehow managed to build this spaceship, Jenny still had no idea how to find the new planet Namek. Maybe she needed to dig through some more of Bulma's notes, or maybe Vegeta knew something, but without the right coordinates she would never find that stupid planet.

Another problem that she had successfully pushed aside until it hit her during dinner was the limitations their own Dragon Balls had had. People could only be revived within one year after their death – those who were dead longer than that had to stay dead. The newly awakened hope was almost crushed, but Jenny pushed herself to keep it alive. The Namek Dragon Balls weren't their own Dragon Balls, so maybe they didn't have the limitations.

Maybe, if they found Namek, built the spaceship and the Namek Dragon Balls weren't as limited as theirs had been, Jenny could bring her family back to life.

Jenny retired again directly after dinner, ignoring Vegeta's request to train with him. She could feel his eyes on her, when she left the kitchen, but she just didn't feel like sparring tonight. The day had been extremely draining, first finishing the paper and drawing the conclusions about Son Goku and then the discovery about the blueprints had taken a lot out of her. And to be honest, it would be better if she and her blabbermouth weren't around Vegeta until she figured out for sure that her plan would work. Jenny didn't want to see the disappointment and pain on Vegeta's face, if it didn't work out.

Sleep that night was restless. Too many thoughts were running through her mind, and when she managed to fall asleep, she woke up again a short time later. In her dreams, she was on the spaceship, which was nothing more than a soda can, and on the pilot seat was Goku, asking her, whether she would choose him or Vegeta.

Grumbling, Jenny took again a look at the alarm clock on her nightstand, after she had woken up from this dream. It showed 4:06 in red glowing numbers. She was so tired, her eyes felt so heavy, and yet rest evaded her. Turning around, hoping against hope that the last three hours of sleep would be different until she had to get up, Jenny fell asleep again.

But this time the dream was different. She was on a planet with blue grass and a purple sky. She could see white rocks, and turquoise water and trees. And there were what seemed to be small houses in the distance. Rising into the sky, Jenny flew towards the round houses and landed hidden behind one. She could hear voices and slowly crept around the house, only to suppress a surprised squeak.

It was her. And Vegeta, along with a group of different looking Piccolos. Nameks. In front of them were gigantic orange spheres, all seven of them glowing faintly. An elder Namek stepped forward and called out something in a language she didn't understand. At once, the glow of the spheres brightened blindingly and seven beams of light shot into the sky. Everything around them became dark and suddenly Jenny could feel the enormous power, as a huge being was floating above them.

Porunga. The Namek's version of Shenlong.

It really was awe-inspiring, so Jenny almost didn't notice when her other self stepped forward with slow, careful steps. Tearing her gaze from the dragon, Jenny was startled, when she took a closer look at the other Jenny.

She seemed so… different.

Older for one… Maybe two or three years. And the top and jazz pants she was wearing didn't hide the fact that she was awfully thin. Bones were protruding everywhere, the collarbones and cheekbones being the most prominent. There were dark circles under her eyes, the skin of her face waxy pale and her blond hair hung lifeless from the ponytail. Even the eyes were dark and haunted.

What had… or better, what was going to happen to her?

Her body seemed frail and weak – the other Jenny's hands were shaking, but she couldn't tell if it was from exertion or excitement – and much to her surprise Vegeta stepped forward, too, putting a hand on her shoulder. He was looking at her worriedly, as if fearing that she would collapse any moment. The two of them exchanged a long look, before Jenny turned again towards the dragon.

After this appearance, Jenny almost expected her other self's voice to be just as weak, but it was strong and firm, as she said, "Porunga, I ask you to repair any damage that Buu's has done on Earth, but that hasn't been repaired yet."

The older Namek translated her wish and then Porunga's loud voice announced the answer, as his eyes glowed red. The older Namek turned to Jenny with a smile on her face and said, "Nothing easier than that."

"Okay… the second wish," Jenny heard her other self mumble. "Porunga, can you resurrect people who have died almost eleven years ago?"

Porunga answered at once, and the older Namek translated simultaneously, "Yes."

Suddenly the scene froze before the other Jenny could voice the second wish, and the hope that Jenny had almost lost again that night returned at full force. She felt her lips form a bright smile, just knowing that this dream wasn't just any dream. It had the feel of one of her visions, so real, so tangible. What she had just seen just had to come true, even if it was some years from now.

"So, this is how your gift works," Jenny suddenly heard a voice behind her say.

Whirling around, a dark scowl settled on her face, as she recognized the person. Crossing her arms over her chest, she asked, "Kaioushin, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I followed your call…" Upon Jenny's incredulous look, he elaborated with a smile on his face. "Maybe you didn't do it on purpose, but I know that you want to know the coordinates for this planet New Namek."

"You can tell me?" Jenny asked, not wanting to believe that it was going to be so easy.

"Not like this, unfortunately no. But I can make you a deal."

"A deal," Jenny repeated coolly. It really had been too good to be true that he would just tell her.

"Ah, don't worry… if this vision of yours really shows the future, you don't have anything to worry about. The deal is… if you really manage to build that spaceship, let's say… within the next three years, I'll be allowed to tell you the coordinates, when it's time for you to leave."

Jenny threw a look over her shoulder at the other Jenny. Three years… it should be possible, shouldn't it? And even if the Kaioushin didn't tell her the coordinates for this planet, there just had to be another way to get them. "Deal."

Jenny stuck out her hand, which she Kaioushin shook. However, just as he wanted to let go, Jenny transformed and squeezed it even tighter, as she took a step closer. "I swear, Kaioushin, if you're bullshitting me, I'll drag you into hell myself and kick your sorry ass. And you have to promise me that you won't tell my brothers and the others about this until Vegeta and I are well on our way to Namek. I don't want to get their hopes up."

"Agreed." The Kaioushin winced, as Jenny finally freed his hand. He should slowly get used to death threats by the Saiyajins. "Farewell, Jenny."

Jenny only nodded, as the Kaioushin faded away, and then turned back to the frozen scene in front of her. Vegeta and her other self standing next to each other in front of Porunga, his hand no longer on her shoulder, but in a tight grip of her hand, almost as if she were drawing strength from him. Porunga's simple 'yes' had brought a light to her haunted eyes and a small smile to her face, and even the look on Vegeta's face was brighter somehow. And was that a smile tugging at his lips?

Whatever was going to happen in the next years, it seemed that she and Vegeta would grow even closer. That Vegeta would open up even more. And even though Jenny still wondered, what could have made her other self look like this, this weak, she also realized that it couldn't be that bad, if Vegeta was still by her side.

Jenny wished she could look at that scene just a moment longer, but an incessant and annoying noise was pulling her away. She closed her eyes, willing the noise to go away, but when she opened them again, she wasn't on New Namek anymore. She could feel her mattress underneath her and the blankets covering her. The incessant sound was coming from her alarm clock, but Jenny ignored it for a while, thinking over her dream…

No… Vision.

She had seen the future, she had seen herself and Vegeta on New Namek, calling Porunga and making their wishes.

It was actually going to work!

Her breath was locked in her throat, as the Kaioushin's deadline came back to her. Three years. It should be possible to build a spaceship in three years.

And she would do it, come hell or high water! She would finish the spaceship in time, go to Namek and then bring her family back to life.

* * *

When Jenny came down for breakfast, Vegeta was already in the gravity room, much to her relief. After the vision, it would be even harder to keep this from him. At least until she had started building the spaceship. Then, when everything was going fine, she was going to tell him. Maybe he would even allow her to leave school for this, knowing how important that deadline was. She couldn't do this alone, of course. She needed help from the lab at the R&D department of Capsule Corporation, a few blocks down from where they lived. And this was going to be her first stop today.

Just as she put her empty bowl into the sink, Vegeta stepped into the kitchen. He was watching her carefully, still wary of her behavior the previous day, and while she still seemed jittery, she was at least smiling. "Your paper done?"

Jenny was startled by his voice and whirled around. The bowl fell the last inch into the sink, but didn't break. Phew… "Vegeta! You startled me!"

"Never let your guard down," he muttered as warning. "So, have you finished that paper?"

"Yeah… it's finished. And I'm sorry, Vegeta… but I'm kinda late. I have to go…"

And without another word, she had disappeared out of the front door, leaving a bemused and puzzled Vegeta behind.

Jenny jogged the regular way to school, but instead of entering the schoolyard, went right past that and then suppressed her ki. Vegeta would never know that she hadn't been at school. Not if everyone kept their mouths shut. Since she had to hide her ki, the trek back to the R&D department was a slow one, but at least Jenny was sure that everyone who could help her was there and at work.

Fortunately, Seira the secretary still knew her from before Buu, a nice elderly lady who had been working at Capsule Corporation as long as she could remember. Seira sometimes even told her stories of Bulma as a kid. "Good morning, Jenny," she greeted the teenager kindly. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Nope," the lie fell easily from her lips, but she felt immediately bad. "There's no school today. So I thought I could hang in the lab for a bit."

"Go ahead," Seira smiled. "I'm sure the guys will be happy to see you. It's been too long."

The last time she had visited 'the guys' in the lab had been right before Christmas, when she had brought them some cookies as Christmas present. Tico, the oldest of them with almost sixty years, had already worked with Bulma and her father, when Bulma herself had still been a teenager, and he adored Jenny. He had two close colleagues, Mika and Kimi, both at the end of their thirties, who were geniuses that her grandpa had hired right out of college. They were a great team, always coming up with improvements to the Capsule Technology and other stuff.

They were working in Lab 3 at the moment, one of the employees in the lab area told her, as she left the elevator. So Lab 3 was where she was going. The door was closed, so Jenny knocked – she had learned at an early age that she always had to knock before entering a laboratory – and first entered when she heard one of them say, "Come in."

Just as she had expected and Seira had told her, the guys were happy to see her. They showered her with questions about school and her non-existent love life, until Jenny finally got a word in and showed them the CD.

"I've found this last night… And I want to know, if it's possible to build it," she told them bluntly, not wanting to beat around the bush. She could trust these three men, just as Bulma and her grandpa had trusted them. They knew about the Dragon Balls and everything else that needed to be kept a secret for the rest of the world, so they were the only people she could go to.

Three heads blocked one big screen, as they analyzed the blueprints in hushed voices. Jenny crossed her fingers, hoping that her vision from last night proved to be true, that they could really do this and build this thing.

"Amazing," Tico muttered, his fingers flying over the keyboard as even more images from the CD flashed across the scene. "Bulma Briefs really was a genius. How she always came up with this. None of us could have constructed a design like this."

The others agreed and their hushed conversation in a language that appeared to be spoken on Earth, but with so many foreign words that Jenny's ears quickly began to ring, continued for a few more minutes.

Jenny really didn't want to interrupt them, but her curiosity was simply too great to keep it in any longer. "Sooo… Can you build it?"

Three voices fell silent and after exchanging one more look, they turned around and Tico began to speak, "Jenny, before we answer your question… please answer one for us… why do you want us to build this spaceship?"

"You know about the Dragon Balls, right?" Three nods. "The being that created them originally came from a planet called Namek. Well, their old planet was destroyed, but they settled on a new one, and I want to go there and use their Dragon Balls to wish everyone back to life."

Three stunned looks, but then Tico regained his composure, as he asked, "Why now? Why didn't you come eight years ago, after all this happened?"

"Because I only found the blueprints yesterday. I hadn't known that Bulma still had some blueprints of a spaceship, and I knew that you guys couldn't design a spaceship from scratch. No offense."

"None taken," three voices answered at the same time, because even though they worked in the field of Capsules and were brilliant themselves, they knew that none of them could have built a spaceship from scratch.

"Sooo?"

"Yes," Tico answered eventually, and Jenny let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She felt like smiling, like jumping and cheering, but the look on Tico's face told her that there was still a 'but' coming. "But… given that we have the financial resources and get all the parts without problems, building this spaceship might still take months, if not years. And even when it is finished, how you do plan on finding that planet?"

"I've got three years," Jenny informed them. "If this spaceship is finished within those three years, I'll get the coordinates for the planet. It's a deal I made with the Kaioushin."

Three baffled looks, but after having heard all the stories about Bulma and her friends, it didn't surprise them (much) that Jenny seemed to be on speaking-terms with one of the high gods. "Still, there's the problem with the financial resources," Mika threw in. "Capsule Corporation can't just finance the building of a spaceship without getting any profit out of it. The board would never agree to this, especially seeing as they have no idea about what's really out there."

"Mika is right," Tico agreed, his voice thick. Jenny remembered that he had lost his wife because of Buu's attacks. "As much as I wish we could do this, not just for you, but for all of us, it's just not possible. I'm sorry."

Jenny's throat constricted painfully and she felt the tears in her eyes, but blinked them back, focusing on the picture of her older self and Vegeta in front of Porunga. This vision had to come true. It just had to. "How much? How much do you need? You can get my college fund, and I'm sure once I tell him, Vegeta agrees to offer all our savings…"

Kimi was typing frantically away on the computer, having not offered much input into the conversation, while Tico was telling her, "That'll never be enough. We're talking about gigantic sums. Your lawyers would never put that much money forth for you, even if it is your inheritance. If you can wait until you're twenty-one, it should be enough to both start and finish the spaceship, but until then…"

"Fifty million zeni," Kimi suddenly said. "To get started, to get the foundation, we need fifty million. After that it might be possible to live off much smaller numbers. To tweak some money here and there for our department… your college fund might be a help, if you get Vegeta to agree, as well as the savings. You'd need to help, of course, but I'm sure that there are plenty of things you can do. Heavy lifting, building easier parts of the ship… Finishing this in three years might become a bit tricky, but if you get us the first fifty million, we could just make it."

"Fifty million."

Jenny quickly did the math. While she and Vegeta had a lot of money at their disposal, it would amount to twenty million at the most. She had no idea, how high her college fund was, but she was sure that it wasn't nearly enough. But she just had to get the money. There simply was no other way. Even if she had to rob a bank or ten.

"I'll get you the money," she promised with a determined look on her face. "It might take a couple of weeks, but I'll get it. You start looking closer at the blueprints and for the parts we need to get started."

* * *

Jenny felt like crying. She was sitting on a bench in the park, completely distraught. Where in hell was she supposed to get fifty million zeni? The three scientists were right – her and Vegeta's inheritance would solve this problem easily, with the money they could build ten spaceships, but the money would first be available to both of them when she was twenty-one. It was stupid, really… Why had Bulma put up her will like this? Had she been worried that Vegeta might leave, when he had that much money at his disposal? Had she wanted to keep him tied to Capsule Corporation and the kids until they were old enough and independent of him, in case something happened to her? This was really stupid. Vegeta didn't care about money. Not at all.

Fifty million zeni.

Jenny had never even seen that much money, let alone held it in her hands. There was no way she could get it. The dream she had had about Vegeta and herself in the future really just seemed to have been a dream and the Kaioushin had just been there to mock her. How could she have even dared to get her hopes up? How could she have dared to hope that, in just a few years, she would have her brothers back?

"Damn you!" she cried into the sky, as first one raindrop fell, and then another, followed by pouring rain. People around her hurried to get out of the rain, but she didn't care. "Damn you, Kaioushin, and your deal!"

Tears mixed with rainwater, as Jenny just continued to sit there. The park had emptied quickly and she was now all alone. Thunder roared in the distance, followed by lightning. But she didn't care. She didn't feel the cold and the wet. She only felt the despair of once again losing hope and everyone she loved.

Jenny had no idea, how much later she finally began to drag herself home. She was completely drenched, as she went straight for the gravity room, needing to blow something up. Vegeta looked up, as she switched off the gravity and entered the room.

It must have been a lot later than she had thought, as the first thing that Vegeta asked, was, "Where have you been?"

"Out," was Jenny's simple answer, hoping that Vegeta would just let her be.

However, this wasn't the case. "Your school called." Damn! Jenny winced under the accusing glare that Vegeta shot her. "I covered for you and told them that you were sick. But you owe me an apology and an explanation. So, where have you been?"

Jenny wanted to cry again, but instead held onto her anger, as she spat, "Just out, okay? Tell me, would you have gone to school, if you had to do a presentation about the man who sold you to Frieza?" Alright, the topic of the paper was out now, if Vegeta managed to add two and two, but at least she still had managed to keep quiet about the spaceship. Right now, seeing how things were going, this was the last thing he needed to know.

Vegeta felt as if he had been punched. Apparently he had completely underestimated the whole effect this paper had had on her. "So, your paper really _was_ about Kakarotto."

"Yeah, it was about daddy dearest. Can we spar now? I need to hit something."

After having looked at her for another long moment, he nodded. "After this, you'll show me the paper and we'll go to your principal tomorrow."

* * *

Vegeta held the crumpled pages of the paper in his hands, staring straight ahead and yet seeing nothing. After having read this thing and still feeling the sore spot on his face where she had managed to land a pretty hard punch, he realized that whatever the girl was going through now must be worse than he had expected. She had been furious during their sparring match, not pulling any punches and taking the Super Saiyajin as far as she could go… Had she just been a tiny bit stronger, just a bit angrier, she might have reached the second level, but even during this match already, Vegeta had found himself to be more on the defense than on the offense. He had let her vent her anger until she was spent and just dropped out of her Saiyajin form. She hadn't faced him, but he was sure that he had seen the tears in her eyes before she had gone to her room and printed out this thrice-damned paper.

Even Vegeta had been surprised by some of the things he had read. Sure, he had always suspected that the great Son Goku hadn't been as great as everyone said, but this he had never expected. No wonder the girl had asked him this strange question and he was now glad that he had given her the right answer. He had no idea what damage he would have done to her, had he said the wrong thing.

But at the same time, Vegeta felt the smugness. Kakarotto had fallen, from the high and mighty idol from the girl's early childhood, back when her older brother's tales could still ensnare her, to a man she hated with a passion, if he had read this between the lines correctly. Oh, was Kakarotto going to be in for a surprise, when they met again.

His rival had now truly lost his daughter. Eight years ago, when jealousy had driven Kakarotto to accept Babidi's power, Jenny had still been ready to accept him, although she had still asked him, Vegeta, if it was okay to trust Kakarotto. He had given her the go-ahead, but even back then he had secretly hoped that she would reject her father.

Jenny had done this now. So this paper had been good for one thing, even though it had hurt her in the process. No, Vegeta shook his head. He shouldn't think like that. The girl shouldn't have had to do this in the first place, she shouldn't hate her father as she did now. No matter how good it felt for him. And because of this, he would get that teacher of hers into a lot of trouble.

* * *

Jenny was biting her lip, as she and Vegeta were once again sitting in the principal's office. She hadn't wanted this to happen. She had only told Vegeta about her paper to get him to stop asking questions. And now he thought that she was so angry, so sad because of what she had found out for the paper. Well, he wasn't completely wrong, but it wasn't the paper itself that had driven her over the edge, but the paper and the spaceship and the lost hope…

The principal and her history teacher were both reading the paper, printed out and not on CD, so her teacher had to squint a lot and had to read a lot longer than the principal. But even after he was finished, her principal didn't say anything, instead waiting for the old teacher to start.

"Well," she finally said in her shrill voice, "all I can see is the biography of a fighter who has died too young and a very accurate assessment of his actions regarding fighting, his family and his friends. If you had handed it in yesterday, just as I asked to, I believe it would have been an A minus."

Jenny had to suppress a snort. Well, at least daddy dearest would have gotten her a good grade in History. The first good grade she had ever gotten there.

"I can only agree with your teacher, Jenny," the principal told her kindly. "So, Mr. Briefs, what seems to be the problem?"

"The problem is that this assessment she had to make is about her biological father," Vegeta told him coldly.

The principal blanched, apparently first now making the connection between Son Jenny and Son Goku. He looked from the paper, to the teacher, who of course wasn't surprised by this, and back to Vegeta. Jenny actually saw him flinch under Vegeta's glare, before his gazes settled on her. "Jenny, I would like to speak to Vegeta and your teacher… alone. Would you mind going outside for a moment?"

"Yes, I would, as a matter of fact," Jenny told them, her voice just as cold as Vegeta's had been.

"Jenny," Vegeta said with a warning tone to his voice. He was angry, really angry, but Jenny knew that the anger wasn't directed at her. This and the fact that he had used her name, although he usually called her brat, even in public, convinced her that it probably would be better, if she went outside.

"Alright…"

The moment Jenny closed the door, all the voices inside disappeared. She wished that she could transform, so that she could hear what they were talking about inside, but with the secretary just sitting a couple of feet away from her behind her desk, this wasn't an option. Damn, she hated not knowing what others were saying about her.

So Jenny could only wait. Five minutes, ten minutes, until the door finally opened and she was allowed back inside again. There was a smug smirk on Vegeta's face, and her teacher had been reduced to a quivering mass, while the principal was looking a bit pale himself. She had to hide the grin that threatened to appear on her face. Oh yeah, Vegeta had the ability to scare someone shitless with just some deathly quiet words and a glare. It looked like he had put that ability of his to good use here in this office.

The principal suddenly cleared his throat, catching Jenny's attention again, before he said, "Jenny, I wish to offer my apologies. Giving you this topic for your paper, even if it happened by accident, was a tremendous mistake. Your teacher should have given you a different topic the moment it was obvious that you had to write the paper about your deceased father. I'm sorry. While you were waiting outside, we discussed how we should proceed and agreed that you would get the A minus for the paper, without doing the presentation. I hope this will help you to forgive us."

He was looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer, so finally Jenny shrugged her shoulders, still playing the part of betrayed student, and mumbled, "Okay…"

The principal offered once more his apologies – Jenny noticed of course that her teacher didn't say a word the whole time – before she and Vegeta dismissed themselves. They had just left the school grounds behind, when Jenny turned to Vegeta with a grin on her face. "So… what did you say to make them shit their pants?"

He gave her the same smug smirk in return that he had already had on his face for the last ten minutes in the principal's office. "I just pointed out some major flaws in your teacher's methods and how hurting and damaging the heir to Capsule Corporation wouldn't be in any favor for the school." But after he had said that, the look on his face changed into a serious one. "Brat, promise me… The next time something as bad as this is bothering you, you tell me."

"Sure," Jenny quipped, pushing the guilt about the fact that she was still keeping something as bad as this from him aside. She would tell him. Eventually. If it didn't work out maybe in a couple of years. Or on his death bed.

"So you're okay now?"

"I'll be," Jenny promised. _As soon as I get my hands on fifty million zeni without becoming a criminal._

* * *

The solution to her financial problems presented itself surprisingly this very night, while Jenny was lounging on her couch, watching some TV. There was nothing good on, so she spent most of the time channel surfing, switching channels every second. It was because of this that she almost missed the commercial that could solve everything.

Switching quickly back to the channel before, Jenny stared dumbfounded at the big letters on the screen, reading _The 26__th__ Tenkaichi Budokai_. Just a second later, a fighting ring was shown, the very same ring that she had fought in eight years ago, and then scenes from the different tournaments were presented, while a voice over was played.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the male voice said, "after eight years we are happy to announce the revival of the most famous martial arts world championship, the Tenkaichi Budokai, thanks to the initiative of our greatest hero Mr. Satan! This year we will all meet on May 7 on Papaya Island. Registration is open until eight o'clock in the morning of the same day. Just as the last two times, we'll have a tournament for everyone who is fifteen years old and younger, and a tournament for sixteen year-old and older fighters. Now, in the junior division the young fighters will go up against each other, while the adults go through the preliminary rounds by fighting each other in eight groups. The winner of the junior division will get a nice price and the chance to fight against Mr. Satan! Which young fighter doesn't want to get that chance, huh?"

Jenny rolled her eyes, clearly remembering the _fight_ between Trunks and Mr. Satan. He was such a weakling. A part of Jenny just wanted to change the channel again so that she wouldn't have to listen to this stupid babbling, but another part of her felt compelled to stay tuned. This part was telling her that something very important was still coming.

"Now, in the adult division, there will be eight contestants in the final rounds. The winner of those eight fighters will get twenty-five million zeni as prize money, the runner-up ten million. But… the winner will also fight against Mr. Satan for the title of World Champion. If he manages to win against the greatest hero of all times, Mr. Satan will sponsor another twenty-five million zeni as prize. Now… what about this?"

Jenny stared at the screen, not believing her ears, as she figured out what this meant. By winning this tournament and beating Satan, the winner would earn fifty million zeni.

Fifty million! Just the amount of money she needed!

A slow smirk spread over Jenny's lips. Well, it seemed like she would have to participate in the 26th Tenkaichi Budokai and become World Champion.

* * *

"Come on, Tenshinhan, I need your help with this," Jenny begged during their monthly Saturday night dinner, which fortunately had been scheduled to happen just a few days after Jenny had seen the commercial about the Tenkaichi Budokai. "You're my only chance to keep Vegeta in the dark about this."

Tenshinhan shook his head and glanced at Chao-zu, who was just shrugging helplessly. Apparently, he was on his own in this. "Jenny… I'm really not sure if either of us participating in the Tenkaichi Budokai is a good idea. Actually, I believe it is a bad idea."

"But why?" Jenny asked exasperatedly. "Just think about it! Fifty million zeni for the winner and ten for the runner-up! Between you and me that'll be sixty million zeni!"

A wry grin appeared on Tenshinhan's face, as he raised his eyebrows. "I had no idea that you and Vegeta had money problems."

"It's not like this…" Jenny grumbled. "But sixty million!"

"Then, what do you need that much money for? That you are so desperate to destroy the one hope the people of Earth have had in the past years?" Tenshinhan tried to guilt-trip her. "Defeating Satan in this tournament will be a blow to the moral of everyone on this planet. They still believe that he is their savior and that no one can defeat him."

"Well, if it isn't you or me, it'll be someone else." Jenny crossed her arms in front of her chest with a stubborn pout on her lips. She had hoped that Tenshinhan would be excited about the idea of once again competing in the tournament he had once won. She couldn't understand how he could be against this. And she had also hoped that he would be her alibi, so that she could tell Vegeta that she was going to train with Tenshinhan on the day of the tournament. "I swear, I'll defeat him fair and square. No ki-attacks, no flying… just normal fighting."

"Jenny," Tenshinhan sighed. "I really don't know… Just… tell me… _Why_ do you want to participate so badly?"

An uncomfortable silence fell between them, as Jenny didn't answer at once. She hadn't wanted to tell anyone about why she wanted to participate. Yes, it was about the money, and yes it was also partly because she wanted to push Satan from his high horse – which would be a really neat side effect. But the money was more important, way more important. And suddenly she realized that Tenshinhan would only help her, if he knew the truth.

"I need the fifty million zeni," Jenny finally whispered, "because only if I have that much money, I can bring them back."

"Bring them back? Bring who back? What are you talking about?"

"Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Bulma, Krillin, Piccolo… and everyone else who has died because of Buu," she told him. "Tenshinhan, a couple of days ago, I found blueprints for a spaceship, a spaceship that can bring me to New Namek. But the guys from the lab say that we need fifty million zeni to get started, otherwise it won't work at all."

Probably for the first time in his life, Tenshinhan was struck dumb. He and Chao-zu were staring at Jenny with wide eyes, as if not believing what she had just told him. "Is it… is it true?" Chao-zu whispered finally.

"Yes," Jenny replied in a hoarse whisper. "It's true… If I get the money, and only if I get the money, we can build a spaceship that would get us to New Namek so that we can use their Dragon Balls. I can bring them back, Tenshinhan, I can bring them all back."

Jenny bit her lower lip, as Tenshinhan fell silent once again. Could she dare to hope that he would help her now? Crossing her fingers, Jenny silently begged him to say yes, to agree to help her, so when he eventually nodded, Jenny couldn't help herself. She squealed delight and jumped at Tenshinhan, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you! Thanks so much! I so owe you after this!" Jenny told him excitedly. "But please, don't tell Vegeta about this, okay? I don't want him to know about the spaceship, yet."

Tenshinhan smirked down at her, glad to see her so happy. He couldn't believe that he had agreed to this, especially considering the demoralizing effect defeating Satan would have on the people on Earth. But if she really could get to New Namek and bring them all back, he just had to help her, damn the other consequences. "You make it sound as if Vegeta and I are on civil speaking terms. But I have one condition."

"Anything," Jenny promised quickly.

"I will come with you to Papaya Island as your alibi, but I won't participate in the tournament. I will, however, cheer you on. Is that okay?"

"Okay."

Jenny couldn't believe her luck. Tenshinhan was helping her with the tournament and once she defeated Satan and won the fifty million zeni, she could tell Vegeta about her plan.

The only thing she needed to do was lie a bit about her age so that she could evade the junior division and find a suitable name, because having a Son Jenny participate in the Tenkaichi Budokai would surely draw a lot of attention to her.

But she still had some time to find a name, so for now she tried to be happy that one more obstacle was overcome. Winning the tournament and defeating Satan would be a piece of cake, after all.

* * *

**End notes: To be completely honest, I have no idea how much 50 million zeni are worth compared to the Euro or the Dollar, but the last winnings of the Tenkaichi Budoki had been 20 million and before that 500.000, at least that's what I found on the internet, so I believe that it really is a huge sum. Let's just say that 50 million zeni equals to about 2,5 million Euros, which is about 3.2 million Dollars. I think this might be suitable for starting building a spaceship that could go all the way to Namek. :)**


	57. Part III: The 26th Tenkaichi Budokai I

**A/N: I'm a bad girl, a bad bad girl! I'm supposed to plan my lessons for when school starts again next week, and what am I doing instead? I'm writing fanfics… Stupid plot bunnies… **

**Well, at least this will be good for you. Thanks for the review _asredwer_! I hope that you'll like what I'm doing with the tournament, even if I can't implant your ideas. I'm sorry, but I've got this all mapped out. Still, it'll be nice, if you left me a review to tell me what you think of it. And when there are still other readers, I'd love to read your reviews! They always make my day :)**

**Anyway, I better stop talking now… And you start reading! :)**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 56: The 26th Tenkaichi Budokai – The Preliminaries**

"You're still sure about this?"

Jenny nodded resolutely, not even turning around to face Tenshinhan and Chao-zu. He had kept giving her subtle hints that he still thought that her participating at the Tenkaichi wasn't necessarily a good idea over the past three weeks, but he had kept his promise. He and Chao-zu had come to Papaya Island with her, so that she could tell Vegeta that she was going to train with them. They were her alibi, although Vegeta had mocked their training date ever since she had told him. But at least, Vegeta was still in the dark about what she was really up to.

"Then you better go and sign up now, otherwise you'll be too late."

It was five to eight in the morning, sunny but still a bit chilly, so Jenny hugged her black hoodie closer to her body. She had only five more minutes to enter into the tournament. Yes, she was going to do it. She was going to sign up, she was going to fight and she was going to win. At the end of this day, she would go home with fifty million zeni in her pocket.

"Here I come," she mumbled, when she took the first step to the sign-up desk. The monk looked up from his list, when she stopped in front of him. "Hi. I wanna sign up for the tournament."

"Your name and age, please," the monk said, poising the pen over the long list.

"My name is Saiya and I'm sixteen." Jenny crossed her fingers, hoping that the monk wouldn't buy her lie. While it wasn't the first time that a fighter competed under an alias – The Great Saiyaman, anyone? – they always had to give their correct age. Well, except for that one time when daddy dearest had told everyone that he was fourteen, believing that fourteen came after twelve. But back then, they hadn't had the junior division. However, participating in the junior division was the last thing Jenny wanted to do. She didn't want to get disqualified. Again.

The monk looked at her in scrutiny for a moment, before he eventually jotted down the name and age and handed her a number - 93. Jenny felt like squealing. She had done it! She was going to compete in the adult tournament. The fifty million zeni were hers!

So eager to get back to Tenshinhan and Chao-zu, Jenny didn't notice the girl waiting in line behind her and ran straight into her. "Oops, sorry," she mumbled quickly, as the two girls steadied each other.

"No problem," the other girl replied with a smile on her face and twinkling blue eyes. Jenny saw her wipe a strand of blond hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear, before she took Jenny's position in front of the desk.

Jenny was grinning brightly, as she nearly skipped up to her friends. "Alright, I'm all signed up. Let's get inside."

Everything at the Tenkaichi Budokai was just as big and gaudy as it had been the last time she had been there. The frown was deep on Tenshinhan's and Chao-zu's faces. They hadn't been here the last time and so hadn't seen what had become of the most famous martial arts tournament.

"I don't recognize it," Tenshinhan muttered under his breath, as he was looking around. People were everywhere and this really meant something. After Buu, seeing that many people at one spot was a true rarity. Merchants were trying to sale food, drinks, souvenirs and other useless stuff. It was loud, music blaring from speakers everywhere, mixed with different announcements, people pushing through the crowds. "This is nothing like the Tenkaichi Budokai used to be."

"I don't like it," Chao-zu agreed, shaking his head. "Why did they change it?"

"Welcome to the modern world, where consumption and money rule."

"Says the girl who's only here for the fifty million zeni," Tenshinhan muttered, but couldn't hide the grin, when Jenny playfully punched him in the arm. Her black eyes were sparkling with amusement, knowing that he was only teasing her. "But sadly, you're right. The Tenkaichi Budokai is nothing like it used to be. I'm really glad that I'm not participating."

They continued walking through the throngs of people, looking around and making fun of what the Tenkaichi Budokai had become. Jenny quickly admitted that the old tournament, which she now knew from watching the recordings of the twenty-first, twenty-second and twenty-third Tenkaichi Budokai, definitely had had more flair. She would have loved to fight in those earlier tournaments, just for the sake of fighting, but this time, she only had one goal. The prize money. It was only because of this that she was suffering through this – the people, the weaklings who were going to be her opponents and eventually Vegeta's wrath, once she told him where she had gotten the money for the spaceship.

"Why are they all staring?" Chao-zu suddenly whispered after a while. They were getting closer to the area restricted for the participants, and could clearly recognize who was a fighter and who was just a spectator. And indeed, many of the fighters and some of the spectators seemed to be staring at them.

Jenny smirked smugly, as she asked, "Haven't you watched any TV lately? In the past three weeks they've shown the top twenty fights of the last twenty-five Budokais. The final fight in the twenty-second tournament ranked third place. And you have to admit, Tenshinhan, you haven't changed that much since then. As a matter of fact, I think you have become even more handsome." The smirk widened, when she noticed the sudden blush spread over Tenshinhan's face. "Face it, you're famous."

Just how famous Tenshinhan had seemingly become overnight became obvious, when suddenly a young woman came up to them. "Excuse me," she said timidly. "Are you Tenshinhan? The winner of the twenty-second Budokai?"

The blush, which had just started to recede again, returned at full force. "Uh… yes."

The young woman was blushing as well. "Uhm… could I have your autograph, please?" She was holding a notepad and a pen in her hands, almost as if she had been hoping to meet some famous fighters. Tenshinhan quickly took the pen and scribbled his name, while the young woman continued to talk. "So… are you going to participate? Or are you just here to watch?"

Jenny and Chao-zu had a hard time to keep in the laughter that was threatening to bubble over upon seeing Tenshinhan like this. It really was hilarious to see the usually so collected and calm fighter so flustered. So Jenny quickly took pity on him and stepped forward. "He's here because of me," she announced cheerfully, drawing the young woman's attention to her. "Hi, I'm Saiya. I'm Tenshinhan's student."

Understanding dawned on the young woman's face. "Ooh, I didn't know you were taking on students."

"It's a recent thing," Jenny answered instead of Tenshinhan, rolling discreetly her eyes at him and Chao-zu, as they were looking at her in surprise. Couldn't they just play along? "He didn't want to have any students, but I convinced him. Though it was pretty hard, considering he's now happily married and will soon be a father."

"I see," the young woman nodded, obviously disappointed upon hearing that Tenshinhan was no longer available. "Then I wish you good luck. With him as a teacher, I'm sure nothing can go wrong."

"I hope so." Jenny winked at her, as the young woman turned to go, and then said to Tenshinhan and Chao-zu, "Well, I better go in. It's almost time for the preliminaries. And you go and find some decent seats… Master."

"Good luck," Chao-zu wished her, still grinning brightly. Tenshinhan was only slowly recovering from the encounter.

"I'll see you before the finals," Tenshinhan told her. "And please, Jenny… Be careful."

"Geez," she grinned. "I may be blonde… okay, not at the moment… but I'm not stupid."

* * *

Jenny entered the big gym and could only gape at the number of fighters. Sure, the number she had gotten said that she was the 93th fighter, but seeing all of them here was just amazing. About a hundred fighters, all here with one goal – to become the Martial Arts World Champion. But even by just looking around, Jenny could find the different groups of fighters. There were the really big ones, pure body mass, wrestlers… then there was the lean type of fighter. Average height, average weight, but not an ounce of fat on their muscular bodies. She could see the gaudy types, wearing masks and glittery costumes. Those were usually the _fighters_ who couldn't even throw a punch without breaking their fingers. And apart from her, there were even some women. But it was quickly obvious that she was the youngest fighter here, even after having lied about her age.

Seeing that the fighters began to gather around the eight rings, Jenny quickly looked at the lists at one wall to find out which ring she had to go to. Ring five was hers. Alright, time to face the music.

While she was walking towards her ring, Jenny noticed the girl from earlier this morning standing at ring six, the same girl she had run into right after she had signed up. Only now that Jenny got a closer look at her, she realized that it would be better to call her a young woman. She had to be at least three or four years older than her, although she was rather frail looking, seeing as she wasn't much taller than Jenny herself. Compared to all the other fighters around her, she really seemed to be weak.

At least at first glance, but her warrior's eyes told Jenny that this girl had experience. She had the lean body of a fighter that was quick and nimble, while being strong at the same time, and her stance betrayed a confidence that seemed out of place among all those taller and apparently much stronger male fighters. Surely all those men would underestimate her, but somehow Jenny believed that she would meet her again in the finals. Obviously feeling the eyes on her, the blond girl turned around to face her, her blue eyes showing recognition, and the two girls exchanged a nod.

And then the preliminary rounds began. The referee was announcing the rules through the speakers in the hall, but they were easy to remember. There was a time limit of ten minutes to each fight, so if it ended in a draw, the judges from each ring would decide who had more points. Otherwise the standard rules applied. If you were knocked out, down for more than ten seconds, outside of the ring or surrendered, you were out. The preliminaries were scheduled to be finished at about half past eleven. The final rounds would then begin one hour later, after a lunch break.

Knowing from the list that she was going to be in the last fight of the first round, Jenny located a spot at the wall and relaxed against it with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She wished she could just close her eyes for a moment – after all, she had had to get up awfully early today and on a Sunday on top of that – but this would just look arrogant. She should at least keep up the pretense of watching the other fights.

However, as she had already expected, those fights were nothing worth to remember. Jenny could have wiped the floor with any of the fighters by just flicking her wrist. But nooo, she had promised Tenshinhan that she would behave and try to hold back as much as possible. Never win a fight in less than two minutes. And during the final rounds, she had to pretend to take even longer, for the audience. So that they would get to watch a couple of good fights and not return home disappointed.

Then, sooner than she had expected, her number was called and she entered her ring. Her opponent followed just a few seconds later. He was just huge, a giant or at least half-giant, and awfully hairy. Jenny wrinkled her nose, when a sour odor reached her. Bleh, that guy smelled really bad. But otherwise his ki wasn't much greater than that of a fly. Okay, that was an understatement, but she could swap him aside as easily as a fly. Fantastic. Her first opponent and already she would have to pretend really hard.

"What's this?" his deep voice boomed. Jenny had to grimace, when she saw his yellow rotten teeth. Yuck! "A child? You let me fight against a child? I thought this was the Tenkaichi Budokai! How did she get here?"

Trying to play it cool, when she really just wanted to finish this fight as quickly as possible, and without having to touch him, Jenny smirked. "The same way you did. I signed up. And now, let's finish this. The fifty million zeni are waiting for me."

"As you wish, little girl… but don't expect me to comfort you, when you start to cry."

Jenny's eyes flashed dangerously. Oh, how much she just wanted to say 'Screw your rules, Tenshinhan', but she had promised him. No acting up, no showing more strength than necessary, or all bets were off and he would tell Vegeta. Damn the rules!

Her opponent obviously expected her to retort, but she remained quiet. Instead, when the bell that signaled the start of the fight, rang, Jenny just rushed forward. The giant lashed out with his fist, but Jenny easily evaded his blow. She zigzagged around him, always just staying one second ahead of him, never allowing him to hit her or even hitting him. Jenny hoped that she could just get him dizzy enough so that he would fall out of the ring by himself, but unfortunately this obviously wasn't going to happen soon.

So, with a sigh Jenny realized that she would have no other choice but to attack him. Push him out of the ring without touching his filthy and hairy body. But how could she do it? Jenny wondered about this for a few more seconds, continuing her dance to evade his attack. The giant was getting steadily angrier and his attacks messier, but as long as he didn't step out of the ring, this was of no use for her.

But then she suddenly had an idea. And she had to thank daddy dearest for it, no matter how much she hated it. Once more, Jenny jumped away as the giant's fist hit the ground, and she quickly slipped through his legs. He was even close enough to the ring so that it could look like an accident. Concentrating, Jenny coolly pushed some energy into her fist, which she then allowed to lash forward. Her fist moved so fast that the air pressure did the rest. And it actually looked like the giant had just lost his balance after the last attack, as he stumbled and fell right out of the ring.

"The fighter with the number ninety-three wins!" one of the judges announced and Jenny slowly stepped out of the ring. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw that the blond girl defeated her opponent just as easily. Yep, definitely a candidate for the finals.

The rest of the fights were just as easy for Jenny, only a lot less disgusting. The men were all cocky and overly confident of their abilities. When Jenny stepped into her ring for the second fight, her opponent had still underestimated her, believing that it had just been a lucky accident that she had won the first fight. He went down after exactly two minutes and ten seconds, knocked out, and he hadn't even managed to touch her. This time, when Jenny stepped out of the ring, the other fighters stepped aside for her.

Jenny smirked. Damn, that felt good.

At quarter past eleven, Jenny entered the ring for the final fight in the preliminaries and left it again two minutes later as the victor of ring five. She was almost disappointed by the lack of challenges these fighters had provided. But then she reminded herself that she wasn't here for the fights or the challenges, but for the money (and for showing Satan up).

Now with nothing else to do, Jenny decided to watch the last fight at ring six. Just as she had already predicted, it was the blond girl standing in the ring, facing an opponent that physically looked much stronger than her. Yet Jenny wasn't surprised, when her opponent went down after just one and a half minute and that he had to be carried away on a stretcher.

"Good job," Jenny complimented her, as the blond girl walked past her.

The blond girl paused and then smiled. "You, too."

Returning the smile, Jenny offered her hand. "Hi, I'm Saiya."

"People call me Devil," the other girl replied, shaking Jenny's hand.

A kind of awkward silence fell between them afterwards, as Jenny thought that there was something familiar about this girl. And who the hell would call her Devil? With the blond hair and blue eyes she looked more like an angel than a devil. At that moment, the last fight was finished and it was now obvious that she and Devil were the only two girls in the finals. Maybe this was something they could bond over – until they had to fight each other. "Huh, seems like it's up to us to show the world the true meaning of girl power."

"Yeah, seems like it." A wicked grin appeared on Devil's face, and at least now Jenny could guess where her _ally_ had gotten her name from.

"Hey, I'm gonna meet my Master and his friend now for lunch. You wanna come along?"

"Sure," Devil shrugged. "Why not?"

"Have you come here all alone?" Jenny asked, as they were leaving the gym and walking towards the spot where she wanted to meet Tenshinhan and Chao-zu.

Devil nodded. "Yes. Actually, no one knows that I'm here."

Jenny grinned knowingly. "So, your name is an alias, too, huh?"

"Too? So Saiya isn't your real name?"

"Nah… let's just say that my stepfather will have my head, if he finds out that I'm participating. I even had to talk my Master into letting me come."

"Really? Why?" Devil sounded stunned and truly curious. "I mean… didn't he think that you were ready? Because to me it looks like you're more than ready to fight in a tournament like this."

Sighing, Jenny shrugged her shoulders. "It's complicated. But hey, there they are! Come on, I'll introduce you."

Grabbing her hand, Jenny dragged her over to where Tenshinhan and Chao-zu were sitting at a table under an umbrella. First as she slumped down on a chair opposite of them, Jenny seemed to notice how warm it had gotten and after having let go of Devil's hand, quickly pulled her hoodie over her head, and knotted it around her waist, revealing the black sports bra she was wearing underneath. A relieved smile spread over Jenny's face, as she grabbed the glass of water that was standing right in front of her.

"Ooh, you got me something to drink! Thanks!" After having drunk almost the whole glass, Jenny sighed happily and then waved Devil over to sit down next to her. "Guys, this is Devil. She got into the finals with me and she's secret identity girl, too. Devil, this is Tenshinhan, my Master, and Chao-zu, our friend. I've invited her to have lunch with us."

Tenshinhan and Chao-zu both shot Jenny a warning look, and then said hello to Devil. The older girl was looking at the two men a bit strangely for a moment, but then shook her head. Jenny guessed that she had watched the top twenty fights as well and recognized Tenshinhan.

While they were waiting to order their food, Jenny began to tell them about how easy the preliminary rounds had been, of course without telling them the real truth because of Devil's presence, that she could have knocked all of them out within a split second. On the other hand, Jenny was glad that Devil agreed with her about most of the fighters not having been challenging at all.

"I really hope that the final rounds will be better," Devil said, after they had finally ordered their lunch.

Their lunch came a short time later and while they were eating, Jenny quizzed Devil about herself. The other girl seemed to be a bit reserved, but after Jenny had reassured her that she didn't have to tell them any names, the girl launched into her story. She told them that she was living with her boyfriend's family. Her mother had died when she had been very young and she hadn't seen her father since Buu.

Her boyfriend was a martial artist, too, as was his fifteen years old brother. But lately the younger boy was starting to become more obsessed with girls. The boy's parents blamed their son's best friend, who was already a year older and had been 'chasing skirts' ("My boyfriend's mother's words, not mine," Devil said to them with a grin.) for a year already. With his friend's influence, it had been a wonder that the younger boy had first started his quest to impress girls recently.

Jenny found herself laughing throughout the tales that Devil was spinning (even Tenshinhan and Chao-zu couldn't suppress their chuckles now and then), and quickly Jenny found herself sharing parts of her own life, that she was living with her stepfather because her parents had both died a long time ago and that the rest of her family had been killed by Buu. She told her about her two best friends and about all the mischief they had been up to.

In between, Jenny asked Tenshinhan and Chao-zu about the junior division and just once again noticed how lucky she had been that the monk had believed her lie about her age. The disappointment about the future generation of fighters was clearly visible in both Tenshinhan's and Chao-zu's voices, as they told them about whiny kids and boys and girls without any potential. Devil shared their sentiments, revealing that she had participated in different junior divisions when she had been younger and that it had always been too easy. Jenny could only relate to that as well, remembering the one and only time she had fought in the junior division – and how she had been disqualified.

The two girls quickly found out that talking to each other was quite easy, even if none of them was mentioning any names, which Jenny kind of felt bad about. If it weren't for all the secrets she was forced to keep, and for the secret the older girl was keeping, she was sure that they could have actually become friends. It would have been great to have another girl as a friend who loved martial arts just as much as she did.

Right after their empty plates were cleared away, they heard the announcement that all the participants of the finals were to report to the ring in the stadium. "We better go," Devil announced, rising from her chair.

Jenny nodded, and rose as well, but then she said, "Go on ahead. I'll come to the ring in a moment." Devil smiled at her in understanding and left, leaving her with Tenshinhan and Chao-zu.

"She's really nice," Chao-zu told her with a smile. "Too bad that you both keep so many secrets."

"Yeah, too bad," Jenny muttered. "But hey, Chao-zu… Could you do me a favor, please? I want to fight Devil, but not in the first rounds. The final would be great."

"I can do that," Chao-zu agreed with a grin, but Tenshinhan was frowning at her.

"How do you know that she will even reach the last round?"

Jenny raised her eyebrows, almost saying 'Duh'. "Haven't you noticed her ki? It's controlled, but still slightly higher than that of the other finalists. I bet that she can still raise it. And I want to see how far." Tenshinhan's frown became a glare, so Jenny quickly relented, "Alright, I want to see how far she can raise it without drawing any unnecessary attention to ourselves. Satisfied?"

"If you really manage to do this, then yes."

"Good. And besides, I've watched some of her fights in the preliminaries. Her fighting style is much better than that of anyone else. I believe that she is the only fighter here today, who can give me even the slightest challenge."

"If you say so, Jenny," Tenshinhan sighed, rubbing his forehead. Oh why had he agreed to do this? Jenny was only going to get into trouble today. He had known it the moment he had told her that he would come along. "So… be careful. And good luck, though you probably won't need it."

"Yeah, good luck, _Saiya_," Chao-zu piped it, emphasizing Jenny's alias, after Tenshinhan had slipped.

"Thanks guys…" Jenny waved at them and then jogged off to the stadium.

At the entrance to the area for the fighters, she showed the monks the slip of paper that would tell them that she was one of the eight finalists and then, after she had dropped off her hoodie in the changing room, quickly hurried over to where the other fighters were standing in a half-circle in the middle of the ring, facing the audience. Jenny could fell thousands of eyes on her, as she came to a halt next to Devil. She was the last one to arrive. Oops…

The commentator was looking at each of them, and Jenny thought that his gaze was lingering on her for just a moment longer than on everyone else. She had to resist the urge to look away, as she recognized him as the same commentator who had already been there at the last Tenkaichi Budokai – and at at least four Budokais before that. His hair was now gray instead of blond, and there were more wrinkles on his face, but he was still wearing a suit and sunglasses, hopefully not the very same as eight years ago.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he said into his microphone. His voice was amplified through all the speakers in the stadium, so that truly everyone could hear him. "Welcome to the adult division of the 26th Tenkaichi Budokai! Ninety-six fighters have fought in the preliminary rounds and it's these eight fighters who have proven that they are strong and good enough for the finals! And for the first time in the history of the Tenkaichi Budokai, we are blessed to have two young women with us in the final rounds!"

The audience applauded and some guys even whistled. Jenny chuckled and exchanged a grin with Devil. It seemed as if they already had some fans, despite the fact that their appearances clearly differed from each other. While Devil was wearing a simple white and baggy T-shirt over black shorts and her blond hair in a simple ponytail, Jenny was wearing a black sports bra and black jazz pants, leaving a couple of inches of her stomach visible. Her black hair was braided as usual, but she had pinned it up to the back of her head so that it wouldn't get in the way.

"Now, before we draw the lots to decide which fighters will face each other, Mr. Satan would like to say a few words."

Immediately the whole stadium went silent, as Mr. Satan entered the balcony of the building behind the ring. Ah, so this was where he was hiding and going to watch the fights. Somehow Jenny felt like doing something during the fights that would make him shit his pants, but thanks to Tenshinhan, she couldn't do it. Damn those rules.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my dear fellow fighters," he began in his booming voice.

Jenny had to resist the urge to yawn and she had to force herself to look up at him (at him, not to him… She would never look up to him), but as she raised her eyes, she noticed something weird. For a second she had thought that Devil had tears in her eyes, but they had disappeared as quickly as they had come. But still, she appeared to be completely mesmerized by Mr. Satan. It almost seemed as if Devil had a hard time to not just climb the balcony and hug Mr. Satan or something like that.

Honestly, Jenny would have never believed her to be a fan of this idiot.

"It's great to see that so many have come to the 26th Tenkaichi Budokai. That you're all eager to fight each other. But before we start, I'd like to ask you to hold a minute of silence, to remember everyone who can't be here today because of everything that has happened eight years ago. Remember your family, remember your friends, and remember all the other people who have lost their lives. Remember."

Jenny would be able to hear a pin drop, as she closed her eyes like everyone else. No one was speaking, no one was even moving. At first, Jenny didn't want to, but then she thought of the last Budokai. Of Gohan and Goten. And Trunks. Of Bulma. Krillin. Yamcha, Piccolo. And her resolve to leave this tournament with the fifty million zeni strengthened. If everything worked out according to her plan, no one would have to be remembered in three years. They would be back by then.

"Thank you," Satan's quiet voice interrupted the silence and Jenny opened her eyes again, eyes that were flashing with renewed determination. "Now, I want you all to fight fair. I can't wait to see, who of you will challenge me for the title of World Champion! Good luck to all of you!"

Satan waved and the crowd erupted in deafening cheers. The applause and cheers first began to quiet down again, when Satan disappeared again behind the glass doors of the balcony, and the commentator once again demanded their attention. Two monks brought an urn into the middle of the ring and took vigilant places next to it.

"It's time to draw the lots," the commentator announced. "And the first one to try her luck is one of our ladies. Saiya!"

Jenny shot a quick glance into the direction of where she could feel Tenshinhan and Chao-zu in the stands, as she slowly made her way up to the urn. After having taken a deep breath, Jenny put her hand into the urn and felt a piece of paper fly into her hand. She grinned, as she took it out and read the number. "Number one."

"Ah, so Saiya will already have to face her opponent in the very first fight. Now, I ask…"

Jenny tuned him out, as she returned to her spot next to Devil and first looked up again, when a guy called Apahachi drew the number two. Jenny looked at her opponent and was mildly impressed. His skin was tanned, a pretty reddish brown, and he had short-cropped silky black hair. He kind of reminded her Upa and his father Bora. He was extremely tall, six foot five at least, and his body well-trained. But he had retained a boyish look in his face. It was kind of cute, so Jenny gave him a warm smile, as he looked at her nervously.

Then it was finally Devil's turn. Jenny once again looked over to Chao-zu and gave him a grateful smile, when she announced the number seven. Devil will be in the last fight of the quarter final fighting against a guy called Digger. Jenny shuddered when she saw him. His black hair was dripping with hair products and he kept giving them weird smiles.

"My condolences," Jenny muttered, as Devil came back to her.

"Thanks," Devil replied with a wry smile. "But he won't smile much longer. I'll make it quick."

Jenny cast another glance into the general direction of her two friends. Oh, how much she wanted to make it quick, too. Stupid promise, she again cursed inwardly.

A short moment later, all the fighters had drawn their lots and then the urn was cleared away. The commentator asked all the fighters to leave the ring and wait in the waiting room until they were called. Jenny had to resist rolling her eyes. Why couldn't she and this Apahachi guy stay in the ring?

While she was waiting, she did some stretching exercises, though she knew that there would be no danger of her being injured. However, her opponent was doing the same and Jenny thought that it would be too weird, if she went into the ring completely unprepared. Some other fighters whistled appreciatively, as Jenny did some back flips, which of course revealed more skin of her stomach and back. She simply shot them a glare to shut them up.

Machos.

And then the commentator was speaking again, and Jenny and Apahachi were asked to wait at the entrance to the ring.

"Good luck, Saiya," Devil told her, as Jenny was walking past her.

"Thanks. You, too. See ya in the final." Jenny winked at her and then walked next to Apahachi to the ring.

Her opponent appeared to be a bit nervous, as they were waiting in front of the stairs leading up to the ring. Jenny felt a bit sympathetic. "Is this your first tournament?"

"Yeah," he croaked. "Yours?"

"Nah… I've already fought in some tournaments, but never in one as big as this. But it'll be fine. And don't forget. Even if you lose in the finals, you may never forget that there are eighty-eight other fighters who haven't gotten as far as you." She gave him an encouraging smile, which he returned.

"Thanks."

"No prob."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to present the first two fighters in the quarter finals. Saiya is sixteen years old and in the preliminaries she has shown that she has some extraordinary talent for fighting. None of her fights have lasted longer than three minutes!" Jenny could immediately feel Tenshinhan's glare on her. Oops… But she had promised that she wouldn't finish a fight under two minutes, so she had only kept her promise. "Saiya's opponent is Apahachi, he's from the Red Mountains and eighteen years old! He, too, had almost no problems defeating the other fighters in the preliminary rounds!"

Applause for the two fighters echoed through the stadium, while Jenny was glancing at her opponent. She couldn't believe that he was only three years older than her, when she had estimated him to be in his mid-twenties. What the hell were they feeding their kids in the Red Mountains? Well, at least it was once again proven that looks certainly could be deceiving.

"Saiya, Apahachi, please take your positions."

Jenny got to her side of the ring and immediately into a defensive stance. She would let Apahachi attack first, this much she owed him since she was going to defeat him. And seeing as she was already feeling bad for being that much stronger than him, she would really try to drag out this fight, but without playing cat and mouse with him. This really wouldn't be fair to him.

Outside the ring, in spectator stands, Tenshinhan and Chao-zu were both crossing their fingers that the final rounds would go off without a hitch. That Jenny would keep her promise and not show any of her extraordinary abilities like flying and ki-blasts. Oh sweet Dende, Tenshinhan thought, closing his eyes for a second. Vegeta was going to kill him, when he found out that he was helping Jenny with this crazy idea of hers (not if – he was sure that Vegeta would find out eventually).

The bell for the first fight of the finals rang, followed by the commentator declaring, "Let the 26th Tenkaichi Budokai begin!"


	58. Part III: The 26th Tenkaichi Budokai II

**A/N: Hehe, I got some lessons planned in the past few days and I've finished this chapter! I'm good. :) When I started writing this chapter, I had been afraid that it would end up really short, with only about four or five thousand words, but look what happened! Almost ten thousand words! Yay me!**

**Maybe I'll manage one more chapter until I have to go back to school and teaching next week, but I can't promise anything. I've already written more chapters in this Christmas break than I'd ever thought I'd write in the next couple of months. So I'm more than satisfied with the turnout.**

**But tell me, _asredwer_, have you really not figured out who Devil is? I really thought that I dropped more than enough clues. I had almost thought about cutting some of them out, but then the flow of the chapter would have been disrupted. Anyway, you'll find out in this chapter. I'd love to see your reaction, when the secret comes out. :)**

**And now, on to the story!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 57: The 26th Tenkaichi Budokai – The Finals**

Apahachi didn't wait long for his first attack. As soon as the commentator had opened the fight, he was on her, fists raining down on her quicker than she had expected. Jenny grinned, grateful that he wasn't holding back just because she was a girl. But it was still just too easy to block his attacks. He wasn't a bad fighter, per se, but after all the years fighting much stronger and faster opponents, Jenny's eyes could see even the slightest signs of coming attacks.

She blocked and dodged, only defending herself in the beginning. Ducking, weaving, holding up her arms and legs to fend off Apahachi's attack. The audience surely believed that he was going to defeat her at any moment. Well, she would show them soon enough.

They broke apart after a few minutes of relentless attacks from Apahachi. He was breathing hard, sweating dripping down his face, clearly winded by the strength he had needed for his blows. Too bad that he hadn't landed one hit and that Jenny was still as fresh as in the beginning. She grinned at him, getting ready for attacking him herself.

But for now, she gave him a few moments to catch his breath, making it seem as if she needed to regain her composure, too. All part of the act. First when she finally noticed that his breathing became regular again, it was her move.

Jenny lunged at him, drawing her fist back, but she smiled, when she realized that he was ready for her. Only that she hadn't planned to attack him head on like that. Instead of lashing out with her fist, Jenny jumped up into the air, planted her hands on his shoulders and flipped over him. The moment her feet touched the ground, Jenny dropped into a crouch and straightened her right leg. Apahachi let out a startled gasp, as her leg swiped his feet out from under him.

He crashed to the ground, almost burying Jenny under him, if she hadn't rolled away in time. A second later, she was sitting on top of him, her lower arm against his throat. Jenny knew that she could finish it now, hold him down without using any of her strength, but the fight had barely lasted five minutes and the spectators hadn't gotten a good show yet.

So, when her opponent buckled underneath, Jenny allowed herself to be thrown off. She rolled on the ground and smoothly got back to her feet. She calmly turned around, watching as Apahachi got back to his feet as well. He was rubbing his back.

The two fighters exchanged one quick look and then they were again engaged. Punches and kicks were exchanged and Jenny even allowed him to hit her a couple of times, but at the same time she landed more blows than he did. Apahachi was getting steadily more winded, his breathing quickened and his punches got sloppier with each passing minute.

She was wearing him down, or better yet, he was wearing himself down. He was putting too much strength behind attacks that didn't get through her defense, and while his footwork was good for someone of his height and weight, it didn't help him to catch his breath.

Jenny really didn't want to knock him out, afraid that it would embarrass him. It was really unfair. Humans would never stand a chance against a Saiyajin, even if they were holding back. And she really did hold back, pushing her ki lower than she was used to in this form.

Maybe she should have participated in her human form, but then the chances at winning this thing wouldn't have been as good as they were now. Had she entered in her human form, she might have actually gotten into trouble, as it was still incredibly weak compared to her Saiyajinform.

If she didn't need this money so badly, she would have never signed up for this tournament. If she didn't need these fifty million zeni, she would now sit in front of the TV and make fun of the fights along with Mailin and Damian. Or maybe she would even cheer for one or two participants, those that were showing a lot of potential, like Devil or even Apahachi.

Those were good fighters, good human fighters, who actually had a shot at the title. The Human World Champion. Devil could easily kick Satan's ass, Jenny was sure of that. Was it really right to rob them of that title when they deserved it so much more than she did?

Jenny paid for her wandering thoughts with a punch to her jaw, which actually let her head whip around.

She almost growled and cursed inwardly, reminding herself why she was doing this. Fifty million zeni. The spaceship. New Namek. The Dragon Balls. Gohan. Goten. Trunks. Bulma. And everyone else.

Time to end this.

A roundhouse kick to Apahachi's stomach sent him a few yards back. He was now close to the edge of the ring. Jenny grinned, immediately rushing after him. Two more punches and a kick later, Apahachi was lying outside the ring.

"The winner of the first quarterfinal is Saiya!" the commentator announced, and suddenly all the noise was coming back. Jenny hadn't even realized that she had completely tuned out the audience and the commentator during the fight. "She defeated Apahachi in a suspenseful and fair fight and knocked him out of the ring in the end."

Under the applause of the audience, Jenny jumped out of the ring and held her hand out to Apahachi. He still looked as if he hadn't really realized that he had lost, but he took her hand regardless and allowed her to help him up again. "Good fight," she told him with an encouraging smile. "You're good. You've got a lot of talent."

"Thanks," Apahachi told her, blushing slightly. "But you were better."

"Geez, you're making me blush," Jenny teased him. "Now come on. Let's go back inside and let the others have some fun in the ring."

* * *

Jenny didn't feel like watching the next two fights. Well, actually she had started watching the first one, knowing that one of those two fighters would be her next opponent in the semifinal, but got bored after about two minutes. They weren't that bad, actually, but Jenny didn't feel like playing around anymore. She was here with a goal and she didn't feel particularly sympathetic towards any of the other fighters except for Devil. But even her she would defeat in the end.

A tall and lean man in his mid-twenties with short blond hair, dark eyes and a rat-like face was the winner of the second fight, meaning that he was her opponent. Jenny heard the commentator call him Ethus. Wait… Jenny couldn't believe that she had heard right. And now that she took a closer look at him, she recognized the fifteen year-old boy that had gotten her disqualified eight years ago in this man. She smirked in anticipation, actually rubbing her hands excitedly. She would finally get her revenge. Just too bad that he would never know it.

The Purple Phantom – Honestly, how had that guy come up with that name? It was even worse than the Great Saiyaman! – dressed completely in purple spandex from head to toe with a black mask covering his eyes and wearing black gloves and boots won the third fight. He would be Devil's next opponent.

And then it was finally Devil's fight. This was the first fight Jenny was going to watch from the beginning to the end, even though she was sure how it would end and that it would end quickly. The older girl walked into the ring with her head held high, completely ignoring the slimy gazes Digger, her opponent, was giving her the whole time.

Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.

If short fun.

The commentator announced the start of the fight and the bell rang. Digger was on the ground two second later, gasping for air. Stunned by this, the commentator was silent for a moment, until Devil asked, "Are you going to start counting anytime soon?"

"Uh… yes… of course," he said hurriedly and started to count.

Jenny's grin had become even brighter in the last two seconds. That girl was good and while most of the spectators – except for Tenshinhan and Chao-zu of course – were still wondering, why Digger was suddenly on the ground, unmoving, Jenny knew exactly what had happened. Sure, Digger hat attacked Devil first, but she had been fast, faster than any untrained eye. A direct punch in is solar plexus, followed by a hit in the neck, when he had doubled over, followed by an uppercut that sent him sprawled to the ground.

"Ten!" the commentator called out. "Digger is out! The winner of the last quarterfinal is Devil! She will be the Purple Phantom's opponent in the semifinals! We will now take a break of fifteen minutes and after that we'll be excited to watch the first semifinal! Saiya versus Ethus!"

Jenny was still grinning, as Devil entered the building again. "That was sooo neat!"

"I hate guys like him," she only muttered, but there was a slight grin tugging at her lips as well. "So, you up for the next fight?"

"Sure," Jenny replied. "He'll never know that hit him."

And Ethus didn't. Jenny took Devil's fight as example and took her opponent out within seconds after the bell had rung. But contrary to the other girl, she had still given the audience something to watch. She would have to thank Trunks for that idea, when she saw him again in a couple of years, remembering only all too well what he had done to Ethus eight years ago. Smirking, Jenny had taken the young man who had gotten her disqualified eight years ago by the collar of his gi and dragged the kicking, struggling and yelling Ethus across the ring, only to drop him directly on the other side of the edge onto the grass.

The crowd was silent for a moment, before one began to laugh, followed by everyone else. Yep, Operation Humiliate Ethus was fulfilled. Jenny saluted Tenshinhan and Chao-zu, knowing that they were probably furious with her now, but honestly, why should she hold back, when another fighter wasn't? Especially if she had to take revenge.

The commentator was once again rendered speechless, as he came over to them to check on Ethus, who hadn't moved from his position on the floor in the past minute since Jenny had dropped him there. But Jenny was sick of waiting, so she walked around the ring back to the building, meeting the commentator in the middle. She smirked at him, as he regarded her curiously, almost as if asking her why she had decided to end the fight like this.

Ah well, he had told her the last time that she had been the true winner his eyes, so she guessed she could trust him not to betray her. With a shrug, but still with a smirk playing at her lips, she quietly told him, "Couldn't have let it end like the last time, huh? Didn't want to get disqualified again for being too… _cruel_."

The commentator looked at her for a moment with a puzzled expression on his face, but then barked out a laugh. "Your secret is safe with me, _Jenny_." He clapped her on the shoulder and then went to Ethus, announcing that _Saiya_ was the winner of this fight and that she would be the first fighter in the finals, wondering who would be her opponent. The Purple Phantom or Devil?

Jenny didn't need to watch the fight to know who was going to be her opponent, when she gave Devil a confident smile. "Kick his purple ass and hurry so that we can fight, okay?"

"Will do," Devil nodded, as she and the Purple Phantom were called into the ring.

Instead of watching the fight, Jenny decided to go explore a bit. She was getting a bit thirsty, but there was no monk around who she could ask for something to drink. Everyone was too busy with the ongoing fight. Jenny frowned. Apparently Devil had decided to drag this fight out, because she couldn't feel that the other girl had any problems. Okay, it was her decision. The day was still young, after all.

Wandering through the hallways of the building, Jenny found the infirmary, where some nurses were patching the wounded fighters up. Here she finally got something to drink, but she didn't want to hang around. There was still more exploring to do. With the bottle of water in her hand, Jenny continued her trek through the building, and after a stop at a restroom and turning another couple of corners, she came upon a closed door at the end of a hallway. Ignoring the saying that curiosity killed the cat, Jenny opened the door. Behind it was a large room, decorated with different tapestries and pictures of former tournaments. There was a plush carpet on the floor and the room was littered with couches and armchairs.

"Oooh, cozy," she mumbled, as she walked over to the windows. Okay, now she knew where she was, as she saw that she could overlook the whole ring. On her right were the double glass doors to the balcony, from where Satan had held his speech. Only where was the weakling in question?

Suddenly the door behind her opened again and Jenny turned around slowly. Speaking of…

"What… what are you doing here?" Satan demanded, surprised to find someone in his room.

"Exploring," Jenny replied with a shrug, turning back to the window and the fight. She had been right. Just as she had dragged out the fight against Apahachi, Devil was stalling against the Purple Phantom. And the crowd was wild, the majority cheering for Devil. Jenny wondered, if, in the final fight, the crowd would cheer for her or Devil?

"What?" Satan spluttered. "Get out! This is my room! This…"

"Is pretty unfair, you know?" Jenny asked him. "You, sitting up here, in this cozy room, while we, the fighters who actually do fight, have to wait downstairs, on wooden benches."

"You seem to forget who you're speaking to! And who do you think you are?"

Oh boy, she had gotten Satan angry. Yeah right, as if he scared her. "Actually, I know who I'm speaking to. I'm speaking to a weakling, a man who now probably wouldn't even get through the preliminaries anymore, much less the quarterfinals. That's why you're up here, hiding, and not downstairs, fighting. You hope that, when he has to fight against you, your opponent is so awed by your presence, by your legend, and not to forget worn out by the previous fights that you can defeat him. Well, Satan, let me tell you something. I'm gonna be your opponent and I'll beat you. The fifty million zeni will be mine," Jenny snarled at him.

"But… how do you know… you haven't even won the final yet…"

Great, now _he_ was scared. What a whimpering weakling… She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Devil will win the fight against the Purple Phantom. It'll only be a matter of seconds now. She will face me in the final, and while she is admittedly a very good fighter, she'll still lose. Because I'm better, stronger, faster and overall more powerful than she can ever hope to be. So you better start counting the money. I'll collect it after I've beaten your sorry ass."

Without another word, without even another glance at the _World Champion_, Jenny left the room. The door clicked shut behind her and Jenny took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and counting to ten. Damn, she really shouldn't have lost her cool like this. Would she be disqualified for threatening the _World Champion_? Or would he keep his mouth shut? Okay, she hadn't really threatened him, but she had broken into his chambers and scared him. Still, this shouldn't be enough to ban her from this tournament, right?

When Jenny came back into the waiting area for the fighters, she heard the crowd chant Devil's name, and just a moment later, the Purple Phantom was carried past her on a stretcher, followed a short time later by Devil. "See, I told you we'd meet in the final," Jenny greeted her.

"Actually, I had hoped that the final fights would be a bit more interesting," Devil sighed, sitting down on the bench next to Jenny.

The dark haired girl joined her. "You're right… I mean, I've seen the recordings of older Budokais, and I've heard Tenshinhan's and Chao-zu's stories. Most of the final fights back then had been epic. And now, even though everything around the Budokai has grown into this… circus… the fights kinda lost their excitement."

"Well," Devil began slowly, as a mischievous grin spread over her face, "how about we make this final fight epic? We both know that we're a lot better than the others, so we could bring the excitement back."

"No holding back?" Jenny asked, feeling almost giddy with the prospect of the first real fight, even though she'd still need to hold back. Only this was something that Devil didn't need to know. She could put on this show, for the tournament's sake, and in the end still defeat her new friend. Maybe she could even make it appear as if it was a really close thing between them, like between daddy dearest and Jackie Chun, or daddy dearest and Tenshinhan.

"No holding back," Devil agreed, holding out her hand. Jenny shook it, as they sealed their pact. "Let's make this fight memorable."

"Yeah, there has to be a way to make it into the top three of the best fights of the Budokai."

Devil laughed and Jenny joined her, when Devil suddenly said with twinkling eyes, "You know, we now have one hour until our pre-fight interview and the fight. What do you think about heading out and getting a snack or something like that?"

"Sounds good," Jenny agreed nodding. "I've had some water, but I'm starving again."

Devil grinned at her. "You kind of remind me of my boyfriend. He's always hungry, too."

Laughing again, Jenny said, "Maybe you'll have to introduce us sometime."

"Maybe…" Devil agreed, but for a short moment a sad look appeared on her face. For that short moment, Jenny believed that she wouldn't see Devil again after this tournament. Which was sad, really, as they were quickly becoming friends.

This time during their break, Jenny didn't bother to look for Tenshinhan and Chao-zu. As a matter of fact she tried to stay as far away from their kis as possible, knowing already what they would say to her after the last fight. She better waited until the tournament was over, so Tenshinhan and Chao-zu could tell her everything she had done wrong in one go. It sounded a lot less painful than having to hear this in several steps.

The two girls had a lot of fun, eating pizza and ice-cream and playing some of the games at the booths. Then, when Jenny saw a photo booth, she dragged Devil inside. Even if she never saw her again, Jenny wanted to have something to remember this day and the fun she had had with the older girl. And seeing how quickly Devil gave in to her begging to shoot some silly photos, Jenny thought that the older girl was thinking the same.

Four pictures were taken. Three with funny faces and one in which they both smiled at the camera. They printed those four photos twice, so that each of them would have a full set. They were studying the photos closely, while they were both having a chocolate milkshake, pointing out funny things they did, the whole time giggling, though usually neither of them was much of a giggler.

Soon it was time for them to return to the ring, but before this they both stored their photos in the changing room. Jenny in a pocket of her hoodie and Devil in her backpack. They were talking about everything and nothing on their way back to the ring, and as they were called into the ring for the pre-fight interview, they went side by side. Both of them were received with cheers and applause and Jenny even felt a blush rise in her cheeks, despite her cool demeanor and confidence, when she heard them call her name. Or at least the name she had given them.

"Saiya and Devil, you two are certainly good for some surprises," the commentator greeted them. "At first this was the first time that two women made it into the finals, and now you are facing each other in the final fight! What do you say about that?"

Jenny grinned, as the commentator held the microphone in front of her. "It's about time that the world sees how strong women can be. We can be fighters and World Champions, too, you know?"

"I can see that!" the commentator laughed. "Devil, may I ask what has inspired you to enter into the Budokai?"

For the first time that day, Jenny saw some insecurities in Devil's eyes, as she glanced again to the balcony of Satan's room. Then, quietly, almost ashamed, she mumbled, "I wanted to fight against my… Mr. Satan."

"Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of, Devil," the commentator told her, as the crowd cheered. "And what about you, Saiya?"

"Me? I'm only in it for the money, for the fifty million zeni," Jenny told them honestly and bluntly. She didn't care what the audience thought of her after that announcement.

Even the commentator didn't really know what to say, so it took a moment, until he asked, "Fifty million zeni… That's really a lot of money. What do you want to do with all this?"

"That's none of your business." Jenny immediately regretted losing her composure again. But the fifty million zeni were now so close. Only two more fights and the money belonged to her. "I'm sorry… it's just… it's for personal reasons."

"You know that you need to defeat Mr. Satan for getting the whole fifty million, right? Do you really think that you can beat him?"

The first thing Jenny wanted to say was 'Hell yeah', but then thought better of it. Instead, she shrugged and mumbled, "I can only try and do my best."

"That's the spirit!" the commentator declared and then turned back to Devil. "Now, a young woman like you, getting to the finals… I'm sure your family is proud of you now."

"I'm sure they'd be, if they knew that I was here. You see, I signed up without telling them."

Knowing by now better than to ask further questions about this, as Devil most likely also had personal reasons as well, the turned back to Jenny. At least it now made sense that she was using a name that obviously couldn't be her real name. "Saiya, what about your family? Surely they must be proud!"

* * *

It was almost half past three in the afternoon, when Vegeta decided to take a break from training and have a small snack. After he had prepared some sandwiches, he went into the living room and switched on the TV, somehow needing some senseless entertainment while he was devouring his sandwiches. He was just channel surfing, trying to find something suitable for his mood, when he suddenly heard very familiar laughter, followed by a just as familiar voice saying, "Are you kidding? My stepfather will have my head, when he realizes that I'm here."

Vegeta stared in disbelief at the screen, which was showing the brat standing in the middle of a ring, being interviewed by none other than that commentator of the Tenkaichi Budokai. Another girl, slightly older and with blond hair was standing next to her, appearing just as amused by the brat's answer as the commentator was baffled.

What the hell was this? What the hell was the girl doing in the middle of a fighting ring, giving interviews?

"Alright," the commentator finally said. "Thanks to both of you for this very… enlightening interview! May I now ask you to take your positions?"

The two girls shook hands and exchanged a meaningful look, before they each went to one side of the ring, with about twenty yards separating them.

"Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen! Let the final fight of the 26th Tenkaichi Budokai begin!"

The remote control in Vegeta's hand broke into a thousand pieces, as he clenched his fists. A snarl escaped his lips and he was muttering about stupid brats and lies and deceiving and soon to be dead triclopses, as he left the house and took off into the sky, following the brat's ki to Papaya Island.

Oh, he wouldn't just have her head. He would also have her freedom, as she would be grounded until the end of time on top of that for this stunt!

* * *

Jenny and Devil eyed each other for all of two seconds after the bell had rung, before they both rushed at each other. The right hook coming from Devil barely missed Jenny's jaw, but the younger retaliated with a punch on her own. Which Devil blocked.

Both of them grinned, as they jumped apart, only to be launching another attack a split second later. Devil ducked under the leg that Jenny had lashed out with, using the momentum to pull Jenny's other leg away, but instead of falling on her butt, Jenny landed on her hands, backflipping once and then attacking Devil with a flurry of punches, of which the older girl blocked or dodged every single one.

The excited grin on Jenny's face widened, as she had to block a couple of punches. Oh yeah, she had been right with her assessment. This girl was strong, not as strong as Tenshinhan, but getting close. She would totally deserve the title World Champion.

Too bad that Jenny just had to win.

The two girls continued to attack each other, neither of them giving an inch. Throwing and blocking punches and kicks, some getting through, hitting their mark, others missing. Jenny tuned in the audience for a moment, only to notice that the spectators were running wild, cheering, calling their names and clearly enjoying their fight.

Probably for the first time today, they got a fight that was worth their entry fees.

Time was passing quickly, so Jenny had no idea how long they had been sparring, when they both broke apart again. Jenny wasn't the least bit tired, though she had allowed a few punches to hit her, but when she looked at her opponent, she was at first surprised, but then happy to see that Devil appeared to be just as fresh as in the beginning.

So it had also just been a warming-up for her, an assessment of her opponent's strength.

"Hey Devil," Jenny called out, stretching her arms over her head. "Nice warming-up, but I think it's time for the real fight now, dontcha think?"

Devil smiled a bit sheepishly. Apparently she had hoped that she wouldn't be caught treating the last minutes of their fight just as warming-up. "Okay… no more holding back."

"No more holding back," Jenny agreed, secretly crossing her fingers. "Remember, let's make this fight epic."

Jenny cracked her knuckles and stretched her neck, before she got again into a fighting stance, which Devil mirrored. For a moment, Jenny thought to see something familiar in that stance, but had no further time to analyze it, as Devil was already running towards her. Jenny barely had time to somersault over Devil, as the other girl was slipping towards her with one leg outstretched. For once, she had underestimated the other girl's speed, as at the moment Jenny landed on her feet, Devil's fist connected with her jaw.

Ouch, that actually hurt!

Jenny's head whipped around and she stumbled a couple of steps out of surprise, but regained her composure just a split second later and paid Devil back, hitting her jaw as well with a punch that had come as quickly as lighting. A satisfied smile flashed across Jenny's face, as Devil's head whipped around as well. Maybe it would be better to raise her ki just a bit higher.

"You pack a mean punch," Devil complimented her, rubbing her jaw.

"Thanks… but your hit would have knocked out everyone else in this tournament, too."

"Everyone but you."

Shrugging, Jenny replied, "Well, what can I say? I'm tough."

"And modest, too."

Without another word, the girls attacked each other again, each punch and kick coming faster than the one before. Pretty soon, their attacks were too fast for the spectators to follow, but as none of them was listening to the audience or the commentator, they just kept building up their speed. But their attacks didn't just become faster, they became stronger as well.

After some trying, Jenny had finally found a ki-level that would keep them evenly matched for at least a while. To the outside world it would seem as if they were both equal in strength and speed, when in reality Jenny was still holding back most of her power. But even Jenny had to admit that she was very impressed by Devil's performance. There weren't many humans on this planet who could attain this kind of power. She must have had a really good trainer. Jenny would even almost say that the girl knew how to control ki, at least the basics, considering the way her punches always seemed to become stronger in the last split second before they connected.

Who knew? Maybe Devil was still holding back, too?

They broke apart again soon after, but only to catch their breath for a second, as they both rushed at each other again at the same time. Their attack was so coordinated that some of the spectators were wondering, if they hadn't rehearsed it beforehand, because they both suddenly jumped at their opponent with an outstretched leg. Neither of them had time to block or to dodge, so they both had to take the brunt of the attack to their face.

Both flew to the ground, face first, but just a second later they were again on their feet, ready for a new round. Their fists met in the middle in a powerful clash and then they were clasping hands, trying to push each other. Jenny gritted her teeth, as she tried to stand against Devil at her current ki-level. But it really seemed as if she had to raise it again. Damn, Devil was holding back as well.

When Jenny and Devil noticed that neither of them was going to give an inch, they jumped apart again. However, both were grinning and Jenny said, "I'm having a lot of fun. What about you?"

"Yeah, me too," Devil replied. "Much more fun than with the other fighters from this tournament."

But even though Devil didn't say it, she was slowly growing worried that she wouldn't win this fight as she had planned. She was still holding a bit back, but when she had decided to participate in the Tenkaichi Budoki, she had decided that she wouldn't show everything. But against this girl, her opponent, it seemed that she really would have to go full out to have a chance. And she needed to win. She needed to be the one to face the World Champion in the end, no one else.

Jenny was also starting to wonder, if she should power up even more. But if she got just a bit higher, the ki would be visible. Could she risk it? Would she break the rules Tenshinhan had set for her? Oh hell, she had already broken the rules when she had moved too fast for the audience to follow her.

Swallowing hard, Jenny made a decision, hoping that Tenshinhan would forgive her.

At the same moment, both girls were surrounded by white flames, as their kis rose again.

* * *

Mr. Satan had never been happier that he had the Champion's Lounge all to himself for the duration of the final rounds until it was his turn to fight. Because now no one could see the quivering mess that he had become upon watching the fight between the two girls. There had only been two other times, when he had seen a fight like this in person – at the Cell Games and at the last Tenkaichi Budokai.

"Whoever wins this fight, will kill me," Satan muttered, knowing fully well how true this statement might be. He stood no chance in hell against them. That girl… _Saiya_… had been right, when she had accused him of being a weakling. Compared to these two… _monsters_… he truly was a weakling. But while he was still sure of his strength, when he had to compete against normal fighters, he knew that he wasn't strong enough to defeat those… abnormal fighters. Had he met them in the preliminaries, he never would have made it to the finals.

He really didn't want to watch the fight, but it was almost like watching a terrible accident. He just couldn't look away. His eyes were glued to the two girls, how they exchanged attacks that mostly were too fast for him to see. How neither of them gave in, even after those strange white flames had appeared around them. How this seemed to be perfectly normal for both of them.

And then the last thing he had expected – or really wanted to expect – happened. The blond girl had jumped high into the sky and was now floating above the ring.

_Help!_

* * *

The fight was slowly turning, but not in her favor, Devil reflected, after Saiya had landed one more hit and she suddenly tasted blood in her mouth. Her body was already feeling pretty sore and she was sure that it was going to be littered in bruises after the fight, but she was trying – until now successfully – to ignore this. As well as the fatigue that was slowly but surely creeping up on her. While she had started her training to get used to using that much ki a couple of months back, she still couldn't retain it for long.

Who would have thought that one of her opponents in the Budokai would be able to match her strength like this?

There was something about this girl, about Saiya, but she couldn't say what. One thought had crossed her mind earlier in the fight, but she hadn't had the chance to think more about it. It would have been pretty unrealistic, anyway.

And again Devil's musings were interrupted by another attack, but when Devil noticed how sluggishly her body reacted, she saw only one way out to catch her breath. Hoping against hope that it would work.

So, to dodge the next attack, she jumped up, high into the sky and then stayed there, looking down at the ring. She could feel the surprised stares of the audience, but didn't care anymore. If this was the only way to get to fight Satan, she would take it.

Jenny was one of the people staring up at the sky in surprise, but then she smirked and crossed her arms in front of her chest. First the ki-control and now flying. The fight had just gotten a lot more interesting. Devil was probably hoping to take a breather by staying up in the sky, but she had no idea how wrong she was. Slowly, almost in slow motion, Jenny's feet lifted from the ground. There were even more startled gasps from everyone around her as she rose even higher into the air until she was on the same height as Devil, who was looking at her almost a bit scared.

Feeling slightly bad, Jenny refrained from attacking immediately. Instead she asked, "Tell me Devil, why do you want to fight Satan so badly? You don't seem to belong to the type of people who put him on a pedestal and adore him."

Devil hesitated for a moment, looking unsure if she should divulge her reasons or not. But then, deciding that no one could hear them up here, she eventually said, "I need to fight him so that I can let him win."

Jenny's eyes bulged in surprise. Her ears must be broken. "Come again?"

Devil sighed, having expected that reaction. "You wouldn't understand. After all, you're only here for the money."

"And what's so wrong about this?" Jenny asked, rolling her eyes. Somehow Devil had just lost some sympathy points. "I need the fifty million zeni for a very important personal project. And showing up that weakling and coward is just a neat side effect."

"My father is no coward!" Devil hissed angrily and then blanched, noticing her slip-up.

Jenny's mouth fell open, as she took in the girl in front of her and tried to process what she had just heard. It had been a long time, since she had seen her, so her memory might be a bit blurry, but Jenny was pretty sure that the hair was supposed to be black. But otherwise, the eyes, the height, the clothes… The story she had told her earlier that day… And not to forget the name. Devil. Another word for Satan and at the same time an anagram of her real name.

"Videl?" Slowly, but surely a smirk appeared on Jenny's face. "Well, I'll be damned. What happened to your hair? And where's the frigging halo?"

The now outed Videl Satan was rendered speechless. First her stupid mistake and now this girl, _Saiya_, had figured out who she was faster than she had developed this persona. And then she suddenly wanted to hit herself for missing an obvious clue in her quest to figure out this girl herself. _Saiya_, as in Saiyaman. As in Saiyajin. Now everything made sense, the strength, the speed, the flying… "You're Jenny, right? Gohan's sister?"

"Right on one…" Jenny was still smirking, but suddenly it was replaced by a look of horror, as she felt a very familiar ki very close by. Too close by. "Fuck…"

"Jenny, are you alright?" Videl asked worriedly.

"Oh, I'll be so dead once this fight is over." Upon seeing the confused look on Videl's face, she explained, "Vegeta has just arrived. He must've somehow found out that I'm here."

Videl's eyes widened, as understanding crossed her face. "Surely he won't kill you, will he? I mean, Gohan said he's not evil anymore."

Jenny laughed, though she sincerely hoped that she was right. "No… not necessarily kill me. But I can already hear my ears ring and not to forget the grounding… I will most-likely be imprisoned at Capsule Corporation until I die. And the gravity room will once again become by best friend."

"Then maybe we should drag out this fight even longer," Videl suggested with a chuckle. "The longer we fight, the shorter your grounding will be…"

"You're right… but let's better get back to the ground and back to fighting… the audience is getting restless with our talking. Especially because they can't hear a thing of what we're saying."

They descended again to the ground, but after their feet touched the ring, Videl asked, "I'm not gonna win this, am I?"

Jenny's face softened. "I'm sorry… And I can't let your dad win either. I _really_ need the money."

Videl nodded, appearing resigned, but she wouldn't be Videl Satan if she just gave up. She would fight until Jenny knocked her out or threw her out of the ring and after this fight, she would try to convince her new friend that defeating her father wasn't the right thing to do, no matter how much she needed the money.

"Ya know, when we're done, I wanna know why you're here and what's happened to your hair and your you-know-what."

"Sure, sure," Videl replied laughing and then she attacked again.

But her body was more exhausted than she had thought, and so Jenny landed a lot more hits than before, and Videl missed more. But maybe it was also because Jenny had once again raised her ki a bit. Or a combination of both. Fact was, Videl was tired, so when a hard punch sent her flying across the ring and over the edge, she could only use her ki to slow herself before she crashed hard into the ground, but not stop herself in time to touch the ground, no matter how softly it was.

The crowd was quiet for a moment, but then they cheered for both fighters, who had given them an amazing fight to watch.

"And the winner of the final and therewith of the first twenty-five million zeni is Saiya!" the commentator announced. "This was truly a final fight worthy of the Tenkaichi Budokai. Both girls have shown that they are true fighters and that many men could follow their example! Congratulations to both of you and thank you for this breathtaking fight!"

Jenny crouched at the edge of the ring, looking down at Videl, who was sitting in the grass. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just tired…"

"I wished I could offer you a senzu, but we're out. Sorry."

"It's okay…" Videl struggled to stand up, so Jenny took her hand and pulled her back into the ring. "Thanks."

"Let's get out of here. Maybe I can hide from Vegeta just a little bit longer, preferably after the fight against the World Champion."

Videl bit her tongue from saying anything yet. She needed to speak to Jenny in private, where no one could overhear them. That talk, however, would need to wait a bit longer, as a glaring Vegeta was already waiting for them in the building, with Tenshinhan and Chao-zu standing behind him. Jenny winced, not because of the glare, but because she was sorry for her two friends. They hadn't been on good terms with Vegeta to begin with and now it was probably even worse.

Vegeta didn't say anything, but just jerked his head towards the exit of the building. Jenny sighed and followed him after she was reminded by one of the monks that the fight against Satan would start in thirty minutes. They all followed Vegeta outside to an area behind the building where no other person was to be seen.

"What's she doing here?" were Vegeta's first words, after they had stopped. He was glaring at Videl.

Jenny sighed, "She's here because… Because she knows who and what I am. This is Videl Satan."

"Impossible," Vegeta muttered, taking a threatening step towards her. "That weakling's daughter has been dead for eight years."

Videl was a very brave girl, because she hadn't moved an inch or removed her gaze. "I am dead. But I've come back to earth for twelve hours, to participate in the tournament. Kaiousama and Dende changed my outer appearance and let the halo disappear so that I wouldn't draw any unnecessary attention to myself. And as I've already told Jenny, I'm here to make sure that my dad wins the tournament."

"Why you're here is not important," Vegeta barked and finally turned to Jenny. "But I believe it's very important that you tell me why you're so desperately trying to get us exposed. Tell me brat, has it still not gotten into your thick skull that we have to lay low! Again and again you're flaunting this very simple and clear rule. And this time I will not be so forgiving. So tell me, what's your excuse this time?"

Jenny swallowed hard, but she had known that in the end it would come to this. She had tried to prepare herself for the anger, for the disappointment, but it hadn't been enough. She suppressed the tears in her eyes, trying to find the strength to get her through this, but one escaped, as she mumbled, "I need the fifty million zeni." The one reason she had given everyone.

"And what do you need that money for?"

The tone of his voice stung much deeper than she had expected, so she hung her head even lower, at the moment not caring that Vegeta would only regard it as a sign of weakness. "I'm going to build a spaceship," she mumbled quietly.

"Speak up," Vegeta ordered angrily. "I can't hear you."

"I'm going to build a spaceship," Jenny said, louder this time, and then hurried to explain, "A couple of weeks ago, I've found some blueprints of a spaceship on one of Bulma's old CDs, while I was looking for a CD for the stupid project. I went to our R&D department and asked them, if they could build it. They said yes, but for them to get started, they need fifty million zeni. And winning the tournament was the only way to get that much money without becoming a criminal."

"What do you need a spaceship for?" Videl found herself asking, before she could stop herself.

It wasn't Jenny who answered, but Vegeta, whose voice was now a mix of the anger he had shown before and something else, something that she couldn't identify. "So that we can travel to New Namek and use their Dragon Balls."

Jenny had noticed the changes in Vegeta's voice too and dared to look up. There was something in Vegeta's eyes that had already been in his voice and after having experienced this feeling as well, she knew that it was a light shimmer of hope. "Yes, so that we can travel to New Namek and use their Dragon Balls," she confirmed and then turned to Videl. "We can bring you back, Videl, all of you."

"Back?" Videl asked confused, not daring to hope.

"Back to life," Tenshinhan told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. The girl looked as if she could faint any moment.

A new resolution had appeared in Vegeta's eyes, while Jenny and Videl had been talking, so when Jenny turned to him again, she wondered if she might be forgiven. "Do you see why I had to participate, Vegeta? Without the money, we can't build the spaceship! Winning this tournament is my only chance to get the money."

"You should have told me," Vegeta muttered, shaking his head in disappointment. "You should have confided in me."

"I didn't want to get your hopes up in case something went wrong."

"That's no reason. Decisions like this should be made by all parties involved. And this is already the second time in a couple of weeks that you obviously haven't trusted me enough to tell me something very important."

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to help and I didn't want you to be hurt," Jenny sniffed, as another tear ran down her cheek.

"I know you are." Vegeta sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But this doesn't make it any less bad."

"I know… Tell me, what can I do to make up for it?"

Again there was the resolution in his eyes. "Win this fight without exposing us any further. Get the money and then let's hope that no one will ever make the connection between _Saiya_ and Son Jenny."

"Alright," Jenny nodded. "I can do that."

"Wait!" Videl suddenly interrupted and there was a small smirk playing at her lips. "I think I have a solution that will work for all of us."

"Speak," Vegeta ordered her and then Videl told them about her idea.

It was risky, Jenny hated it, but it could work.

* * *

Thirty seconds before his fight should begin, Satan was a mess. He was seriously considering feigning another illness, an old injury, whatever to get out of this fight, but he was afraid that this girl would expose him, if he did it. So he was trying very hard not to pace in the ring, waiting for his opponent, and she arrived just two seconds before the start of the fight.

"I'm sorry, I'm late…" Jenny apologized quickly and quietly to the commentator. "But my stepfather found out that I'm here and I've just gotten a major tongue lashing."

"Is everything okay?" the commentator asked her, sounding worried.

"Yeah, everything's gonna be okay, though I'm probably grounded until I'm old and gray," Jenny told him with a small grin.

The commentator sighed, relieved that the girl could already joke again about the trouble she had obviously gotten into, and then raised his microphone to his mouth. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it has been a long and fantastic day! The winner of the final is Saiya, but is she also good enough to become World Champion? We will now find out in the fight between Saiya and our great hero Mr. Satan, the World Champion!"

The crowd roared as he and Jenny took their positions in the ring. He got into a fighting stance, praying to whatever god was listening that he would survive this encounter, when he noticed that the girl was still standing straight. There was a look of utter contempt on her face for a split second before she beckoned the commentator over to her and spoke, loudly and clearly, into his microphone.

"I surrender," Jenny said, despising herself for it. Saiyajins didn't give up. She still wanted to fight Satan and defeat him, but she had been outvoted – four to one. "Mr. Satan is the true World Champion, a great hero. I could never win against him."

The audience went wild after a short stunned silence, calling Mr. Satan's name, praising him. Jenny had to resist rolling her eyes and waited patiently until the noises had died down somewhat before she continued, playing the little fan, "But… Instead of the prize money… I'd really love it if you could invite me and my family to dinner tonight. Don't worry… it's just me, my stepfather and three close friends."

Satan was still staring at her in astonishment – he was still alive! The girl who had promised to humiliate him had given up! – and first a slight nudge of the commentator brought him back to the present. "Uh… of course. You and your family are welcome to join me for dinner."

Jenny left the ring, not being able to stand how the crowd celebrated their old and new World Champion. Videl joined her in the building and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's the right thing to do."

"Maybe," Jenny muttered, going to the changing rooms to take a shower. She hoped the capsule with her change of clothes was still in her hoodie.

* * *

Mr. Satan welcomed them all in his lounge an hour later. The table was set for six and everyone had changed into something more presentable. Even Vegeta had quickly flown home and gotten dressed in jeans and T-shirt instead of his training clothes.

An uncomfortable silence immediately began to reign the moment the door to the lounge was closed behind them and Satan and the Z-fighters were alone. "So, uh…" he stuttered, pulling at the collar of this white shirt, "would you like something to drink?"

Jenny rolled her eyes, as he said, "Let's cut the crap and go directly to business."

"Business?" Satan was looking from Jenny to the others, immediately recognizing Vegeta. He swallowed hard. "What business?"

Jenny threw a look at Videl, who rolled her eyes at her. They had decided that easing Satan into this wasn't going to work, so Videl concentrated for a moment, the air around her shimmered and then, from one second to another, her hair changed from blond to black and the halo appeared above her head.

Mr. Satan let out the most girlish scream that Jenny had ever heard, but he regained his composure surprisingly quick. "Videl, hon? Is that you?"

"Yeah, dad… it's me… I've come to visit you."

And then they were engulfed in a tight hug. Everyone else had the decency to find something more interesting in the room until they parted again. Satan was discreetly wiping his eyes in his sleeves, complaining about dust and irritated eyes.

After that, Videl introduced the rest of them and suggested that they eat while they're talking. Videl, being the most obvious choice, told him about Jenny's discovery and the plans and of course that in a couple of years, they could all be brought back to life. And that they needed the fifteen of the twenty-five million zeni that Satan had been ready to sponsor for the new World Champion, seeing as Jenny, or better Vegeta as her guardian, had gotten the check of the first twenty-five million zeni and Videl had offered her prize money, the ten million zeni, as well.

Jenny was surprised at how easily Satan agreed to give them the money, even the whole twenty-five million, but he assured them that he would sell everything just to get his little girl back. He even promised them financial help for the spaceship whenever they needed it.

Videl and Satan spent a nice evening together, while the rest remained discreetly in the background, busying themselves with other things, but all too soon for father and daughter Uranai Baba appeared in the room.

"It's time to go, Videl," the old witch told her. "You wanted twelve hours, and they're up now."

"I know," Videl said sadly and hugged her father tightly to say goodbye. "I'll miss you, daddy…"

"I'll miss you, too, baby," Satan told her, as he gently let her go. He tried to smile. "And don't forget, it won't take long and you'll be back."

Jenny threw a worried glance at Uranai Baba, but the witch was only smirking knowingly. "What have you seen, witch?" Vegeta demanded to know.

The Uranai Baba glared at Vegeta, but she said nonetheless, "I've seen you all reunited. But never forget that the future is subjective. The smallest decision can change it."

When father and daughter were finished saying goodbye, Videl thanked everyone else for their help and at last she hugged Jenny. "Don't get into any more trouble," Videl whispered to her, causing Jenny to chuckle.

"Sorry, can't do that. Trouble usually finds me."

The girls exchanged a grin, when Videl suddenly whispered, "Can you please show me your human form? I want to know, what girl to look for, when we're back."

"Sure," Jenny said and dropped out of her Saiyajinform. "But please, remember… don't—"

"Don't tell Gohan or the others about the spaceship, I know… I won't, I promise."

"Thanks." The girls hugged again and then Videl went to Uranai Baba. She waved one more time and then she was gone.

Tenshinhan suggested that it was now also time for them to leave, but as Jenny walked past Satan, she told him, "I still don't like you or what you have done after Cell and Buu… But thank you for your help. We couldn't do it without you." She didn't wait for him to answer and just left and joined Vegeta. "So, how much trouble am I in?"

"Heaps. You're grounded until the end of the summer holidays and you may only call your friends twice a week. Consider your cell phone confiscated. But I hope that you'll spend that extra time either on the spaceship, or when they don't have anything to do, you will train with me."

Jenny sighed, but knew that she had gotten off lightly.

* * *

In the Afterlife Uranai Baba dropped Videl off close to her home. Videl thanked the witch and then began to run. She couldn't wait to see Gohan and the rest of her family again after this day. She was sure that Gohan must have been worried, not feeling her ki or feeling her through the bond, so she wasn't surprised, when he swung the door open before she had reached it and embraced her tightly a split second later.

"Missed me?" Videl asked laughing.

"Where have you been?" Gohan demanded to know, frowning. "We've been worried, but Kaiousama told us that we shouldn't be…"

"You better listen to him next time, because I'm fine. I've had a really exciting day. I've participated in a tournament, made a friend and almost won, but my friend was stronger than me. You wanna see a picture?"

Videl didn't know how else to say it, so she just opened her bag and took out the four pictures she and Jenny had taken at the photo booth. "She looks nice," Gohan told her, still frowning, but now also with a light smile playing on his lips. How could he not be happy, when his girlfriend was happy? "Maybe you should invite her sometime."

"Sorry, but I don't think that's possible. She's living on Earth."

Gohan's head whirled around startled. "Earth? What have you done on Earth?"

"They revived the Tenkaichi Budokai and I was afraid that someone might beat my father. So I talked Kaiousama into letting me go to Earth for twelve hours to help him win. And good thing I did it, too, otherwise my new friend would have defeated my dad. She's really strong, you know, much stronger than me. She beat me. And she's really nice, but she's a got a mischievous streak as well. She only told two close friends that she was going to participate in the tournament, so that they could be her alibi for her stepfather who never would have allowed it. Only that he found out and threatened her with being grounded for eternity." Videl grinned wickedly, inwardly shaking her head that her dear clueless boyfriend still hadn't figured out who that girl on the photo was. "I bet she'll have to spend a lot of time the gravity room now."

"Gravity room?" Gohan asked slowly and she could almost see the wheels turn in his head, as he turned back to the photos with a look of pure wonder on his face. "That girl…"

"Yes, Gohan," Videl told him softly. "That's your sister. All grown-up."

"She's pretty," Gohan whispered, his finger running over Jenny's face. "Is she happy?"

"She is… She's really happy. She has very good friends, she's going to high school, and doing all the things a girl her age should do. But she misses you."

"I miss her, too."

Videl pulled Gohan into a comforting hug, as she heard his voice break. "She knows that, Gohan. But you'll see her again, someday."

"I know…" Gohan answered. "But hopefully not for a long time."

Videl hid her smile in his shirt. Gohan had no idea how soon he would probably see her again, if everything worked out.

"Videl… does Jenny have a boyfriend?"

Ah, the overprotective big brother was back. Videl laughed. Gohan sounded almost scared. "As far as I know, no. But you can be sure that Vegeta will chase them all away."

"I hope so," Gohan only answered, causing Videl to laugh louder.


	59. Part III: Old Faces

**A/N: Okay, this will very likely be the last chapter for a couple of times. I have to go back to work on Monday and will probably be either too busy or too tired to get much writing done. Anyway, I think I made up for the lack of previous chapters in the last two weeks and the next chapter will come eventually.**

**Well, I think this chapter is more a transitional chapter, but a chapter nonetheless, so please let me know what you think. **

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 58: Old Faces**

It was already long dark outside, far past midnight, when Vegeta finally switched off the gravity and stopped his training. Everything was completely quiet, once the hum of the machine died down, almost too quiet. During the training he had been too immersed in attacking and dodging the training bots, too deep in concentration during his katas, that he had effectively managed to keep his mind away from everything that had happened today.

He hadn't wanted to think about the revelations this day had brought and he most certainly didn't want to deal with all the emotions those revelations were bringing with them.

So naturally Vegeta had done what he usually did to avoid thinking, to avoid dealing. He had trained hard, pushed his body to its limits and further, never taking a break until the burning in his muscles, the pain of inflicted injuries and the fatigue became too much and his body was ready to collapse.

He had started this torture the moment he and the brat had arrived home from that blasted tournament and he had sent her to her room. They hadn't spoken a word after he had dealt out her punishment on Papaya Island and he had been grateful that the girl had seemed to understand his need for quiet. Even on the flight home he had successfully pushed the girl's reason for participating in the tournament far into the back of his mind, but they had always tried to resurface, so Vegeta had resorted to the only way that had ever worked to suppress his thoughts and feelings. Training.

Deep inside Vegeta knew that he was just delaying the inevitable by torturing his body, but denial was after all not just a river and so he lost himself in the physical pain as long as possible.

Hoping that his body and mind was now too tired, Vegeta dragged his exhausted body back into the building and to his room. For the first time in years his eyes avoided the bed, as he went straight into the adjourning bathroom. He turned on the water and adjusted it to a scalding temperature. A pained hiss escaped his lips, as he stepped under the steaming spray and the hot water hit his sore muscles.

His hands rested against the wall of the shower cubicle as he lowered his head. The water was hitting his tensed neck muscles, working to loosen the knots. Vegeta's eyes were closed, as he concentrated on the burning sensation of the hot water on his skin, but if it was due to the exhaustion or because his mind wanted to tell him that it wouldn't allow him to hide any longer, everything that had happened today suddenly descended on him.

The brat was going to build a spaceship.

They were going to New Namek.

They were going to bring Bulma back.

Vegeta's knees buckled under the power of the emotions that were filling him with the last thought. Pain blossomed in his chest and Vegeta suddenly gasped for air, as he was kneeling on the ground with his hands clenched into fists on the tiles. His whole body was shaking despite the hot water, as too many different emotions were coursing through him, most of which he couldn't even name, not even after all his time on Earth.

In all his life, Vegeta had never allowed the emotions to consume him, even his hatred of Frieza had remained barely controlled until the end. But now he didn't have the strength to hold them back anymore. Years of pain, pain of being without his bonded mate, overcame him. Everything he had held back, be it out of self-preservation or to protect the girl, now crashed in waves over him. Pain, despair, longing, guilt…

But underneath it all was something else, something that was growing steadily stronger, as the other emotions slowly began to ebb away again. The new emotions were soothing the pain in his chest, stopped the trembling and enveloped him in a warmth he rarely felt since he had lost his mate.

They were going to bring Bulma back.

These feelings, the new hope, relief and what Bulma had taught him was called love, were all-encompassing and Vegeta felt a feeling of peace settle within himself that he hadn't felt in a long time.

The trembling had completely stopped by now and Vegeta released a deep, freeing breath before he got up from the ground again and switched off the hot water.

Vegeta couldn't believe how calm he was, as he wrapped a towel around his waist and used another towel to dry his short hair. He had never noticed it before now, but all those feelings had waged a war inside of him ever since Buu had killed almost his complete family. Now that they were out and quieted – not completely gone, probably never completely gone – everything, every little task seemed a lot easier.

Ignoring the puffy red eyes in the mirror, Vegeta smirked – although the smirk resembled a smile, which he would never admit to anyone.

He knew from personal experience that a spaceship wasn't built in a day, but he was confident that it would work and that he would have his mate back before he knew it.

If anyone could pull off this crazy plan, it was the brat.

* * *

In the first few weeks after Jenny had given the astounded trio from her R&D department the sixty million zeni with the promise that they would get more whenever they needed it, Jenny was quickly growing anxious when she noticed that nothing was happening. Sure, Tico hat ordered the first parts, but getting them delivered would take a while, seeing as everything needed to be made of special materials that would be able to survive a long travel through outer space.

She wanted, no needed to do something, but instead of working in the lab as she had planned, Jenny spent all of her free time with Vegeta in the gravity room. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Jenny realized after a couple of training sessions, seeing as she had slacked off lately. First because of that stupid project and then because of her worries about the money and the spaceship. And Vegeta, being Vegeta, made her feel what slacking off meant.

She was sore for days after their first sparring match.

It didn't help that except for school or training there wasn't much else that Jenny could, or better, was allowed to do. Vegeta didn't budge an inch, whenever she tried to negotiate the terms of her grounding with him. It had even gotten worse, after Jenny had talked to Mailin and Damian on the phone for four hours the day after the tournament, knowing that she needed to get as much talking into one conversation as possible. When Vegeta had found out about the four hours, he had even limited her two phone calls a week to half an hour each. And except for school work, she wasn't even allowed anywhere near her notebook.

Then, when the first parts were finally delivered at the beginning of her summer holidays, Jenny was elated that she could finally divide her time between the lab and training, but it still wasn't much of a life. Even when she stole away from training with Vegeta armed with her mp3 player and her swords to train on her own in Capsule Corporation's gigantic backyard, she realized that she missed her friends. She really wished that she could visit Mailin and Damian or that her two friends could visit her, but Vegeta held firm. No visits, no Saturday Night Dinners (this was as much a punishment for Jenny as it was for Tenshinhan and Chao-zu for helping her); just training and the lab.

Being grounded totally sucked.

But at least in the lab she had some human company that wasn't Vegeta. Tico, Kimi and Mika were her lifeline to the world outside of Capsule Corporation – which was weird, considering that they were a part of Capsule Corporation – and she was grateful that they tried to include her as much into their work on the spaceship as possible. They even loaned her several books about outer space and space travel, so that she could pass some time in the lab, when there wasn't anything she could help with.

And while most of the books appeared to be written in a different language altogether, Jenny had a lot of fun figuring out, what it meant. She was by no means a genius like Bulma or the three lab techs, but she wasn't stupid either. With a bit of help from Tico, Kimi and Mika she managed to make sense of most of what she read. Which wasn't too bad and would probably help in the long run. Especially as she was probably the only one who could do repairs on the ship in case something broke while she and Vegeta were on their way to New Namek.

Unfortunately the waiting soon began again. Tico explained to her, when she grumbled about this not going faster, that ever since Buu had destroyed so much during his short reign of terror, it had been difficult for all kinds of companies to rebuild. Some companies which had always supplied Capsule Corporation with different materials, among others those that Bulma's father had used for his 'special projects'_, _never made it, so it was a lot harder now than it used to be back before Buu for Bulma and her father to get the necessary materials for projects like a spaceship.

"We told you," Tico told her softy, when he saw the frustration on her face, "that it might take years. So you should try to be patient. I promise you, we'll finish it within the three years that you have given us."

"Okay," Jenny admitted quietly, though being patient proved to be really hard.

With not much work at the lab, Jenny was once again forced to spend more time at home and therewith in the gravity room with Vegeta. Well, at least she was getting something out of this. After three months of spending most of her time with Vegeta in the gravity room, Jenny felt stronger and fitter than she had ever before. She could almost feel it in her fingertips – the next level wasn't out of reach any longer. Too bad that she would need a trigger for it, when she was finally strong enough to ascend.

* * *

When it was finally September, Jenny couldn't be happier. For one, she wouldn't be grounded any longer and on top of that, she could finally meet again other people at school. She almost feared that she had become socially inept during her long and hard imprisonment. Did she even remember how to interact with other people anymore?

This ability was quickly challenged, while Jenny was walking along the crowded hallways of the school, intently studying her new timetable. Since her homeroom hadn't changed, Jenny knew the way by heart and trusted her feet to carry her without thinking about it, so that she could bemoan the fact that every day would start with the class she hated the most – History, with her old teacher.

Grumbling under her breath about the unfairness of having to suffer that blind old hag for another school year, Jenny rounded a corner without looking up and was promptly sprawled on the floor. "Oouf," she groaned, rubbing her behind and looking up, trying to find out when the school had built a wall at this corner.

"Oh sorry," a vaguely familiar boy with slightly longer curly blond hair said immediately. It appeared to have been said mostly out of instinct, because his eyes began to twinkle mischievously, as he was now looking down at her and offered his hand. "Oh, it's you…"

"Huh?" Jenny asked confused, as she took his hand and allowed him to pull her up. She was racking her brain, when and where she had seen him before, because he really seemed familiar. She was sure that she wouldn't forget those amazing blue eyes. Must have seen him around school.

"I guess we're even now," he told her grinning, handing her the backpack that she had dropped. The grin faded slightly, as the confusion on her face deepened. "You don't remember me, do you?"

"Sorry," Jenny shook her head and felt even a bit bad about it. He looked really disappointed that she didn't know where to put his face. But then again, gorgeous guys like him probably believed that they would always be recognized. "But maybe you could help my poor memory?"

"I've seen you around," he explained with a shrug. "And we've literally crashed into each other exactly one year ago."

Recognition now flashed over her face, as she remembered the very humiliating encounter that she had had one year ago, on her very first day at this school. _Oops…_ She grinned. "You're right, we're even."

Damn, was she actually flirting with him? No, she wasn't. She already had so much on her plate. A boy wouldn't fit into her schedule. Especially not now that she had to make up for the lost time with Mailin and Damian, now that her punishment was lifted.

"Let's hope that we won't make it an annual occurrence."

"I'll keep my eyes open," Jenny told him, as she shouldered her backpack and said with twinkling eyes, "I hope I won't see you around."

"Hey," Cam called after her, as she turned to go. "What's your name?"

"Jenny," she threw over her shoulder and then disappeared in the crowd.

"Jenny," Cam mumbled, smiling goofily. For a year he had wanted a chance to talk to her, to find out her name even, but it had never worked out. But he had been watching her, whenever he had seen her in the hallways or in the cafeteria. His friends were already teasing him that he still hadn't worked up the courage to speak to her, and now he had finally gotten the chance to have her speak to him, even if it hadn't been intended. And he had her name!

Only when he was on his way to his classroom did Cam notice that she hadn't asked him for his name.

He groaned and hung his head.

_Shoot._

* * *

Thank god the first day of the new school year began with the second class, so Jenny wouldn't have to suffer through a History lesson today. Despite the collision in the hallway with that gorgeous guy – Jenny frowned, when she noticed that she didn't even know his name – she was one of the first students to arrive and because of this had a variety of empty seats to choose from. In the end, she chose one in the middle row at the window, from where she had a nice view over the schoolyard.

Seeing as she was pretty early – maybe she would finally break the nasty habit she seemed to have developed lately to always be late – Jenny took out the new book that Tico had given her yesterday and started to read. After a couple of months of being in their company, she even slowly began to understand more of what was written in those books without any help.

Jenny was so engrossed in what she was reading and trying to understand this that she didn't hear her teacher enter the classroom. First when suddenly everyone around her quieted and the teacher greeted them, Jenny finally looked up.

And gaped.

There, in the front along with the teacher were two persons that she knew very well, grinning madly at her. Slowly, the stunned expression disappeared and she found herself returning the grin. Jenny had to resist the urge to just jump up and hug her two best friends tightly in front of the whole class.

"Students, I'd like to introduce Mailin and Damian, two new students. Would you like to introduce yourselves?"

Mailin nodded and began to talk, but Jenny didn't hear a thing, still too surprised and too happy that the best friends she had ever had were now attending the same school as she did and even went into the same class. It was too good to be true! What the hell were they doing here? Were they staying? What about Lari? Had she come to the Western Capital with them? Where were they living? Why had they left Li's school?

"Jenny, those seats behind you are still free, right?" Mrs. Müller asked, tearing her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Yeah, they are."

Apparently Mailin and Damian had finished their introductions and were now asked to take seats. Jenny immediately jumped up and removed the chair standing at one of the desks behind her to make place for Damian's wheelchair. He smiled at her gratefully, stopping his wheelchair in front of that desk. Mailin was still grinning, touching her hand slightly, as she went past her to sit down at the window, next to Damian and directly behind Jenny.

_You're not gonna hug them right now_, Jenny told herself and returned to her own seat. But in all of the excitement she had a hard time to sit still. She found herself turning around every so often, to make sure that she hadn't dreamed, and couldn't concentrate at all on what their teacher was telling them. All she now wanted to do was to talk to her friends and get answers to all her questions.

The bell for the break couldn't ring soon enough and the moment it did, Jenny was out of her seat and embracing Mailin and Damian at the same time. Thank Dende Mailin was still sitting, as it would have been uncomfortable otherwise. All three of them were laughing, getting weird glances from their other classmates, but Jenny didn't care.

She had her friends back! After three awful months of being able to only talk to them on the phone for one hour she could finally hug them again and talk to them in person. She couldn't believe how much she had missed them. Their limited time on the phone simply hadn't been enough to soothe Jenny's withdrawal symptoms.

"What are you doing here?" was the first question Jenny asked, when she sat down on their desk.

"Nice to see you, too, Jenny," Damian said with a smirk.

Rolling her eyes, Jenny told him, "Yeah, yeah, great to see you… I thought my hug had already told you how happy I am to see you. But now tell me! Why are you here? What about Lari? Do you live in the Western Capital? What about Li's school? Don't tell me they kicked you out!"

Mailin and Damian were both laughing at their best friend's eagerness, but they were of course very happy to see her, too. "Well," Damian eventually began, "you don't write, you don't call, you don't visit… Going to this school is probably our only chance to get to see you and talk to you."

"But I was grounded," Jenny pouted, "Hardly my fault. Okay, totally my fault, but I'm free now!"

"For now," Mailin corrected chuckling. "Who knows what you'll do next to make Vegeta ground you again?"

"Har har," Jenny replied dryly. "So… you've just come here because of me?"

"You're one reason," Mailin explained. "Another one is that mom wasn't sure if we'd get the right education at grandpa's school. I mean, school is good and everything, but mom was afraid that it wouldn't be enough for college. After all, Damian and I, we were the only non-fighters going to grandpa's school. So she applied for a job at several elementary schools and the one in the Western Capital took her."

"And now we're here," Damian finished grinning. "By the way, we're living not that far away from Capsule Corporation, only about ten minutes on foot. You'll soon get sick of seeing us!"

"I'll never get sick of seeing you!" Jenny laughed and the three friends hugged again.

* * *

"Come on, Jenny," Damian complained, "what is it you wanna show us?"

"Be patient," Jenny simply told him, as they were walking home from school. She had been thinking about this for a while – should she tell her friends or not? At first she had balked at the thought of telling them. Keeping this a secret to not give anyone any false hope was so deeply ingrained in her that it was hard to even consider it. But on the other side, she had told Tenshinhan and Chao-zu, so why shouldn't she tell her two best friends? She was sure that she would get their support, no matter what happened.

And with this decision made, Jenny was now on her way to the beginnings of the spaceship with her friends in tow. Mailin and Damian were giving her suspicious looks, as they entered the office building of Capsule Corporation, under which all the official labs were located. In the lowest and biggest lab was the spaceship.

Her two friends were still looking around in awe at the inside of the building, while Jenny was cheerfully greeting Seira, skipping ahead to the elevators. "Mailin, Damian, I'm waiting" she called, regaining the attention of her friends, who then quickly joined her in the elevator. They were still giving her questioning looks, as she pushed a button and then the elevator began to go down. And down. And down.

And then, before they could get out, Jenny even had to enter a security code, which drew even more curious looks from Mailin and Damian. The doors finally opened and the twins gaped in awe at the gigantic lab underneath them. "Hey guys," Jenny called down into the pit. "I've brought some friends, I hope that's okay?"

A chorus of "Hey Jenny!"s and "Of course"s reached her and Tico was even smiling gratefully, when he saw her. "Jenny, good that you're here. We've got a new part that's really heavy and our crane is broken. Do you mind giving us a hand?"

"Sure," Jenny replied and then jumped over the rail down into the pit. On her way down, her ki flared up, turning her hair and eyes black, and she landed softly in front of the elder lab tech.

"Show off!" Damian called after her, but Jenny just stuck out her tongue at him, before she went with Tico to said part.

"So, where do you wanna have it?"

"Over there, please."

Jenny easily picked up the small but very heavy box – what did they have in there? Bricks? – and carried it over to the spot Tico was pointing at. "Here okay?" Upon Tico's nod, Jenny put the box down again, making it seem as if it were filled with cotton instead of something only a crane would be able to lift.

"Hey Son!" Damian called down. "While you're boasting with your strength, do you mind giving me a hand, or better a lift?"

"Oops…" Jenny grinned sheepishly and flew again up to where Mailin and Damian were still waiting for her.

From where they had left the elevator they had to go down a long set of stairs, which was of course impossible for Damian, sitting in a wheelchair. When she landed next to him, she crouched down and he put an arm around her neck, so that she could grab his wrist. It was obvious to the lab techs that they weren't doing this for the first time. Jenny pulled him into a standing position and then put her other arm under his legs, lifting him up without any problems at all.

"So, Dame, ready to fly?"

"With you? Always."

Then Jenny jumped again, but instead of slowing the fall, Jenny went the whole way at full speed, first stopping two inches above the ground to soften the landing. Damian had been whooping in glee the whole fall. Upstairs, Mailin was just shaking her head, as she folded the wheelchair and carried it down the stairs. Kimi hurried upstairs to help her and she thanked him with a smile.

"Tico, Kimi, Mika, I'd like you to meet the two best friends in the whole world - Mailin and Damian. Mai, Dame, these are my three favorite lab techs, the geniuses who are building my spaceship," Jenny said, once Damian was once again sitting in his wheelchair.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Mika told them, as he and the others were shaking her friends' hands. "With everything that Jenny has told us about you, we already feel as if we know you."

"I hope she only told you the best things about us," Mailin said with a welcoming smile, deciding to be the polite one, as she knew that her twin would ask the inevitable question any second.

Three… two…

"Wait a sec! A spaceship!" he blurted out. "What do you need a spaceship for, Jenny?"

"To bring everyone back," Jenny said grinning.

And then, upon the puzzled looks on her friends' faces, Jenny began to explain everything. She started with the stupid project, glossing over some things about that, how she found the CD with the blueprints, went to the R&D department and then figured out a way to get the money to get started. Jenny was glad that she could finally tell Mailin and Damian just why exactly she had participated in the Tenkaichi Budokai. They had watched the tournament on TV, of course, and had been pestering her with questions about it whenever they had been allowed to speak to each other, but until now Jenny had successfully evaded their inquiries.

Jenny promised herself, while she was telling her story, that she would also tell them everything about her vision, when they were alone and there were no prying ears nearby. Until now, she hadn't told anyone about what she had seen in her dream, not Tenshinhan and Chao-zu and not even Vegeta. But Jenny knew that she could trust Mailin and Damian. They wouldn't judge her and she needed someone to talk to about this.

Especially about the scary differences Jenny had seen in herself.

* * *

Later that afternoon, the three teenagers were sitting in an ice cream parlor close to Capsule Corporation. Jenny had of course given Vegeta – Just how exactly had she survived the last few months without her cell phone? – a call to tell him that she would spend the day with her friends. Vegeta had agreed reluctantly to her plan, but Jenny had managed to guilt him into agreeing by saying that she hadn't seen them in so long because of her grounding and that there really were a lot of things they had to talk about.

So, there they were, each enjoying a huge sundae, and talking about everything that had happened since they had last had the chance to talk for longer than thirty minutes. While Mailin had already told Jenny on the phone at the beginning of the summer holidays that she and Selvyn had broken up, she now got the whole story. It wasn't anything spectacular, just that both their feelings had changed. How both of them had begun to notice that at first the spark had disappeared, then the attraction. And then, when Selvyn had admitted that he had feelings for a new girl at the school, Mailin had realized that she wasn't hurt at all. She had been over him, before they had even agreed on ending their relationship. They were friends now, but that was all there was.

"I'm sorry," Jenny told her. "You two were just cute together and everyone had known that you two were crushing on each other."

"Yeah, but it never became more than a crush," Mailin said smiling, though it was a bit sadly. She really liked Selvyn, but it hadn't been enough. "Ya know, first crush and all, it doesn't last."

"I know," Jenny reflected, remembering her own first crush. She wondered what Hamal was doing right now. Had he found a girl who fit into his picture of how a woman should be? Someone gentle and frail who he could protect the way he wanted to, the way Jenny wouldn't have wanted to be protected?

"But while we're talking about crushes," Mailin then said with a teasing grin. "Don't look around, but the boy two tables behind you just can't keep his eyes off you. I think he goes to our school."

"Really?" Jenny asked surprised, barely containing the urge to turn around and see who it was. She couldn't imagine that there was a boy at her school who was interested in her. But if there was a boy interested in her, Jenny didn't want him to think that she was easy to get, so she kept staring at her sundae.

Damian, however, had no such inhibitions, as he craned his neck curiously. "Who is it? That blond curly haired guy?" When Mailin nodded, still grinning, Damian frowned. "Looks like the typical jock. Not your type, Jenny."

"Hey!" Jenny punched him playfully in the arm. "How do you want to know what my type of guy is?"

"Ouch!" Damian rubbed his arm, pouting at Jenny, who then broke out into laughter. "You're mean!"

Sticking out her tongue at him, Jenny scooped up a large spoonful of delicious chocolate ice-cream and let it disappear in her mouth. Damian never told her, how he knew what kind of boys she liked, still grumbling about a girl hitting him. But as soon as Jenny got the chance, she dropped her napkin to the ground and, while picking it up again, chanced a discreet glance over her shoulder to the guy in question.

Huh? That guy? Really?

"I know him," Jenny told her friends, who were both suddenly clinging to her every word. "I mean, I've met him. I've crashed into him twice."

Mailin spluttered, as she broke out laughing, right after she had taken a spoonful of ice-cream into her mouth to let it melt on her tongue, while Damian was still just glaring at her. Geez. "Wait, you mean _literally_ crashed into him?"

"Yeah, sounds weird, but the only two times we met we both rounded a corner without looking and crashed into each other."

"Sounds like fate," Mailin teased her. "And he's really not bad looking. If I were you, I'd totally go for it."

Rolling her eyes, Jenny replied, "But thank Dende you're not me." Though Jenny had already noticed before – just this morning actually – that this guy was drop dead gorgeous and (Ha! Take that, Dame!) would totally be her type, if she went for it. Crystal blue eyes like his were just… wow! Simply to die for! "And you know now, why I can't go for it. With the spaceship and everything, I can be glad if I can squeeze you two into my schedule. A boy would never fit into it."

"Your loss," Mailin said lightly, shrugging, deciding that she wouldn't give up. That guy totally had the hots for her friend. It would be a pity to just ignore it. "But about the spaceship… I've been thinking, Jenny… about the wishes."

"What about it?" Jenny asked quietly with a frown on her face, carefully looking around. Everyone else was going about their own business, good. It would be disastrous if someone overheard what they were talking about and took it seriously.

Catching on to why Jenny had spoken so quietly, Mailin lowered her voice as much as was still deemed natural and not too suspicious. "It's about the wording. I think you should be really careful."

Nodding, Jenny agreed, "I know, but I haven't really thought about it yet. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Yes… I think one important thing is that you should give people a choice."

"What do you mean?" Damian now asked. "Do you think that there'll be anyone who doesn't want to be resurrected?"

"Of course," Mailin told her brother and then said to both of them, "Think about the people, whose life on Earth had already been hell before Buu had appeared. Those really poor, living on the streets, suffering. People like Zoe, but who haven't been as lucky. Maybe their life in the Afterlife is much better than it had been on Earth. It would be torture to force them to return to what to them would equal to Hell. So I think, you should word the wish in a way that only those, who really want to return to Earth should be resurrected."

"Makes sense," Jenny mumbled, nodding, and smiled gratefully at her friend. This was something she hadn't thought about. Actually, she didn't think that anyone had thought of this before, whenever they had staged a mass resurrection like this. After Cell who knew how many people had been returned to a life they had been happy to flee? How many people had been unhappy, because they had been forced to return to Earth, when their Afterlife had been much better? "So, any other suggestions?"

"I have one more," Damian said much to the girls' surprise. He rolled his eyes, when he saw the stunned look on their faces. "Come on, I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I do have my moments."

"Of course you do," Jenny quickly reassured him, grinning apologetically. Sure, Damian wasn't the best students, but there were times when he surprised everyone around him by being a lot smarter than they were giving him credit for. "So, what is it?"

"Nah, I don't think I'll tell you," Damian said smirking, as he returned his attention to his slowly melting strawberry sundae. He fully expected them to start begging him to share his idea any moment now, but the only thing the girls did was exchange a look and a shrug and then returned to their own sundaes. Damian watched them for a moment, but in the end couldn't stop himself. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you!"

"See?" Mailin told Jenny with a wink. "Works better than any begging."

"Much better," Jenny agreed. "Now Damian, you were saying?"

Great, they had tricked him. With a sigh, Damian admitted defeat. "I think you should only wish the good people back to life. I mean, when you really wish everyone who has been killed since Babidi has appeared on Earth back to life, it would also mean that his evil henchmen or even Buu himself could come back."

"You're right," Jenny told them. "Both of you. I don't think I would have thought of that without your help."

"Ha! I've always known that you're lost without us! Thank Dende that we're back or otherwise Earth would be doomed," Damian joked, causing Mailin and Jenny to break out in laughter.

Oh yeah, Jenny decided, holding her sides. It was good to have her best friends back in her life. It simply hadn't been the same without sharing classes with them or seeing them every day. Not to mention the torture of the last few months, when she had only been allowed to talk to them on the phone for one hour each week. Jenny had no idea, how she had survived this. She had simply missed them too much, even before Vegeta had grounded her, although she liked her life in the Western Capital. But now, with them living nearby and having the same classes as her, everything was going to be so much better.

And maybe, just maybe, this school year would bring more than just the spaceship, training and once again spending as much time as she liked with her best friends, Jenny thought, chancing a glance over her shoulder at the gorgeous blond boy.

The boy who had just winked at her.


	60. Part III: Persistence

**A/N: See, I told you it would take a few weeks… okay, almost three months… and I'm not sure, when the next chapter will get out. I've got my big final exam on May 29 and have to start studying for it. But I promise you, the one after the next chapter is already finished, has been for a really long time, actually. **

**So, I hope you enjoy this! Please be so nice and leave me a review with your thoughts. **

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 59: Persistence**

Over the next couple of weeks, Jenny enjoyed school in the Western Capital as she had never before. With Mailin and Damian at her side, going to classes, the breaks and especially having lunch was much more fun. While she had had acquaintances in her other classmates before her best friends had transferred to the Western Capital High School, none of them had ever gotten as close to her as the twins had.

Or maybe it would be better to say that she hadn't allowed anyone else to get close to her. It was really difficult with all the secrets that she had to keep after all. Secrets that the twins had already known before they had known Jenny herself, thanks to the presence of Tenshinhan and Chao-zu at Li's school.

And it was exactly this, the keeping of her secrets, on top of her new extracurricular activities - meaning the construction of the spaceship - that was putting her in quite a dilemma. Said dilemma was her ever growing attraction to a boy she had only talked to twice. But ever since Mailin had pointed out that he seemed to be interested in her, Jenny had started to notice him all around school. She often felt his eyes on her. Whenever he passed her in the hallways, he smiled at her. And whenever he smiled at her, Jenny felt her heart begin to beat faster.

It was really annoying and kind of distracting.

Jenny didn't want to feel something like this. She was too busy for those feelings. She had training and the spaceship and so many other things to worry about. A boy would never fit into her already tight schedule! Not even to mention how Vegeta would react, if she brought a boy home. She still hadn't told him about her short relationship with Hamal.

No, it was better if she ignored those feelings. And ignore them she did. And all the hints that Mailin dropped, whenever she caught the boy staring at her again.

It should be easy, after all, she didn't even know his name. She only knew that he had really gorgeous blue eyes and a dazzling smile. And a very fit body, if the toned muscles on his arms were any indication.

Nooo, Jenny wasn't checking him out, not at all.

Baah, it was so frustrating, Jenny thought, as she walked home from school on Friday three weeks after the new term had started. Mailin and Damian had just said goodbye and she was now on her last stretch to Capsule Corporation. Thank god it was weekend now.

Jenny grinned brightly.

And tomorrow would be the first Saturday Night Dinner at Tenshinhan's ever since her imprisonment, aka grounding had started after the Tenkaichi Budokai. She hadn't seen him and his family since the big tournament and she was really looking forward to it. Especially as this would also be the first time that she would meet Tenshinhan and Suki's small daughter Maya in person. Until now she had only seen pictures and the two months old girl seemed to be really cute, so she couldn't wait to meet her for real.

"I'm home!" she called out, as she stepped through the door, and immediately she could smell the delicious scent of dinner wafting through the hallway from the kitchen. She couldn't really tell what Vegeta had prepared for them today, but it smelled spicy. Curry maybe? Already her mouth was watering and her stomach was rumbling impatiently. Quickly kicking off her shoes, so that they landed haphazardly next to Vegeta's neatly placed ones, she hurried into the kitchen. She threw her schoolbag into a corner and slumped down on her chair at the kitchen table. "I'm starving! What's for dinner?"

Over the last years Jenny had gotten used to Vegeta preparing their food, being all domestic, but she couldn't wait to see the faces of the others, once they found out when she had resurrected them. She still waited for Vegeta to forbid her to ever mention his amazing abilities in the kitchen to them.

"Chicken curry," Vegeta answered, but then smirked mischievously, as he added, "But you'll have to be patient for twenty more minutes. Start on your homework now and after dinner, we train."

"Noooo," Jenny whined, but after another pointed look from Vegeta, grabbed her schoolbag again and went to her room. She was lucky that she didn't have a lot of homework, but she'd rather spend the afternoon working on the spaceship instead of training. After all, she still had the whole weekend ahead of her. Ah well, maybe, if she trained with him today, she could work on the spaceship tomorrow and on Sunday.

Unfortunately, this wouldn't be happening, as Vegeta announced during dinner that they would be training the whole weekend. "The scientists assured me that there won't be any work you can do this weekend," Vegeta told Jenny as reply to her stubborn protests. "And besides, you need to train. You've started slacking off again, ever since your friends moved here…"

Still grumbling under her breath, but silently admitting to herself that Vegeta was right – with the work on the spaceship and wanting to spend as much time with Mailin and Damian as possible, training had been pushed into the far back of her mind. Somehow, Jenny realized with a start, training and fighting didn't seem to be that important to her anymore. There were now things in her life that, in her opinion, were much more important. But obviously Vegeta didn't share her opinion, as he was quite insistent of his training schedule this weekend.

But at least she had something to look forward to, and this was the Saturday Night Dinner with Tenshinhan and his family.

* * *

Jenny's whole body was hurting after the rigorous training sessions that Vegeta had put her through yesterday and today. Muscles which she had long forgotten reminded her painfully of their existence, and while a part of her wanted nothing more than to spend the evening on the couch in front of the TV, she had been looking forward to this dinner for far too long to miss it now.

So, here she was, standing in front of Tenshinhan's cabin with a small brown teddy bear with a huge red bow around his neck in her hands for little Maya. She was almost giddy and couldn't wait to meet this tiny wonder that Tenshinhan and Suki had brought into this world. Grinning, as she waited for someone to open this door, Jenny thought that if someone had told Tenshinhan a few years ago that he would be the father of a little girl, he would have thought them to be crazy.

Just a few seconds later, the door was opened and Jenny couldn't help but squeal – she wasn't the squealing type of girl, really! – as her eyes fell on little Maya resting in Suki's arm. "Ooh, she's sooo cute! Hello little one, I'm your aunt Jenny."

The little girl looked up at Jenny with curious dark eyes (only two eyes, thank Dende!), but then her tiny mouth opened in a heartfelt yawn. It was just so completely adorable that Jenny was completely mesmerized by this tiny being. This was actually the first time that Jenny was this close to a baby and to be honest, she was not just absolutely enthralled by this cute girl, but also a bit scared. What if Suki asked her to hold the girl and Jenny did something wrong, hurting her? Inwardly shaking her head, Jenny got rid of these thoughts, and then grinned up at her friends.

"Looks like it's past someone's bedtime," Jenny told Suki and Tenshinhan, who had come to join them at the door.

"It is," Tenshinhan said, smiling as he looked down at his little girl. The love for his daughter was clearly evident in his eyes and Jenny was so happy for him that he got the chance to feel this way for someone. Suki had already filled a hole in his heart, but the birth of his daughter had lit a light in him that had been missing before. "But she really wanted to meet her 'aunt Jenny'."

"Why don't you sit down, Jenny?" Suki asked her. "Dinner is almost ready and we can eat, when I've brought the little one to bed."

"Okay…" Jenny said, but then she suddenly remembered the small gift in her hands. "Wait… I've brought this for Maya."

She handed Suki the small teddy bear. "Thank you, Jenny. I'm sure she'll love it. I'll be right back."

While his wife was bringing their daughter into the nursery, Tenshinhan led Jenny over to the dinner table. The delicious smell of food was already wafting into the room and Jenny was sure that Chao-zu had once again outdone himself.

"So, you're a daddy, huh?" Jenny asked with a teasing smirk on her face, as Tenshinhan sat down across from her.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Tenshinhan said, shaking his head slightly as if he – even after two months – still couldn't quite believe that this little miracle in the room next door was really there, that it wasn't just a dream. "Sometimes… I'm not quite sure if I can raise a child. I mean, there are so many times when I don't know if what I'm doing is right… but then, when she looks at me… all the worries are gone."

"As they should be," Jenny told him. "You're gonna be a great father, Tenshinhan. I mean, it can't be that hard to be better than Vegeta and I haven't turned out all that badly, right?"

Laughing, Tenshinhan agreed, "Right. Hey, before I forget… I've wanted to give this to you some time ago, but with your being grounded," Tenshinhan grinned, as a mock scowl flitted over Jenny's face, "I couldn't."

"What is it?"

"While we've been cleaning out the training room to build the nursery, I've found this." Tenshinhan was now holding a small pouch in his hand. "There's only one inside, but I was thinking… with your and Vegeta's training regime, something bad will happen sooner or later… So, this one is only for emergencies…"

Slightly confused, Jenny took the pouch and opened it. And inside she found one lonely senzu bean. "An emergency senzu! Cool! Thanks Tenshinhan! I promise to only use it when it's really really bad."

"If you're already this excited about an old dry bean, just wait for the surprise we have for you after dinner," Suki said with a teasing grin, as she gently closed the door to the nursery and put the baby monitor on the couch desk.

"Another surprise? Really? What is it?"

"Be patient, Jenny… We'll tell you after dinner. But now, tell us…how's school?"

Jenny groaned quietly, both at the fact that she had to wait for the second surprise and that Suki, ever the teacher, wanted to know about school. Still, she couldn't stand to disappoint her old teacher, so she began to tell them everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Jenny eventually even started to ramble about that guy that seemed to be interested in her and how she really hated that.

Her ramblings were first interrupted, when in the middle of dinner Chao-zu said in a sing-song voice, "Someone's got a crush…"

"I so have no crush on that guy!" Jenny exclaimed indignantly. She couldn't believe this, couldn't believe the knowing grins her friends were giving her. "I don't even know his name! And I've already got such a tight schedule, I don't have time to have a boyfriend!"

"Oh Jenny," Suki said quietly, "if you think like that, then you'll never have the time. There will always be something or someone that you can use as excuse. I've got so much work, I need to finish school first, I want to have a career… my stepdad is too overprotective…" Suki's lips quirked at the corners, when she mentioned the last reason and even Jenny couldn't help her lips turning upwards slightly. Yep, she really didn't want to see Vegeta's reaction, if she ever had a boyfriend. "Think about it, Jenny. If you really like this guy, you should go for it. Hang out with him at first, become friends and who knows… maybe it'll become more."

"Suki is right," Tenshinhan added. "I've never thought that I'd ever meet someone. Chao-zu and I had been living the nomadic life for so long that getting married or even becoming a father had never seemed possible for me, no matter how often it crossed my mind."

Jenny nodded thoughtfully and then said quietly, "I'll think about it…"

"You do that," Suki said with a wink. "And now, enough with the brooding. I think it's time for the second surprise…"

Hearing the word 'surprise', Jenny immediately perked up, pushing all the depressing thoughts away. "Great! What is it?"

"Jenny," Tenshinhan began slowly, as he took Suki's hand in his own. "We know that you're still young and that we can first make it legal, when you're eighteen. But we wanted to ask you, if you wanted to become Maya's godmother."

To say that she was stunned would be an understatement. Overwhelmed already came closer. Honored was a pretty good description as well. So the only words that Jenny managed to utter were, "Really? Are you sure?"

After having given Tenshinhan a quick glance, Suki told her, "Yes, we're sure. We don't want to have anyone else, so you better say yes."

"Wow… if you're really sure… then yes… Thanks…"

"We have to thank you. We're really glad that you accepted," Tenshinhan said, sounding relieved. He had been a bit worried that this might be too much for Jenny, especially as she wasn't even sixteen years old yet.

"So, who's the godfather?"

"That'd be me," Chao-zu grinned. "And you can't believe how happy I am that I'm not the only godparent anymore."

Jenny returned his grin, and when she looked at Tenshinhan and Suki and thought of the small baby in the other room, she felt her heart swell with happiness. She would have never thought that they would have wanted her to play such an important role in their daughter's life, but that they did filled her with so much pride and happiness that she felt like bursting.

Life was good.

* * *

Life sucked.

This was Jenny's only thought a few weeks later, after she had gotten a history test with a D minus back. Why couldn't she just drop the subject? It was so useless anyway. Her teacher, still as blind as a bat and with a brain the size of a nut, was such a huge fan of Mr. Satan that most of her tests focused on him and his achievement. And Jenny still didn't want to put any of his life on paper, not even for a test.

But Vegeta would be really angry, if he saw her grade, and see it he would, as her teacher demanded that their parents signed all the tests they wrote. And forging the signature simply was out of the question, as she didn't want to get into trouble with the school as well, if they found out. Not now, when finally (almost) everything at school was going so well.

She still had every class with Mailin and Damian, the rest of her classes were okay – though she mostly stood out in mathematics and science – and Jenny thought that that blond guy had finally given up. Fortunately, because this made a lot of things easier for Jenny.

But as she was standing in line for lunch, several things happened that only strengthened her resolve that her life sucked.

First, whatever they had for lunch today didn't look or smell in the least appetizing, not even for her.

Second, the moment she wanted to take the last slice of pizza that looked remotely edible, someone else reached for it.

And third, the one who took it was none other than _that_ guy. Her blue eyes narrowed dangerously, as she met his blue ones. He appeared to be startled for a moment by her angry glare, startled enough to withdraw his hand, so that Jenny quickly could take the plate with the pizza and put it on her own tray.

"I'm sorry," he blurted quickly, actually blushing a bit. "If I had known that you wanted that pizza... I mean, I should have known. It looks to be the only edible thing here today. But you were the first in line and I shouldn't have…" He sighed and Jenny's gaze suddenly softened, as she found his babbling oddly endearing. "We really seem to meet under the weirdest circumstances, don't we?"

"Hey, at least no books went flying today," Jenny joked, trying to lighten the mood. "And I'm sorry for the glaring… it's just… I can get pretty territorial about my food. Especially when I'm hungry. And I kind of was in a bad mood already…"

"Then it's forgiven," he laughed, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "Now, I guess I have to accept that it's mystery meat again today."

"My condolences," Jenny told him dryly. "We should really think about bringing our own food."

"Good idea! Why haven't I thought of it?"

Both laughed, catching Mailin's attention. She had just paid for her food (some fruits and juice) and went back to where Jenny and that guy-who-was-totally-crushing-on-her-best-friend were standing and talking. "Hey Jenny, who's your friend?"

Fuck! Jenny cursed inwardly, knowing exactly what her friend was planning to do. Until now she had (more or less successfully) pushed that guy from her mind, which was a lot easier without knowing his name, but now it would only be a matter of seconds until she knew it.

"I haven't had the chance to tell Jenny my name yet," the boy laughed again. "I'm Cam… Actually it's Camlo, but everyone calls me Cam."

"Nice to meet you, Cam," Mailin said brightly. "You wanna sit with us?"

Jenny knew that the expression on her face was hopeful for a moment – hopeful for what she didn't know at that moment; that he agreed or that he said he didn't want to – before she schooled it again into a neutral one.

"Sorry," Cam said, and he really looked as sorry as Jenny suddenly felt – had she really wanted him to sit with them?. "I've already told the guys from the soccer team that I'd hang with them at lunch. But maybe some other time."

"Sure," Mailin chirped and after Jenny had paid for her pizza, she went to the table were Damian was already waiting for them. He was looking at them curiously, with slightly narrowed eyes, but before he could say anything, Mailin said with a teasing tone to her voice, "So, Cam, huh?"

"Shuddup…" Jenny mumbled, turning her full attention to her slice of pizza. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks and ignored Mailin's quiet giggle, as she took a bite from her pizza. Urgh, disgusting… And here she thought that one couldn't do much wrong by choosing pizza. Maybe she should have let Cam take this slice.

Cam…

Jenny carefully let her eyes slide over to where the soccer team was sitting, being loud and rambunctious, just as typical teenage boys were supposed to be. At least when they travelled in packs like the soccer team.

Cam however chanced a glance at her and smiled, when their eyes met.

And once again, Jenny had to fight a blush.

* * *

Weeks passed again, but during these weeks, Cam often took Mailin up on her initial invitation to sit with them at lunch. It was amazing how well he got on with the twins, and even though it was more than obvious that he wanted more from Jenny than just being friends, Jenny followed Suki's advice and started to get to know him by offering simple friendship. After all, now that he was there, she couldn't really ignore him any longer.

Unfortunately, what she found out about him, made him somehow more interesting. He was one year ahead of them, but had some of the same teachers, which made bitching about them a lot funnier. He was living with his parents and eleven years old sister here in the Western Capital. His was one of the few families that had gotten away from Buu's attacks completely unscathed. He loved soccer, hanging out with his friends and going to the movies. His favorite food was spaghetti and he admitted to being a coffee-addict.

He was just so normal, unknowing of any of the supernatural and alien crap that she had to deal with day after day. In a way this made it even harder for her, but also easier to fight this attraction. She didn't want to destroy his normal, peaceful world by telling him about the real Jenny. The real Jenny who was half-alien, who lived with her alien stepfather and who was strong enough to destroy this planet with a flick of her wrist. She didn't even want to tell him that she was living at Capsule Corporation and was basically the heir of that company.

So for now, she only told him that she was a martial artist, living and training with her stepfather, who was a martial artist as well. She told him that she loved science and often tinkered away in a laboratory. She told him that she was a hopeless chocoholic and that she spent every other Saturday night at some friends to have dinner with them. She also told him that except for her stepfather, her whole family was dead – killed by Cell and by Buu. She told him about her brothers and about Trunks, and about some of the things they had done, when they were still children.

Still, the more time she spent with him at school, during the lunch breaks, the more she got to know him and the more she opened up about herself, the more she started to like him.

And slowly, but surely he was worming his way into her heart.

Fighting that attraction was getting harder and harder. Especially as, when they got to know each other better, his shameless flirting started up again.

Not to forget how those blue eyes of his were almost impossible to resist.

Jenny really was a sucker for blue eyes.

* * *

Winter was approaching. The first snow started to fall at the end of November and with everyone being in the mood for winter and Christmas, the school started to buzz with even more excitement, when posters everywhere in the hallways announced the first Winter Formal in eight years. It was open for all eighth graders and above and Jenny had to groan, when she, Mailin and Damian stopped in front of one of the posters and Mailin announced that it would be great to go there.

"No," Jenny said firmly. "I won't go."

"Aw, come on, Jenny," Mailin whined. "It's gonna be fun. We can dress up, be really pretty, and just hang out. Just the three of us. We can even make fun of the others, if you want to."

"No," Jenny repeated. "Dances are stupid. Why buy a stupid dress that you only wear once? Why get dressed up for only one night? That's just stupid! And I can't even dance!"

"Wait," a teasing voice suddenly exclaimed behind her. Mmh… Cam smelled good today, Jenny noticed absent-mindedly, while turning around with a glare on her face. "You can fight, but you can't dance? Now _that's_ stupid."

"I'll have you know, _Camlo_, that dancing and fighting are two completely different things. The only thing they have in common is that you have to move. That's all."

"Well, if you went with me, you wouldn't need to know how to dance," Cam told her with a shrug. "I don't like to boast, but I'm a pretty good dancer. Mom made me go to dancing lessons, when I was a kid, and I liked it. So, go with me, and I'll teach you. I swear, it's all in the leading."

"No," Jenny just said again, turning to go. Inwardly, she felt a bit bad about blowing him off like that, but she really, really didn't want to go to the dance. She hated those formal occasions. She hated dressing up, putting on more make-up than some mascara, and she really couldn't dance. Fighting had always been more important in her life, after all. And while there were, admittedly, some similarities, doing some memorized steps on a dance floor to the beat of music really seemed stupid.

Yeah, and beating each other up isn't stupid at all, her inner Jenny mocked her.

"Hey, Son!" Cam called, running after her. He gently grabbed her hand, forcing her to turn around. Butterflies exploded in her stomach, when he touched her, along with the warmth that usually spread through her body, whenever Cam was sitting or standing close to her. But she couldn't believe that this was actually the first time that they had touched, since they had known each other – except for the two times they had literally crashed into each other.

And when he let her go again, a feeling of loss washed over her. Trying to ignore this completely unwelcome feeling, Jenny rolled her eyes and faced Cam.

"What is it?" she asked, trying to sound annoyed, but she wasn't sure, if she really succeeded in covering up the feelings his touch had evoked in her.

"What about a deal? You go on _one_ date with me. Give me a chance to show you that we can have a good time together. After this one date, I'll give you two days to think about it, and then you'll tell me, if you liked the date or not. But please be honest. If you liked it, we go to the Winter Formal together. If you don't like it, I'll never ask you out on a date again and we'll just be friends, if you want that." This whole proposal rushed out in one breath, and Cam hoped that Jenny understood what he wanted from her.

Jenny blinked, as she worked through what he had said, and when she did, she felt the butterflies all over again. No! She pushed them down, but some part of her was intrigued, the traitorous part of her that finally wanted her to admit that she felt something for him, something more than simple friendship.

"So, one date? And when I say that I didn't like it, you'll never bring it up again?" Jenny asked cautiously and Cam nodded, though his face fell a bit at her answer.

Jenny took a deep breath, deep inside knowing the answer, but she was still a bit afraid to voice it. There was no denying it. Jenny liked Cam, she liked him a lot. She could imagine having him as boyfriend, she could imagine being cuddled up to him and… kissing him. Damn, she wanted this. She wanted this so badly… She wanted him…

"Okay…" Jenny finally breathed, feeling a part of the weight being lifted from her shoulders. "I'll go out with you."

"Really?" Cam asked in disbelief, but when Jenny nodded, his face broke out in a huge grin. "Great! I'll call you!" And then, he was gone, off to his next class, while Jenny was staring after him with a slightly amused look on her face. However, seeing him this enthusiastic about going out on a date with her warmed her heart and let it beat just a tick faster.

Jenny didn't want to deny it any longer – she was actually looking forward to that date.

"I'm proud of you, girl," Mailin told her, giving her a smug 'told-you-so'-grin, while slinging an arm around Jenny's shoulder. "Took you long enough."

"I still don't think he's your type," Damian commented, as he joined Jenny and his sister, but he too was grinning.

"Oh, shuddup, both of you," Jenny told them, once again feeling the blush rise in her cheeks. Still, she really loved her two best friends, and their opinion meant so much to her that she was truly relieved that they were getting along with Cam as well.

Maybe Suki had been right. Becoming friends with Cam before allowing it to become something… more… had been the good thing to do. To get to know him, to learn to like him. To allow her friends to get to know him so that she had their support, if she decided that she really wanted to be with Cam in a girlfriend-boyfriend sort of way.

"You know, girlfriend," Mailin said, "we should really go dress-shopping soon. Otherwise all the pretty dresses will be gone!"

Jenny sighed inwardly, as she remembered what would happen if she liked going out with Cam.

That stupid Winter Formal.

Her life really sucked.

* * *

Cam was sure that he had never been so nervous in his life, as he was on his way to Jenny two weeks after they had made their deal. Mailin had only all too willingly given him Jenny's address (though with an oddly mischievous grin on her face), when he had asked her the day before, telling Jenny's friend that he wanted to surprise his maybe-soon-to-be-girlfriend with their first real date.

Almost there. He swallowed hard, as he stepped into the street where Jenny was living according to Mailin. He walked along the houses, counting down the numbers, until for a long moment there was nothing but a long hedge. His jaw almost hit the floor, when he arrived at a pathway, leading up to no other building than Capsule Corporation, the building where Bulma Briefs had lived with her family until she and her whole family, except for her husband and adopted daughter, had been killed by Buu.

Pulling the note out of his pocket, Cam gazed down at it, then again at the huge building in front of him. There, right next to the door was the house number, 152, just as it said on his note. Had Mailin been making fun of him, when she had given him the note? Was this what her grin had been about? Or had she grinned at him like that, because she had known how he would react to finding out that the girl he had a crush on was living at Capsule Corporation and was, as he was slowly deducing, Bulma Briefs adopted daughter?

Great. Cam swallowed again, wiping his clammy hands in his jeans, after he had put the note back into his back pocket. Couldn't Jenny have told him that tiny fact?

No, that annoyingly mysterious girl had chosen to have this as one of the many secrets that he knew she was still keeping from him.

Shaking his head slightly, as he fondly thought how crazy this girl was and how much he liked it, Cam took one more breath to gather his courage and then went up to the front door with resolute strides. He only hoped that Mr. Briefs wasn't at home, because rumor had it that Bulma Brief's husband wasn't the nicest person in the Western Capital.

He rang the doorbell and then waited. And waited. And waited. No one answered.

Damn… Mailin had told him that Jenny was surely at home. He hoped that she hadn't changed her mind.

When after about one minute after he had rung the doorbell a second time still no one had answered, Cam decided that he would take a look around the house. Maybe Jenny was outside somewhere.

While he was walking, Cam looked around in awe. He had never thought that this whole complex would be this big. It actually took a few minutes until he had rounded the building itself, but there was still more to the compound of Capsule Corporation. There were some woods, a building that was connected to the living quarters and which he assumed to be the lab and a dome shaped building close by that he couldn't identify. A red light was shining through the windows, so he decided to better stay clear of it and go into the other direction.

It only took two more minutes, until he could hear something but when he saw what it was that made the noise, he stopped dead in his track. Only about twenty yards in front of him he saw a dark haired girl, dressed only in black sweatpants and a light blue halter top – Cam instinctively pulled his thick and warm jacket tighter around his body to keep the chilling cold out. She was moving fluidly from one position into each other, guiding her two swords as if they were part of her arms.

She was standing with her back to him, but from what he saw she was deep in concentration. Instinct told him not to startle the girl with the obviously pretty sharp swords, but maybe she could tell him something about where Jenny was. Cam didn't think that someone would be training on the compound of Capsule Corporation, if they didn't know the persons living here.

"Uhm… excuse me?" he called out, taking a careful step forwards. However, the girl didn't react. First when he got closer, he saw the thin, almost invisible cables going down from the girl's ear and disappearing under her top. No wonder, she wasn't hearing him, she was listening to music. So, risking the possibility of losing his head, Cam closed the distance between him and the girl and eventually tapped on her shoulder.

Just as expected, the girl whirled around and a split second later, he had the pointy end of the short sword at his neck.

"Uh, hello?"

The girl's dark – and somehow familiar – eyes widened, as she took a step backwards, lowering the sword and ripping the earphones out of her ears. "Damn it, Cam! Don't scare me like that! Do you have any idea how dangerous my swords are?"

Now Cam's eyes widened, as recognition filled him. "Jenny… is that you?" When did she dye her hair black and most importantly why? And why was she suddenly wearing contacts? He really loved her blue eyes.

Shock filled Jenny's still wide eyes, as she started to curse under her breath. It was almost adorable, as she began to pace, still cursing and mumbling something about secrets and Vegeta and kill her. Cam actually felt bad for her.

"Hey…" he said calmly, hoping to comfort her. "It's not bad… Actually, I like that look. Well, I like your blue eyes and blond hair better, but the black suits you, too. It'll just take some time getting used to."

"It's not that," Jenny muttered, stopping in front of him.

What was Cam doing here anyway? How did he know her address? Oh yeah, Mailin… of course… Who else. But what to do now? How could she explain to Cam that she could change her appearance at will? Oh, Vegeta was so going to kill her, when he found out. And she was so going to kill Mailin, when she saw her best friend again. But for now, there was actually only one thing she could do… She didn't know any lies that she could tell him and she didn't want to lie to him anyway, so there was only thing she could do.

Without warning, Jenny dropped out of her Saiyajinform.

_What the…_ Cam was obviously gaping at her and even tried rubbing his eyes. Just three seconds ago, Jenny had been black-haired and black-eyed, but now she was again looking like the Jenny that he had gotten to know over the past few months. All blond-haired and blue-eyed. "What…" he began, but couldn't find the right thing to say.

Jenny sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Come on inside. And then I'll tell you a story you'll never believe."

* * *

Jenny was taking a shower now, about half an hour after she had started and five minutes since she had ended her fantastic tale. Or rather, the short version of it.

Cam, sitting on her couch, was still in some kind of shock, but slowly working through it.

Change of outer appearance at will. Rise in strength. Aliens. Half-aliens. Sai-what-were-they-called? A dragon's balls. Wishes. Now, this was disgusting. Why would someone need a dragon's balls for wishes? Or was it Dragon Balls? Yeah, that sounded a lot better and much less perverty. Cell - android. Buu - alien. Mr. Satan was a fraud. Huh, that wasn't that surprising.

As a matter of fact, many things first now made sense.

"You're freaked," Jenny stated, almost sounding a bit afraid and sad, as she came back out of the adjoining bathroom a short time later, now dressed in a pair of jeans and a warm sweater, with her blond hair tied back in a thick braid.

A small part of her still couldn't get over the fact that Cam was actually here at Capsule Corporation and in her – actually very messy, if she looked at the clothes strewn all over the floor – room. She had a boy in her room, a boy that wasn't Damian. She had a boy in her room. A boy she was actually crushing on!

A wry grin appeared on Cam's face, as he admitted with a shrug, "A bit. But in a way… I think I kinda knew that there was always more to the world than what we were told to believe. I mean, it's always been more than obvious that Cell and Buu hadn't been human. So it isn't that farfetched to believe that there's still more."

"So…" Jenny said slowly, hesitantly, still a bit afraid, "You're not gonna run away screaming?"

"No, I'm not," Cam reassured, as he got up and walked up to Jenny. "Actually, I'm now planning to do what I've come here for."

"Huh?"

"I'm gonna take you out on that date, Son Jenny. There's this winter fair in the old part of the Western Capital and I thought that you'd like to go. They have all kinds of things there. You're gonna like it."

* * *

Jenny didn't like it at the fair. No, she loved it. It hadn't been a long walk from Capsule Corporation to the old part of town, and since both of them were bundled up warmly, the icy cold didn't bother them – much.

Once they arrived at the fair, Jenny was amazed. She could remember going there many years ago with Bulma and her grandma, but couldn't remember much of it. Everything was extremely old fashioned, but in a cozy kind of way. There were different stalls at the fair, where you could buy sweets and nuts and candy and drink hot punch and hot chocolate. At other stalls you could buy jewelry, handmade stuff and other Christmas presents. Jenny even found a pretty necklace that she thought Mailin would like. For a moment, Jenny thought about buying a bracelet for herself, several leather cords in different shades of green and purple braided in an intricate style, but eventually decided against it. It would only get in the way, when she was training.

As it slowly got dark, lights began to twinkle everywhere. Christmas music was playing at ever corner, which would sound corny in her opinion if it didn't fit so well with the overall flair of the fair, children were riding the merry-go-round, squealing in delight, and Cam even invited Jenny for a ride on the highly overpriced Ferris wheel. Jenny had protested against it, saying that she could easily pay for her ride, but Cam wouldn't hear any of it.

"You may be filthy rich, but I invited you. So, suck it up."

It truly amazed Jenny how, just a few hours after she had dropped the bomb shell that was her life on him, Cam still hadn't run away screaming. He was completely normal and even took to teasing her about her heritage. There were still some curious questions that he asked her in the course of the afternoon, but even as she answered them all honestly, he hadn't freaked out. So, when he had asked her over a mug of hot chocolate, how strong she really was, and she had admitted to being able to blow up the planet if she wanted to, his only reaction was an impressed, "Cool."

Jenny couldn't believe how lucky she was that there was a boy, who was interested in her, and just accepted her for who she really was. Maybe agreeing to the date hadn't been a mistake after all.

They had to stand in a line at the Ferris wheel, waiting for their turn, but when they were finally on the top of the Ferris wheel, they could look over a part of the Western Capital, all lit up with the different lights of cars, houses, neon signs and other lights of a city, which – even though in Jenny's mind was just a waste of energy – looked truly great.

Up there, all alone, with all the twinkling lights underneath them, just a small hum of Christmas music reaching them, Jenny gazed over at Cam and felt her heart miss a bit, when she saw the way he was looking at her, almost as if he couldn't believe that she was really here with him. To reassure him that this wasn't a dream, Jenny gathered all her courage and reached out to touch his hands. They were both wearing gloves – or in Jenny's case mittens – so their skins didn't touch, but somehow, even with the material separating them, Jenny felt the warmth of his hands. Cam smiled, as he took her hand into his own and squeezed lightly.

They were still walking hand in hand, when they left the fair and Cam accompanied Jenny back to Capsule Corporation, even though she half-heartedly insisted that he didn't need to. While they had spent the whole day talking about both unimportant and important things, they now spent the walk back in silence, which was first broken, when they stopped in front of Capsule Corporations front door.

"So," Cam said finally, almost uncomfortably. He had to clear his throat, before he continued. "I really enjoyed this afternoon. Spending time with you."

"Cam…" Jenny began, but the boy cut her off.

"No, Jenny. I said that I'll give you two days to decide. Think about it and tell me on Monday, okay?"

Jenny didn't say anything and after Cam had wished her a good night, watched him walk along the pathway leading back to the road. This felt wrong, just letting him go like that. Without telling him. _Damn it, girl_, she told herself, and before she knew it, she was running after him, just like in some silly movie.

"Cam!" she called out. He stopped and turned around with a somewhat hopeful look on his face. "You know, I really can't dance."

Jenny's heart almost broke, when his face fell. "I understand."

"No, you don't," Jenny told him forcefully, as he wanted to turn to leave again. "I was just telling you this to warn you. Your toes might regret ever asking me to that stupid Winter Formal, once the night is over."

"What…"

"Cam, I really, really liked spending this afternoon with you. It couldn't have been a better first date. And I… really like you, too, and I feel bad for not giving you a chance before today. So, what time are you picking me up?"

Finally catching up to what Jenny was trying to tell him, a huge beaming smile appeared on Cam's face, as he answered, "I don't know yet, but I'll tell you in time."

"Sounds good. So… goodnight, Cam."

"Goodnight, Jenny," Cam replied, still watching with that same dopey smile on his face, as she went back to the house. Before she disappeared inside, however, he shouted, "You know, if you really want to, you could just wear jeans to the dance."

Jenny grinned, as she replied, "I'd love that, but Mailin would never let me hear the end of it."

While Jenny was closing the door, she could hear Cam's laugh. She felt positively giddy herself. She couldn't believe it. She had just been out on a date with Cam, something she had denied herself for so long, and now she was actually looking forward to that dance.

"Who was that?"

Startled, Jenny whirled around to see Vegeta standing in the middle of the hallway. Huh, had he been standing there the whole time? She hadn't noticed him. "Geez, Vegeta, don't startle me like that," Jenny said to him, while she was taking off her boots and jacket.

"You didn't answer my question."

Rolling her eyes, she told him, "That was Cam. I know him from school and we went to the winter fair in the old part of town this afternoon."

"You wrote on your note that you'd go with a friend. This didn't look like you were just… friends… with that boy."

_Ouch… _"So, what if we're more than friends? I'm fifteen, Vegeta. I'm gonna be sixteen in less than two months."

Vegeta only harrumphed, but then demanded, "When he picks you up for that dance you were talking about, I want to meet him."

He left without another word, but Jenny watched his with wide, horrified eyes.

_Oh… fuck…_


	61. Part III: Happy Days

**A/N: Yay, this chapter got finished faster than I had thought. Actually, I have gotten more done in the first few days of my spring break than I had anticipated, so I've decided to write this chapter as some kind of break, before I get back to preparing for my exams. **

**Now, as I've already said in the last chapter: Chapter 61 has already been finished for quite some time, but I want to go over it one more time, maybe make some really minor changes, before I post it. So you should expect it within the next few days.**

**Until then, I wanted to wish you Happy Easter! Enjoy the holiday with your loved ones, and please, don't forget any eggs that you've hidden!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 60: Happy Days**

_Dress Shopping_

There were times, when Jenny really loved shopping. At least as long as it was for comfortable stuff, for training clothes or clothes that she'd fallen in love with – which was usually something practical as well. She had a number of T-shirts and sweaters that she really liked, which even looked kind of fashionable, but she still didn't care much for blouses, skirts, other frilly clothes and, Dende forbid, dresses.

Unfortunately, it was exactly for this reason that she was right now at the mall with Mailin and Damian – dress shopping for that stupid Winter Formal. Yes, Jenny still thought that it was stupid, but she was going anyway, just for Cam. Just for spending some time with him. A light smile appeared on her face, as she remembered the one date they had had until now. And the time they spent together at school. The handholding, the other innocent touches… They hadn't kissed, yet, but Jenny hoped to remedy that at, or maybe, after the dance.

But now, here they were, in the section for evening dresses, looking for something to wear for that stupid dance. Jenny didn't really feel like browsing around and Damian had complained about coming along as well, so Mailin had decided to go first and, after having grabbed a couple of dresses, disappeared in the changing room. She had shown them a couple of choices, but Mailin had liked none of them so far. After about the fourth dress, Jenny had slumped down in one of the armchairs that were standing around and had to resist the urge to pick up one of the magazines. Fortunately they hadn't had to deal with any shop assistants yet, because if they had, Jenny would have run out of the store screaming.

"So, Jenny, what do you think of this?" Mailin asked, knowing that if she asked her brother's opinion, she wouldn't get a real answer. And while not really being enthusiastic about dress shopping, Jenny was at least honest.

"Huh?" Jenny looked up at the changing room, from which Mailin had just emerged, wearing a long dark blue dress with broader straps that hugged her slightly curvy figure just right. Mailin rolled her eyes at Jenny's reaction, but twirled in front of her and Damian, who looked to be just as bored as Jenny. But now, seeing this dress on her best friend, Jenny smiled brightly, "That's it."

"I think so, too," Mailin gushed, twirling one more time. "And it's even in my price range."

"Then take it!" Jenny told her. "You look really great."

"Thanks, Jenny. I'm now gonna get changed again, and after that, it's your turn!"

Winking at her best friend, Mailin turned on her heel and disappeared again in the changing room. Jenny sighed, burying her face in her hands, as she tried to brace herself for what would most likely become a very, very long day. She just knew that it would take an eternity until she would find a dress that she liked enough to wear for the dance.

Jenny didn't like dresses. Period. They were too restricting, too fancy… There weren't enough occasions to wear one. And they were usually pretty expensive, not that money was an issue for Jenny. She just couldn't see how it would make sense to pay so much money for one dress that you only got to wear once, when you could actually use the same amount of money to buy some other, more practical clothes for every day.

Much too soon for Jenny's liking, Mailin came back out of the changing room with the dress she had chosen over one arm and hanging the other rejected choices over a rack near the changing rooms. "Soooo, girlfriend, what did you have in mind?"

_Can I still run?_ Jenny thought, but shrugged to answer Mailin's question, as she let her gaze wander around all the racks with so many dresses. How could anyone expect her to find something? She just didn't do dresses. Mailin, however, just rolled her eyes again and handed her dress to a baffled Damian.

"Come on…" Mailin grabbed Jenny's arm and dragged her over to the section where the dresses in her size were hanging neatly next to each other. "Now, short or long? Personally, I'd vote for long, especially now in winter."

Jenny really had no idea. They all looked the same to her, but when she looked through the window and saw that it was again snowing, she'd say long was better. After all, while at this stupid dance, Jenny couldn't transform to keep warm. But… would the long dresses keep her warm? The fabric looked to be incredibly thin on all the dresses. Well, she had to make a decision someday. "Long."

"Great!" Again, Mailin grabbed her arm and pulled her along until they were standing in front of the long dresses. "I think blue would suit you, too." As if to emphasize her point, Mailin took a periwinkle blue dress from the rack and showed it to Jenny. It was strapless and had a huge frilly bow on the back. Upon Jenny's horrified look, Mailin immediately put the dress back. "Come on, girl. You have to give me something to work with here."0

Blue… or not blue… Maybe Vegeta wouldn't laugh at her, if she was wearing blue, the royal color of the Saiyajins. But then again… Vegeta would laugh at her, no matter what color she wore. The moment he saw her in a dress… Nope, she didn't want to think about it. It would be too humiliating.

"Not blue," Jenny decided. "Besides, blue's your color already. We don't want to go there dressed as twins, right?"

"Right… now, what color could we take?"

With a thoughtful look on her face, Mailin began to walk back and forth in front of the rack, pulling out dresses here and there and showed them to Jenny, but she only shook her head whenever she looked at one. Too pink, too girly, too frilly… Too sexy, too much décolleté, just too… There was a long, simple black one that Jenny liked and was almost ready to try on, but then Mailin snatched it back again.

"You're wearing too much black already," Mailin told a pouting Jenny, as she hung the dress back. Was she really? Jenny looked down at herself. Black sneakers, black jeans and black sweater… Oops… Somehow, Vegeta seemed to influence her choice of colors recently, seeing as she had never seen him wear anything more colorful than dark blue.

Sighing, Jenny resigned herself to having plenty more dresses pushed into her face, but was relieved that she hadn't had to try them on yet. Drifting with her thoughts, her gaze wandered around, until her eyes suddenly spotted something. It was in the other corner of the rack, a part where Mailin hadn't been yet, a flash of pale green. Ignoring whatever Mailin was saying to her, as she was holding up yet another dress – a pale, cream colored one; and honestly, did Jenny look like a bride? – Jenny walked over to where she had seen that green color and pulled out the dress.

She was amazed at how light it was, how soft the fabric felt under her fingers. A pale green dress with spaghetti straps, very simple and looking very comfortable.

"It's pretty," Mailin told her. "You wanna try it on?"

"Yeah," Jenny said softly, surprised at how much she liked that dress already – how much she could like a dress. She really hoped that it fit, otherwise Jenny was sure that she wouldn't find another dress. At least not one she would even be remotely happy to wear.

With the dress held gently in her hands, Jenny went to the changing room and pulled the curtain closed behind her. Once she was alone, she released a deep breath. She really couldn't believe it. She was holding a dress in her hand, an actual dress and she was actually looking forward to seeing if it fit. And she wanted it to fit. A quick look at the price tag even told her that she could easily afford it.

After gazing down at it for one more moment, Jenny hung the dress on one of the hooks and quickly dressed down to her underwear, before she slipped it on. Fortunately she could reach the zipper on her back on her own, because she couldn't imagine asking Vegeta to zip her up. But before she left the changing room, Jenny looked into the mirror… and stared.

The dress fit perfectly, hugging her already well-developed female curves - apparently another Saiyajin-thing - just right. She would need some transparent straps for her bra, but otherwise, this dress was simply perfect. It was tight at her waist, but not too tight, and went flowing down to her feet. She almost didn't feel the dress, it was so light, not at all restricting. She could even imagine fighting in it, which she would never do of course, as it would ruin the dress.

"Jenny, you done in there?"

"Yeah…" Jenny answered absentmindedly to Mailin's question and turned around, opening the curtain. "So…?"

"Ooh… it looks great! You just have to take it, Jenny!" Mailin told her with a wide smile. "You look so pretty… so… not you. But it fits you. Really. I've never seen you this pretty. I mean, not that you aren't always pretty… but you know what I mean and I better stop now."

Laughing, Jenny hugged her best friend. "Thanks…"

However, as she went back into the changing room, she heard Mailin add, "You know what this means, Jenny. The next thing we have to do is buying shoes!"

Oh yeah… Shoes… She had totally pushed this tiny fact to the back of her mind and forgotten about it. Damn…

The shoe store was their next destination, but this time Jenny wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, so she and Mailin went separate ways, leaving the two dresses with Damian, who complained loudly, but not overly seriously. Much to Jenny's relief, she quickly found a pair of white low heeled sandals that fit and could lean back until Mailin was done.

However, while she was waiting, her eyes landed on a pair of heeled black boots. Normally, Jenny wouldn't even pay attention to shoes like this, as she was your typical sneaker-wearing-kind-of-gal, but somehow she liked them. They looked… cool. Intrigued, Jenny tried them on and they were so comfortable. Leather, going almost up to her knees and the low heels didn't bother her at all, as she was walking.

Frowning, Jenny looked at the price. She still had enough money for them, but should she really? Did she need those boots? Were they practical?

Ah, fuck practicality! Jenny felt like buying something because she really liked it, and not because she needed it. And she had the money. The boots were really cool and would go very well with some of her jeans.

With her mind made up, Jenny took off the boots and went with them and the sandals to the cash register to pay. In the meantime, Mailin had also finished and was looking curiously at Jenny, as she saw the boots. Almost as if to defend herself, Jenny said, "I like them. They're cool."

"That they are," Mailin simply agreed, happy that her friend was finally buying something for herself that wasn't related to fighting. First the dress and now the boots. Soon, Mailin hoped, Jenny would enjoy going shopping for clothes that you didn't really need but wanted just as much as she herself did. It was about time that her best friend was letting go somewhat. Cam was already good for her, even though they weren't really boyfriend and girlfriend yet. But coming next Friday, Mailin was sure that they would be.

Loaded with their bags, Jenny, Mailin and Damian, who didn't see the sense in buying a suit, when he could just borrow one from Nik, were just about to go to the food court to get some much needed nourishment, when once again something caught Jenny's eye. She stopped without warning in front of a shop window, her gaze drawn to something that would fit perfectly to the boots she had just bought. A leather coat, cut tighter at the waist and going down to the knees of the dummy.

"Wow, Jenny… You're really indulging today, aren't you?" Mailin asked surprised, as she saw what her friend was staring at.

"That's soooo cool!" Damian gaped, also staring at the coat. "And hot."

"I can't…" Jenny shook her head. "Look at the price. It's too expensive…"

"Damn…" Mailin muttered, as she, too, saw the price. "Well… one can always dream. Come on, Jenny… Let's get some food. If I'm starving already, I don't know how you're feeling."

"Yeah… you're right…" Jenny sighed, as she reluctantly turned away from the shop window. And the coat had looked as if it would fit so nicely.

* * *

_Winter Formal_

School the following week passed in a blur. It was the last week before the Christmas holidays started and understandably the whole school was buzzing with excitement. There was only one thing that dampened the mood for a short moment, as a series of perfectly timed car bombings in several cities all over the world cost the life of twenty-three persons. The government had no idea, who was behind the attacks, as no one admitted to them, but they promised to investigate and to find the culprit.

Soon it was Friday, the day of the Winter Formal, and the moment Jenny got home, she was suddenly starting to become nervous. She tried to burn off some of this nervousness by training in the gravity room with Vegeta, and she succeeded in becoming distracted enough for a while so that she didn't think about the dance, but the moment that the training was over and Jenny was taking a shower to prepare for the dance, the nervousness had come back at full force.

Cam would get her at half past six and the dance would start at seven. He had bought the tickets and even asked what color her dress was, so that he could get her a corsage. No amount of protesting from Jenny's side had managed to convince him that she really didn't need some fancy flowers tied to her wrist, and so she had had no other choice but to give up. At least she had managed to talk him out of renting a stupid limo, so he had asked his parents for their car.

Half past six, that left her with barely half an hour to get dressed and get her make-up and hair done. Not that she was planning anything fancy, so the thirty minutes should be more than enough time to get ready.

With this thought in mind, Jenny began to brush and dry her hair, noticing that she really needed a hair cut – again – as her hair was now almost reaching her waist. Wearing it in her usual braid or pony tail was completely out of question, but just letting it hang down without having done anything would just seem boring. Now that she had this pretty dress… she somehow wanted more…

Quickly opening her laptop, Jenny began to search for different hairstyles that she could do on her own in just a couple of minutes. This proved to be a challenge, but she eventually found the waterfall braid, which not only looked nice, but seemed to be easy to do. There was even a short tutorial for it with a video clip.

The tutorial had made it seem so easy, and after a few minutes of struggling with her hair, Jenny had finally managed to do the waterfall braid on both sides and tied both ends with a white elastic. There was even a small white flower on the elastic – something her grandma had given her when she was still alive – and now she could finally use it. Satisfied with her result, Jenny started on her make-up. Nothing to extraordinary, just some mascara, eyeliner and white eye shadow. Simple, but more than she usually wore.

Now the dress, which was on a hanger at her closet. Not even ten more minutes to go, but beyond putting it on, there was nothing left for her to do. Jenny took it from the hanger, stepped into it, pulled the straps over her shoulders and zipped herself up. After she had slipped on the sandals, Jenny cast one last look in the mirror. With a satisfied nod, she grabbed her small white purse – another thing that her grandma had bought her years ago, hoping that Jenny would someday act like a girl – and checked one more time that everything she needed was inside. Some money, her cell phone, tissues, keys and a deodorant.

Yep, she was ready to go.

Three minutes.

Downstairs, she was surprised to find Vegeta in the kitchen, having a small snack, of course. Actually, she shouldn't have been surprised to find him here instead of the gravity room, although she had hoped that he had forgotten that he wanted to meet Cam. He had even changed out of his training clothes into dark blue jeans and a black T-shirt. This gave her some hope that the meeting wouldn't scare Cam away.

Vegeta looked up, when she came into the kitchen, but instead of saying something, he just stared. Words failed him. He didn't think he had ever seen the girl wear a dress before, and her hairstyle was definitely different as well. At this moment, no one would think that she was a warrior, at least she didn't look the part at all. Right now, she looked more like a… a… princess, like royalty.

"Don't laugh," the girl told him with a warning glare.

How was he to tell her that he hadn't planned on laughing? That he hadn't even thought about it?

"Wait," he simply said and walked past her.

Her felt her confused look on his back, but ignored it, as he went to his bedroom and to a part of the closet that he hadn't opened in years. Hesitating for a moment, Vegeta gathered his courage, and then finally opened the door to Bulma's closet. There was a section just for her dresses and there he found what he was looking for. A long, white shawl, perfect for the dress the girl was wearing. Nodding to himself, he went back, to find the girl waiting for him in the hallway. He realized that the boy would be arriving any minute now.

"Here, take this. It's cold outside."

Jenny took the shawl from him with wide eyes and wrapped it around her shoulders. It was so soft and warm. "Is this… one of Bulma's?" Vegeta simply nodded and Jenny unexpectedly felt tears in her eyes. "Thanks, Vegeta," she told him softly. The urge to hug Vegeta was incredibly strong, almost impossible to resist, but before she could give in to this urge, the doorbell rang. Cam had arrived. She went to the door, however, before she opened it, she gave Vegeta another warning glare. "Be nice."

She had warned Cam several times over the past two weeks that Vegeta was very difficult to get along with, that he didn't like stranger and would most likely be incredibly rude to him, when they met. Cam had just told her that it couldn't be that bad and that he would meet her stepdad before the dance.

But now that the moment had actually arrived, Jenny wanted to take Cam's hand and drag him away from Vegeta, before he could scare off her maybe-soon-to-be-boyfriend. Still, this was another urge she resisted and smiled encouragingly at Cam, as she greeted him with a hug.

"Hey, you're just on time," she told him, hoping to hide the nervousness she was feeling.

Cam only grinned down at her sheepishly, scratching his neck. "Actually, I've been waiting in the car for five minutes. I didn't want to be too early."

Jenny wanted to say something, but instead the clearing of a throat behind her reminded her that Vegeta still wanted to meet Cam. "Uhm… would you like to come inside? Meet my stepdad?"

"Sure," Cam told her with confidence in his voice and stepped past Jenny. Jenny was amazed at how easily Cam hid his nervousness – he just had to be nervous – as he walked up to Vegeta and offered his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Briefs. Jenny has already told me a lot about you. I'm Camlo."

Much to Jenny's surprise, Vegeta took Cam's hand, but what didn't surprise Jenny was the wince Cam couldn't hide, when Vegeta squeezed his hand. Instead of saying anything to Cam, however, Vegeta turned to Jenny. "Pathetic."

Then, without another word, Vegeta turned on his heel and disappeared again in the kitchen. Taking this chance, before Vegeta could get the idea of bothering Cam more, Jenny took his left hand and tugged at it. "Let's go."

"Sure…" Cam replied, sounding a bit confused, and allowed Jenny to lead him outside. First, when they were sitting in the car his parents and lent him, he turned to Jenny. "You really weren't kidding, when you said that Vegeta wasn't the friendliest person on the world."

"Understatement of the century," Jenny mumbled, but then grinned lightly. "But hey, at least he didn't threaten you. That's a start!"

"Sure, sure…" Cam laughed lightly, as he started the car. "You know… I didn't get the chance to notice earlier, what with me being all nervous about meeting your stepdad… but you look really beautiful, Jenny."

"Thanks…" Jenny fought the blush that threatened to rise in her cheeks. "You look pretty handsome yourself…"

The ride to the hall the school had rented for the Winter Formal was a short one. Cam, ever the gentleman, helped Jenny out of the car and showed the security their two tickets. Mailin and Damian were already waiting for them inside. Their mother had driven them to the dance, Jenny had told Cam, as it was easier with the wheelchair.

Jenny had to admit that Mailin looked absolutely stunning in her blue dress, combined with the pinned-up hairstyle and make-up. It really was a wonder that her best friend hadn't found a date, that no one had asked her to this dance. Jenny had always thought that her friend was far prettier and girlier and because of this more attractive. And yet she was alone and it was Jenny with the date and potential boyfriend on her arm.

After saying hello to each other and Mailin and Jenny gushing about each others' dresses, with the boys just rolling their eyes and mocking them for their behavior, the four of them went to find a table, where they could sit. All the posters had said that some snacks were to be served and because of this the tables were laid with some cutlery. The snacks were on a buffet-like table at one wall, along with the bar.

"So, what do you wanna drink?" Cam asked them, when Jenny and Mailin had sat down.

"Coke for now, please," Jenny said and Mailin and Damian agreed. Damian offered to come along, but Cam assured him that he could carry the four drinks without help.

The moment that Cam was out of earshot, Mailin leaned over to Jenny with a slightly worried look on her face. "How did the meeting go? Did Vegeta behave?"

"It could've been worse," Jenny replied with a grimace. "But at least Cam is still alive and unharmed."

"Yeah, I mean, how do you wanna kiss him, when he's dead? That'd be just… yuck…"

"Mai!" Jenny cried out in exasperation and buried her face in her hands, but inwardly she was grinning madly. She really, really wanted to kiss Cam!

The four friends had a lot of fun that night. They tried a lot of the snacks, talked to classmates and also made fun of other students and some of the chaperones. Many classmates almost didn't recognize Jenny and did a double-take, when they figured out who she was. No one had ever seen Jenny wear anything remotely girly, so this dress was a lot to get used to. Somehow, Jenny liked the effect she had on the other students, and Cam had to point out more than once to other male classmates that she was at the dance with him.

Eventually, once the dance floor was opened, Cam even managed to convince Jenny to dance with him.

"If you complain about broken toes later, I'll say 'I told you so'," she grumbled at him, as he was leading her to the dance floor.

Cam, however, only grinned. "I think my toes are perfectly safe, even with a klutz like you."

"Hey!" Jenny snapped playfully, but before she could go on, Cam had one hand on her waist and raised his other, which was already holding hers, into the dance position. Having seen this in some movies already, Jenny put her hand on his arm and bit on her lip. "What now?"

"Now," Cam said, still grinning. "You'll follow me lead."

Jenny had no idea, what she was doing, but somehow, once she allowed Cam to lead her over the dance floor, it actually worked. She was dancing! She could dance! And it was even a faster song! After a few minutes of doing easier steps, and seeing that Jenny could keep up, Cam started to whirl her around, twirling her and dipping her. Both of them were laughing a lot, especially after Jenny accidentally stepped on his toes and then said, with a dry voice, "Told you so."

As the evening progressed, Jenny went to the dance floor a bit more willingly after each break that they took. Mailin and Damian joined them often, and all four of them danced apart or it was just the two of them, lost in their own world, even as he was twirling her around so much that Jenny actually got a bit dizzy. But it was a good kind of dizzy.

Then, finally, the amazing band played the first slow song.

Jenny felt her heart jump up into her throat, as Cam closed the distance between them and, after having given her a questioning look, wrapped his arms around her waist. As she wrapped her arms around his neck and put her cheek against his chest, Jenny felt as if she was melting into him. She could feel his warmth, hear his heart beat against his chest – it was beating just as fast as hers. She felt safe, comfortable and she never, never wanted to let go.

But sadly, even this fantastic night had to end and Cam had to bring Jenny back to Capsule Corporation. He had already been lucky that Vegeta hadn't given Jenny a curfew, but he still didn't want to get on the man's bad side. Just as he had already done at the dance, he helped her out of the car and then accompanied her back to the door.

"So…" he began, really not wanting the night to end already.

"So…" Jenny repeated. "Thanks… Cam. For making me go. I had a lot of fun."

"I have to thank you," Cam told her. "For going with me. This was one of the best nights of my life."

Jenny's heart soared upon hearing this, and this time she couldn't keep the blush from reaching her face, as she admitted quietly, "It was one of the best nights in my life, too…"

"Then," Cam continued, "I guess we should definitely do something like this again. Maybe without this gorgeous dress and a bit more informal… but I'd really like to go out with you again, Jenny. I'd really like to be your boyfriend."

"I'd like that, too," Jenny said, her heart beating even faster in her chest. "I'd really like to be your girlfriend."

Boyfriend. Girlfriend. It sounded so unreal, and yet so good.

And then, finally, what Jenny had waited the whole night for happened. Cam slowly, carefully leaned down, and at the moment as Jenny closed her eyes, his lips met hers. It was a slow kiss, almost painfully slow, but oh so gentle. The butterflies in her stomach were flying loops and Jenny wanted nothing more than to deepen the kiss. She had no idea, when it had happened, but her arms were wrapped around his neck again and she had pulled him even closer.

Eventually, much too soon, Cam pulled away, just as breathless as her. "Wow…." He mumbled, just an inch from her mouth.

"Mmhhh…" was the only voice that Jenny could produce, but then, suddenly, she sighed in disappointment. Vegeta was coming and she was afraid of his reaction, if he caught them being so close to each other. "Vegeta's on his way," she mumbled.

"Damn," Cam mumbled just as quietly.

He could feel that Jenny didn't want to let go, yet, and he didn't want to go either, but he really didn't want to deal with an overprotective stepfather (who could kill him as easily as a fly) right now, at the end of this wonderful night.

Reluctantly, very reluctantly, he straightened up again, when all he wanted was to close the distance again and kiss the girl in front of him again. "Goodnight, Jenny…"

"Goodnight, Cam… and merry Christmas…"

"Merry Christmas…" Ah, one last kiss couldn't hurt.

Jenny finally closed the door behind her later than she had thought, still a bit dizzy from the last kiss, only to come face to face with none other with Vegeta, who was standing in the middle of the hallway with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a scowl on his face.

"You've been standing in front of that door for a long time."

Rolling her eyes, Jenny walked past him. "Shut it, Vegeta." She really wasn't in the mood for his scowling tonight. She was too happy to want to deal with this right now, she didn't want that happiness to be destroyed by Vegeta.

"Be careful," Vegeta suddenly said before Jenny had gone too far. "Don't… rush into things…"

Ahh… now she understood. And smiled. "Don't worry, Vegeta. I won't. And thanks again for the shawl…"

Their way of telling each other how much they cared for each other.

* * *

_Sweet Sixteen_

Christmas came and went without a big celebration. Jenny had decorated a tree at Capsule Corporation, but as Vegeta didn't particularly care for Christmas, or any other human holiday, the tree was mostly for herself, and she had gone over to Li's school to celebrate Christmas with her extended family over there.

Jenny talked to Cam daily, be it on the phone or in person. During the winter break they went on several more dates, to the movies, dinner or they just hung out, either at his house or at hers. She liked his family and it seemed that they approved of her, too. And whenever they were alone somewhere, kissing had become one of her favorite pastimes. And, even though Jenny stayed true to her promise to Vegeta not to rush into anything, their make-out sessions continued to heat up.

One month after Christmas, another big day for Jenny arrived, her sixteenth birthday. But a few days before that, Cam met Jenny, Mailin and Damian in the lunch hall with a grim look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Jenny asked immediately.

"Another attack," Cam said simply. "Pepper Town. There was a bomb in a store. Five people died, several more were injured."

"Not another one," Mailin sighed, while Damian was just clenching and unclenching his fists and Jenny had become deathly quiet.

There had already been a few attacks like this since the one the week before Christmas, and every time lives had been lost. Jenny had tried to talk to Vegeta about it; she felt the need to get involved, to do something. She didn't like feeling this helpless. All those attacks weren't just coincidences, they weren't just copycats, no, Jenny was sure that one and the same person, or organization was behind this. Unfortunately, the government was either still in the dark about who was behind it, or they hadn't told the public yet.

Whatever, every time Jenny brought this topic up, Vegeta ordered her to stay out of it. It was the humans' business, so let their forces take care of it. And it really seemed that humans were behind this as well, Vegeta said, because they would have felt it if an alien had arrived on Earth.

She remembered clearly their last argument about this.

_"Come on, Vegeta! It's been almost nine years since Buu! Why can't I help put a stop to this? I don't think people would freak out about our special abilities anymore! I mean, they didn't when they saw me and Videl fly at the Budokai!"_

_"You were lucky, brat!" Vegeta had said with the scowl that always appeared on his face, whenever she brought this up. "You were lucky that no one investigated and you were also lucky, when you told that boy our secret. People from the government could have come to us, to find out what we are, turned us into guinea pigs, but we were lucky and that's all there is to it. And I've already told you a hundred times! We don't get involved in human affairs. They can take care of it."_

_Crossing her arms defiantly in front of her chest, Jenny pointed out, "They obviously can't. Or they would have found out who's behind this already."_

_"And how do you want to do what a special unit of the government can't? Besides, I've heard you yammering about your tight schedule. School, training, the spaceship, your friends and now that boy. You'd have to give something up, and I won't allow you to drop out of school or to stop training. You definitely won't give up spaceship. So, it's got to be your friends or the boy, if you're really serious." Jenny didn't know what to say, so she just stayed quiet. Vegeta was right, she couldn't and didn't want to give up any of it. Her shoulders sagged. Seeing this, Vegeta ordered simply, tired of this argument, "Stay out of it. Or you'll get grounded until you're old enough to move out."_

So she stayed out of it, for now, until she could find an argument that would convince Vegeta that helping was the right thing to do. Reluctantly and complaining about it, but she didn't do anything.

"Now, enough with the brooding," Cam said eventually, noticing how his girlfriend had started to retreat into herself. He knew that she had a lot on her plate – training, the spaceship (oh, and what a surprise it had been, when she had told him about the spaceship and her plans with it!), school, Mailin and Damian, and their relationship of course. And he knew how much not being able, or rather, not being allowed to do something about the attacks despite her superpowers bothered her. So he did his best to cheer her up, whenever she got into one of those moods. "Let's talk about Tuesday."

"Oh yeah, the party!" At least Mailin was cheered up by this, Jenny just looked annoyed.

"No, no party. I'll only invite a few friends and we'll hang out. No party."

"But… but it's your sixteenth birthday! Your sweet sixteenth! We have to do something! Something big!"

"Come on, Mai… When it's your and Dame's sixteenth in March, you can have a huge party, but I just want to have a quiet celebration, alright? Just like we always had at Li's school."

"Alright…" Mailin muttered deflated. "But we'll have food and music. And maybe Damian could bring his gaming console, so that we can play some party games."

"Yeah, sure!" Damian agreed eagerly. "Then I can finally show Cam that new game I got! It totally rocks!"

"Cool," Cam agreed. "I can't wait!" They high-fived each other, causing both girls to roll their eyes and mutter something about 'Boys…' under their breaths.

The next Tuesday dawned with dark clouds and sleet falling heavily from the sky. Not the perfect day for a birthday, but well… That she had to get up early for school on top of that put her into a grumpy mood. There was no birthday cake waiting for her in the kitchen and she hadn't been expecting it. Vegeta wasn't the type to just bake a cake for a birthday, or to bake a cake in general. Vegeta himself was nowhere in sight, already training in the gravity room, but there was a box standing on the table, one that Jenny opened curiously. Inside was a shiny new silver laptop.

"Cool," Jenny breathed, carefully taking the laptop out of the box, as if it was something absolutely precious. She knew this brand and she had read about this type. It wasn't even on the market yet and had probably cost a small fortune. She grinned brightly, knowing that she would no longer need to complain about her old laptop, the one that just kept crashing and had gotten as slow as a snail lately. She couldn't wait to set it up.

But first, school.

The second good thing that happened that morning was, when she left the house that morning, Cam was waiting for her in his parents' car. The sleet was still coming down hard and Jenny had never been happier to have a ride to school, especially with her boyfriend. And also because she was already late again.

"Good morning!" she greeted him cheerfully, as she got into the passenger seat and stole a kiss from him.

"Good morning, birthday girl," Cam said brightly, pressing his lips again against hers, just as she wanted to pull away. Sometimes he wished that he could never stop kissing this girl, and he knew for a fact that she felt the same way about him. Only he also knew that they sometimes had to stop, just as they had to now. They needed to get to school, or they would be late. Jenny was having a slightly dazed look on her face, as he pulled away, mumbling something about best birthday gift ever. Shaking his head with a light grin, Cam loosened the brake and accelerated.

Mailin and Damian were already there, courtesy of their mom who hadn't wanted them to walk in this weather, both of them grinning brightly. The moment Jenny got into reach, Mailin bounced forward and pulled her into a hug. "Happy Birthday, Jenny!"

"Thanks," Jenny mumbled, and then got down to get a hug from Damian.

"So, sixteen, huh?" he said teasingly. "How does it feel to be an old woman?"

"Well, you'll know soon enough, when you're an old man," Jenny teased back. "But at least now I can watch more movies than you!"

"Yeah, for eight weeks! But then we've caught up!"

They bantered back and forth for a while, interrupted only when Cam had to go to his own class and had to steal a quick 'see-ya-later-kiss' from Jenny, and stopped first, when class started. Jenny was still happy that they didn't have History first thing in the morning anymore this term, but first in second period. Sure, Maths wasn't that bad, but at least as boring for Jenny as History.

The day at school passed in a blur and Jenny was lucky that Cam also drove her home again. The weather was still terrible and Jenny had to run to the front door so that she wouldn't get soaked – after a short make-out session of course. Those things could never take too long with Vegeta nearby.

Jenny spent the afternoon preparing for the small 'party' tonight. She had invited the guys from her old group at Li's school, along with Mailin, Damian and Cam of course. She had asked Tenshinhan and his family, too, but Tenshinhan had claimed that he was too old to spend an evening with young people like them. He had promised, however, that she would get their present too on her birthday, even though they would first celebrate with Jenny on their next Saturday Night Dinner.

Mailin and Damian arrived a bit earlier, so that Damian could set up his gaming console in the living room, where the huge flat screen was, but he spent more time oooh'ing and aaaah'ing over Jenny's new laptop than actually setting up his gaming console. Jenny was very curious about the large wrapped package that Mailin had brought along, and had started to pout when Mailin had announced that she could first open it, when everyone was there, as the gift was from all of them – even from Tenshinhan and Suki.

The doorbell rang again and Jenny grinned. Vegeta's voice rang through the hallway, as he yelled, "Brat! The boy is here!"

Rolling her eyes at the fact that Vegeta hadn't used Cam's name once since they had started their relationship, Jenny went to open the door, hugging Cam tightly as greeting. "Hey there…"

"Hey…"

"Brat… I'm leaving now," Vegeta interrupted them. "I hope you won't do anything stupid."

"Of course not, Vegeta," Jenny said, as she removed her arms from Cam's neck and took his hand instead. "We'll just hang out, I promise."

Nodding, Vegeta walked past them to the door, but as he passed Cam, he shot the boy a glare so cold that Cam actually had to shiver.

"Ignore him," Jenny just said and then pulled Cam to the living room, where Damian had finally started to set up the gaming console.

The rest of the guests arrived about half an hour later, each of them congratulating the birthday girl and giving her tight hugs. Everyone from her old group had arrived, even though all of them had graduated by now - Nik and Anisah, Zoe, Ejnar and Selvyn. They hadn't changed at all, though all of them were now going their own way. Nik and Anisah were still at Li's school, teaching, Zoe's shelter for troubled kids was running nicely, Ejnar and his boyfriend had moved in together in the Eastern Capital and Selvyn was teaching strategies and tactics at different martial arts schools at the moment.

They spent some time catching up, but the whole time Jenny was hoping that she could now finally open the presents. Her guests, however, were pretty stubborn about it. First, they wanted to eat, then Damian wanted to show Cam his new game – a martial arts game that everyone who had studied at Li's school were only all too happy to take apart. Luckily, Cam and Damian proved to be resistant to all the criticism that the former students had to offer for the moves shown on the game. Then Nik challenged all of them to another game that all of them could play and seeing as a Saiyajin never backed down from a challenge, Jenny went along, as did everyone else. Suffice to say, they all had a lot of fun that night.

However, it was getting late and Jenny almost couldn't take the anticipation anymore. She wanted to open the box that kept taunting her the whole night. Then it was almost time for her guests to leave – it was a school night and the others had to work the next day – when someone suddenly switched off the light in the room. Jenny didn't like being startled like this, but then a soft glow came from the door. Nik and Anisah came inside, carrying a chocolate cake with sixteen lit candles. Anisah started singing 'Happy Birthday' and everyone else joined in.

Cam wrapped his arms around Jenny from behind and sang softly into her ear, causing goose bumps to appear all over her arms. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and get lost in his touch, but this would be highly inappropriate in this situation, with everyone else being there as well.

Anisah and Nik placed the cake in front of her and when they had stopped singing, Jenny blew out the candles, thinking of her wish. _Please, let everything work out with the spaceship_. The others applauded, switched on the light again, and then, after having had to wait the whole night, Mailin handed Jenny the gift.

"Finally," Jenny said with a teasing tone to her voice, and then tore into the paper. But when she had to lift the lid of the box, she did this slowly, letting the anticipation build one more time before the big reveal. Her eyes went wide, as she saw what was lying inside. "Wow…"

It was the black leather coat that she had seen before Christmas at the mall, the very same leather coat that had been way too expensive, even for her. Not really believing her luck, Jenny tried it on, enjoying the feel of the soft material on her skin. It really was pure leather, smelling and feeling so good. And just as she had already thought, when she had seen the coat in the shop window, it fit perfectly.

"Thank you, guys!" Jenny breathed, as she hugged each of her friends tightly. "This is amazing!"

"You look fantastic," Cam complimented her, pulling her close to him. "Really… hot…"

"Get a room," Ejnar called, as the two exchanged a small kiss.

"But before you disappear," Damian teased them, "I'm hungry. Let's have cake."

"You've just eaten a whole bowl of fries," Mailin scolded her brother.

"So what? I'm a growing boy!"

Laughing, Anisah began to give each of them a slice of cake, but after that, the guests said that they had to go. They said goodbye to Jenny, her friends from her old school telling her that they would have to do something together again soon, and then they were gone. All of them, except for Cam, who was standing grinning at the now closed door.

"My parents said that I first have to be home at midnight," he told a delighted Jenny.

It was just after eleven o'clock and Cam only needed ten minutes with his car to get home. Now Jenny only hoped that Vegeta would stay away for a bit longer, so that she and Cam could enjoy their last thirty minutes alone.

"So," she said seductively, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What do you want to do now?"

"Well," Cam replied slowly, pulling her close to him. "Maybe we should do what Ejnar said and get a room."

"Is my room good enough?"

"I think your room is perfect…"

When Jenny thought back to that night, she had no idea, how exactly they had gotten to her room, if she had walked on her own or if Cam had been crazy enough to carry her. The only thing she remembered were his kisses, his touches, his scent… everything else was a blur.

Somehow they had ended up on her bed, which wasn't the first time, but as things slowly began to become a lot more heated than it had ever become before, quiet warning bells went off in Jenny's head. She ignored them at first, not wanting to lose that connection she was feeling with Cam at this very moment. She even allowed his hands to wander under her shirt, enjoying every sensation his skilled fingers evoked, but when she was suddenly on top of him, feeling _him_ underneath her, and Cam began to pull her T-shirt over her head, the warning bells wouldn't be ignored any longer.

"Wait…" she whispered, hating herself for having to interrupt their oh-so-good make out session. "Stop."

Cam stopped at once, slowly sitting up so that Jenny slipped into his lap. "I'm sorry… I should have asked…"

Shaking her head, Jenny quickly reassured him. "No… it's okay… I mean… I wouldn't mind… taking off my T-shirt… but… I'm not ready for… _it_… yet. And I thought… when we continued… one thing would lead… you know… And… and I had to promise Vegeta that I wouldn't rush into this."

"Hey… hey…" Cam mumbled soothingly, gently hugging the girl. "Don't worry… You know that I won't do anything that you don't want to, right?" Jenny nodded, now clearly feeling embarrassed, if it was by her reaction, by her stuttering or her admission, he didn't know. And he didn't care – all he wanted was this girl, his girlfriend, to be happy. "And… I'm not ready for _it_ either. But…" he then added with a sexy smirk, "I really wouldn't mind seeing you without your T-shirt."

Emboldened by his words, Jenny turned in his arms so that she was facing him fully. "Only if you take off yours, too."

Jenny's breath caught in her throat, as Cam unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off, revealing his toned chest. Now, having gone to school at a school for martial arts, Jenny had seen many boys without their shirts on, but back then she hadn't been interested in boys. Back then, she had only tried to guess their strength by how they were built, but now, now she truly knew how to appreciate her boyfriends body with the eyes of a young woman. "Nice," she said with an appreciating nod and glint in her eyes.

And then, she grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head before she could chicken out, leaving her only in her jeans and her bra. Jenny felt a bit self conscious – her bra was nothing fancy, just simple and black – but she wanted to see Cam's reaction. And according to the wide-eyed look on his face and the fact that he only breathed a "Wow…" told her that he apparently liked what he was seeing.

However, it was just at this moment, that her senses told Jenny something that she didn't really like. Groaning in disappointment, Jenny muttered, "Vegeta's on his way back."

Cam, surprisingly, started to laugh. "At least your Vegeta-dar told us that we still have some time… Hey, you know, we will never have the problem of Vegeta catching us in a compromising position. So, how much time do we have to get dressed?"

"He's flying slowly, so I guess about ten minutes."

"Just when I wanted to leave anyway… But…" Cam grabbed Jenny's waist and pulled her down, so that she was lying next to him. "That means we still have some time…"

Stealing a kiss, Jenny sighed. "Sorry, but I don't think I can get back into the mood, knowing that he will be back that soon."

"Too bad… But I hope you won't mind a few more minutes of snuggling."

"Never," Jenny mumbled, resting her head on his chest.

One minute passed in silence, another one, until Cam suddenly asked, "Jenny… I'm curious. Why did you have to promise Vegeta that you won't rush into… having sex?"

Sighing, Jenny turned to face Cam, knowing that this topic was too complicated and that they surely didn't have enough time, so she decided that she would give him the cliffs notes version. "You know how swans mate for life?" Cam nodded, a slightly confused, but interested frown on his face. "Well, for us Saiyajins it's the same. Once we… have sex… that's it. No more going back. No divorce."

"Alright," Cam mumbled thoughtfully, but then smiled at Jenny. "Then I guess it's better we wait until we're both very sure that we're _it_."

"Good idea," Jenny agreed, obviously relieved that Cam was cool with waiting. He was just… perfect. There must be plenty of boys his age who want nothing more than to have sex with their girlfriends, but Cam was so different from them. Still a horny teenage boy, but also a gentleman. "But… it could get even more complicated. Sometimes, Saiyajins form a bond… a special connection with their supposed mate, and no one can break this bond. This means that mates can feel each other's emotions or hear their partner's thoughts. Breaking it or denying it would cause suffering for both partners. Vegeta said that it's not very common, but he and Bulma had one, my biological parents had one and I think even my big brother and his girlfriend have one in the Afterlife now. What… why are you looking at me like that?" Jenny asked confused, when she noticed the intense look of concentration on his face.

"I'm trying to hear your thoughts… But nothing… nada… Your mind is completely silent to me."

"Thank Dende," Jenny said, "I'm not sure, if you really want to know what's going on in my head."

"There's a way to switch it off, right? I mean, how can any relationship survive, if you hear your partner's thoughts 24/7?"

"I hope so…" Jenny told him, now frowning, but couldn't think more about it, as her senses began to scream at her that they should hurry. "We better get dressed. Vegeta'll be here any minute."

"Ooookay…" Cam sighed reluctantly and pulled his shirt back on, just as Jenny was tugging her T-shirt again over her head. It was clear that none of them wanted to leave Jenny's comfy bed, but they had no other choice. None of them wanted to imagine what Vegeta would do if he caught them like this, even though nothing had really happened.

Jenny's senses told her that Vegeta's ki was already very close, when she said goodnight to Cam at the door. After one last kiss, she mumbled, "I'll see you tomorrow…"

"Yeah… see ya tomorrow… Goodnight."

She remained at the open door, until Cam's car was gone, but before she could close it, Vegeta landed right in front of her. It would have startled any normal human, but seeing as Jenny had felt that he was there, she simply asked, "Hey Vegeta… How was training?"

"Satisfactory… As was your party, I trust?"

"Oh yeah… it was great. There's still some cake in the fridge, if you want some. But I'm gonna head to bed. The alarm clock will be merciless tomorrow morning. So, goodnight."

Vegeta watched her turn around and leave. He had timed his return precisely so that the boy would be gone, before he arrived. He was no fool – he knew what they had been up to. Someone's ki could tell you much more about a person's strength or location, after all. But just as he knew what they had been doing, he also knew what they hadn't been doing. And he was proud of the girl for not betraying his trust, for keeping her promise. Vegeta was now sure that she fully understood the dangers of reckless behavior in this special context.

Still, he didn't like the boy. He was weak – alright, not that weak for a human – and he would never be good enough for the girl.

The only problem was, Vegeta had figured out that there was probably no one who was good enough for her.

Shaking his head, Vegeta realized that it wouldn't do any good to brood about that. The girl was happy and this was all that mattered for now, right?

Yes, the girl's happiness was the most important thing and if the boy made her happy, then he would tolerate him, if just barely.

But if the boy ever hurt her, Vegeta would show him what true fear was, he decided, as he went into the kitchen to get some cake.

* * *

**A/N2: **

**If you want to see Jenny and Mailin's dresses, just follow those links. The first one is the dress I chose for Jenny, and the second one I chose for Mailin. You just have to imagine the blue one to be long, instead of short, and you've got it. Remember to remove the spaces around the slashes and to put in . for (dot) **

justsoo(dot)com / images / l / 201102 / 12974073790(dot)jpg

navybluedress(dot)org / wp-content / uploads / _cute-navy-blue-dress(dot)jpg


	62. Part III: Awakening

**A/N: So, after having reread this chapter several times and changing only some minor things from the original chapter that I've already written so long ago (must be about three or four years now), it's now finally ready to get posted. You have no idea just how badly I wanted to get to this point… Why? You'll see when you've read the chapter. I really feel like saying more, but I'd only spoil you if I did. **

**And now, start reading please! : ) **

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 61: Awakening**

_April 5, 784_

Jenny was sitting at her desk, the pen poised over the blank sheets of her diary. Black eyes gazed down at the date she had written down, and Jenny pushed a strand of dark hair out of her eyes, as she put the pen again on the paper. Her hand was shaking. A lone tear dropped down onto the page, as Jenny took a deep trembling breath and wrote the next words.

_As I woke up this morning, to a beautiful and sunny day, I would have never believed how this day would end._

* * *

"Bye Vegeta!"

Jenny yelled, her voice muffled, as she ran past him, backpack slung over her shoulder and a piece of toast in a tight grip between her teeth. Vegeta simply shook his head, as the teenager was gone, wiping some sweat from his forehead with the towel he was wearing around his shoulders. She was late, again, probably kept up in the lab this morning with some last minutes details concerning the spaceship.

As a warrior, he would have long condemned her decision to forego the training in the mornings to work on the spaceship, but on the other hand, he, too, couldn't wait until that damn thing was finished and they could travel to New Namek. Especially seeing as the scientists had finally received some much needed parts a few weeks ago and had told her that there were once again things she could help them with.

The girl had rejoiced upon getting this news, as she had been getting antsy lately, as there hadn't been anything she could have helped with. And it was just because of this that he allowed her the trips to the lab before school, hoping that she wouldn't ditch classes anymore to go to the lab instead. The last thing they needed was trouble from her school.

Not for the first time since she had started high school, Jenny was happy that she was in such a good shape, as she was only a teeny bit exhausted after her ten minutes run at full speed, when she slid into her seat barely five seconds before her teacher entered the classroom. She'd had just time to greet Mailin and Damian sitting behind her, who gave her knowing looks, before the lesson started.

However, as their teacher began with the lecture about some apparently pretty complicated formula in calculus, Jenny wished that she had ditched this class and instead spent more time in the lab. Once again, this was something she already knew by heart, having done this already two years ago. Still, it wouldn't do her any good, if she was caught ditching again – Vegeta wouldn't take too kindly to another call from school – and so she decided that she had no other choice but to endure this torture.

Finally the bell rang and Jenny again hoisted her bag over her shoulder so that she, Mailin and Damian could go to their next class – history. This was one class, Jenny had always hated and would always hate, especially seeing as their textbooks named Satan the defeater of Cell and Buu, both of which is naturally utter nonsense, as she and a few other people knew. This Thursday really wasn't off to a good start, as usual, but at least it was Thursday which meant that it was only one more day to go through after this one before the weekend started.

Fortunately in this classroom, Jenny, Mailin and Damian were sitting at desks directly next to each other and close to the back, so it was pretty easy passing notes back and forth. It also helped a lot that their teacher seemed to be as blind as a bat and got their names wrong all the time. Still, time couldn't pass quickly enough for Jenny, as her stomach reminded her that she'd just had one piece of toast for breakfast. She just hoped that there would be one of her favorite dishes at lunch – no, scratch that, it didn't matter, what there would be, as long as her stomach would be filled.

Dreaming of all the delicious food she might get at home, if Vegeta was gracious enough to cook it for her – well, otherwise she would simply go to Lari or invite herself over at her boyfriend's for dinner – Jenny almost didn't notice the note Mailin had pushed over to her.

Looking up to see what their teacher was doing (she was showing something or other at the map at the wall next to the blackboard) Jenny unscrambled the note and read it. _Any special plans tonight?, _it said.

Jenny grinned, taking her pen and putting it down on the paper. _Except for probably working on the you-know-what, not yet. Why?_

She crumbled the note and pushed it back to her friend. She watched out of the corner of her eyes, how Mailin shared the note with Damian and that they both rolled their eyes good-naturedly, as if saying 'Of course, what else?'. This time it was Damian, who added his thoughts to the paper and Jenny almost winced, when she realized that she would have to decipher his scrawl, which was so much worse than hers, instead of Mailin's fine penmanship.

_u work much 2 hard! u have 2 get out more! _Jenny squinted at the paper and made a show of not being able to read it at all – mostly because she knew that Damian was watching her – as she looked at the last line. _movie n8 new cinema in town! special discounts!_

Jenny tried to smoothen out the paper, so that she could write a reply. She was grinning. Everyone was talking about that new cinema that had been built directly in the middle of the Western Capital, but she and her friends hadn't had the chance to go watch a movie there yet, partly because of it being completely overpriced. But if they had a special discount tonight, why not?

However, just as she put the pen down on the note, their teacher's shrill voice and the words 'pop quiz' caught her attention. Everyone in class groaned, Jenny included, as she let her forehead fall down to the desk. It stung a bit, but Jenny wasn't bothered by it. What bothered her much more was that this was a test she was sure to fail. And her suspicions were confirmed, when their teacher dropped the test sheet in front of her and she read the questions.

Despite the great weather outside, this day was turning out to become steadily worse, Jenny decided scowling.

* * *

"Vegeta'll kill me!" Jenny groaned, as they finally left the classroom and were walking – in Damian's case rolling – towards the cafeteria.

Mailin put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, as she looked at her sympathetically. "Come on, Jenny… it won't be that bad. The questions were not that hard."

Jenny snorted and crossed her arms. "Maybe not for you. I mean, okay, I could have answered the last question, but this was one I refuse to answer. I mean, I could give her a blow-by-blow account of the battle against Buu, at least until I was knocked out, but I refuse to write that bullshit about Satan!"

"Hey," Damian hissed, as several heads turned towards them, when they heard Jenny's exclamation. "Don't forget that some… alright, most people don't know what has really happened back then! And, I mean, it was nine years ago… Shouldn't you have let go of your grudge by now?"

"Never…" she snarled, but sighed immediately afterwards. "Sorry… I don't know what's wrong with me… The day's started so great this morning, but I have the feeling that it can only get worse…"

"Oh, don't say that, Jenny," Mailin said to her with a smile, as they entered the cafeteria. They each grabbed a tray and got into the line. "Maybe you should really come to the movies with us tonight. Damian's right. You're working too hard, especially in the past few weeks. It's time to get out and relax. Besides, we hardly see you anymore outside of school."

Jenny smiled ruefully, after she had ordered a big helping of spaghetti and an extra large slice of pizza. She was just taking the fullest bowl of Jell-O, as she admitted, "I really haven't been a good friend lately, have I?"

"Not really, no," Damian told her grinning, as he too took some Jell-O. Mailin wrinkled their nose at their choice of dessert and took a banana and an apple instead, and together they walked to their table. "But you can make it up to us by coming to the movies with us. I heard there should be this really scary one, with vampires, werewolves, zombies and lots and lots of blood and gore!" Of course this was a movie that Damian wanted to watch, now that he and Mailin had turned sixteen just one and a half week ago.

"Okay, okay!" Jenny laughed, as she sat down. "Actually, I wanted to answer already in class, before I was so rudely interrupted." Scowling, Jenny looked around, but there were no teachers in the cafeteria. "I wanted to write, that I'd love to go to the movies with you tonight."

"Liar," Damian smirked. "I'm sure you wouldn't have used that many words. Jenny Son would never be that polite."

"Jerk." She stuck out her tongue.

"Watch your tongue, Son," a familiar voice suddenly teased next to her. "Or someone might actually bite it off."

A huge and silly grin appeared on Jenny's face, as she turned around in her chair and came face to face with her official boyfriend of nearly four months. "Cam!"

The tall blond haired boy smiled down at her and gave her a peck on the lips. "How are you?"

"Better," she grinned, as he sat down at their table. "Mailin and Damian just talked me into going to the movies tonight. You wanna come?"

Cam exchanged a quick grin with Mailin and Damian before he said, "'Bout time you get out again. But sorry," he added apologetically. "I can't. I have soccer training tonight."

"Yeah, right… I forgot…" Jenny's good mood lessened a bit. She would have loved to go to the movies with him and her friends. It's been some time since she'd last done something with him. But she could be glad that he stuck with her, especially in the past few weeks, while she had been so busy. And what a good girlfriend you are, Jenny scolded herself. You get together with the boy who has been eyeing your for months and who has been really great and then you just leave him hanging, just because you want to work on the spaceship. Cam was really too good for her.

"Hey," Cam mumbled. He put an arm around Jenny and pulled her closer. "Don't beat yourself up, just because you've been busy. I understand why. And hey, do you maybe want to go out for dinner tomorrow? And if you want, we can also go to the movies. It's my treat."

"You really don't have to," Jenny tried to say, but he simply put a finger on her lips and shook his head.

"But I want to, Jenny. Let me do something for you, okay?"

"Okay…" she finally agreed with a light smile, but inwardly she was grinning so widely that it would look stupid on her face. Maybe this day wasn't going to be so bad after all.

* * *

Then pen rested for a moment on the almost blank paper, before it began to move to write again. Only five words, but five words that destroyed everything.

_Mailin and Damian are dead._

* * *

It was afternoon and Jenny was glad that this day at school was finally over. Well, she admitted that it hadn't been that bad, at least not after lunch, when her happy thoughts about this night and the next night helped her to get through the classes. The memories of the pop quiz that morning had been suppressed successfully and the last two classes passed quickly. Mailin and Damian joined her on her way home, as usual, and they parted ways shortly before Jenny reached Capsule Corporation.

"Bye Jenny!" Mailin called, as she and Damian walked away. "And don't forget, tonight at seven! I'll call and order our tickets! Don't be late!"

"Don't worry!" Jenny yelled, laughing. "I won't be!"

She heard Damian snort. "That'd be a first!"

Still laughing, Jenny shook her head and turned to go as well. Okay, Damian was right. She was notorious for being late, no matter if it was for school, dates or other appointments. She just had the problem that, once she had started something, she wanted to finish it and usually forgot the time, especially when she liked what she was doing.

But not tonight, Jenny swore. She would show them. She would be on time!

Grinning mischievously, Jenny went inside through the backdoor, announcing that she was home. As it often was the case, no one answered her, but Vegeta was probably in the gravity room at this time anyway, where Jenny would join him in a few minutes, after she had made herself a little snack.

Said snack consisted of a couple of sandwiches, which were devoured as quickly as they had been prepared and after Jenny had gone to her room, dropped her bag to the floor, had gotten changed into her training clothes and had braided her hair, which was currently going down just to her shoulder blades, she headed outside and to the gravity room. Just as she had suspected, Vegeta was training inside. So, with a smirk on her face, she quickly punched in the code, transformed and jumped through the door as it opened and closed, ready for a sparring match.

Jenny didn't need to wait long to dodge the first ki-blast and she retaliated with one of her own, before she and Vegeta were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. She grinned, as she managed to land a hit that sent Vegeta reeling.

He wiped some blood from his lip and saw Jenny floating in front of him with an eager grin on her face. "What's got you in such a good mood?" he asked while turning Super Saiyajin.

Jenny followed his example, as she replied with a shrug, "'m just having a good day."

Harrumphing, Vegeta lunged at her. She caught his fist, but just barely dodged the knee that followed immediately after. "And is there a particular reason for this good day? That boy for example?"

Rolling her eyes, Jenny dodged another attack before launching her own. She whirled around, but Vegeta caught her leg. "His name's Cam," she grunted, as she freed herself with another kick to his jaw. Her foot glanced off his chin, barely touching him. "And yes, he's partly reason for my good mood. The other is that I'm going to the movies with Mailin and Damian tonight." Her eyes twinkled, as she thought about having a typical teenage night with her friends. She really felt bad for having neglected them so much in the past few weeks and decided that this would change, starting this night.

"Without that boy?"

"Yes, Vegeta, without _Cam_," Jenny hissed, emphasizing her boyfriend's name, even though she somehow doubted that he would ever be more than '_that boy'_ in Vegeta's opinion. Until now, all attempts to make Vegeta accept her boyfriend had failed. Vegeta would probably first be satisfied, if she somehow managed to find another Saiyajin – which was _very_ unlikely, given that the Saiyajins were an almost extinct race – or if he had to accept him grudgingly in case they formed a bond. "He's got soccer training tonight."

Both of them landed on the ground with only a few yards separating them. The red light flashed around them, as Vegeta entered a higher gravity into the control panel. Jenny noticed that her body was getting slightly heavier, but it was nothing that would disturb their further sparring match. "Soccer training?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow and smirked, and Jenny knew exactly that he was only trying to aggravate her further. However, before she could utter another word, Vegeta said, "Alright. Enough talking. Let's fight."

"Okay," Jenny sighed and copied his fighting stance. Apparently today wasn't the day that Jenny would convince Vegeta that Cam was an acceptable boyfriend. She should be right, as just a split second later, the two Saiyajins were engaged in a serious sparring match and no more words were exchanged. However, every so often a grin stole over her face, as she thought about the fun she, Mailin and Damian would have that night.

* * *

Because of her other plans that night, Jenny had to cut their training session short, especially seeing as there was still plenty of homework for the other day. Also, Jenny had sworn that she would be on time tonight, so she didn't go over to the laboratory to work on the spaceship, and began to get ready at six, so that she would have plenty of time to walk to the cinema.

Thank Dende she wasn't living in one of the suburbs and could reach almost any destination in the center of the Western Capital on foot. If she were walking normally, she would only need about twenty minutes to the cinema, so she still had more than enough time to get dressed and prepare another little snack before she left, when she came out of the bathroom at twenty minutes past six.

However, just as she had pulled a violet sweater over her head and had checked with a look in the mirror that it fit with the black jeans and her favorite boots she was wearing, the ground underneath her trembled and an earsplitting noise reached her dust flew past her window and Jenny didn't even have to look outside to know what had happened.

A groan escaped her lips, as she wiped her hand over her face. After having been lucky for so many years with just having to do minor repairs, Vegeta had finally managed to blow up the gravity room.

"Damn!" Jenny cursed, as she reached out with her senses and discovered that Vegeta's ki was low. Not dangerously low, but still lower than it should be.

Muttering even more curses under her breath, Jenny raised her ki, opened the window and jumped out. She stopped in midair and quickly closed the distance between the main house and the gravity room, where her fears were confirmed. The only thing that was still existent of the gravity room was a huge mound of rubble. Vegeta was nowhere to be seen.

"Dende, why me, why today of all days?" she asked, raising her eyes to the sky, even though Jenny knew exactly that Dende couldn't possibly answer her, seeing as he was still dead.

Shaking her head, Jenny quickly located Vegeta's ki, landed on the rubble where she could feel him and unburied him. With her hands stemmed into her waist, she stared down at him, her anger clearly visible. Vegeta was awake, which was a good thing, and seemed to be coherent, which was even better, as he mumbled, "Brat."

"Save your breath," she growled, as she inspected him closer. The right side of his body seemed to be okay, but it was the left side that worried her. His arm was hanging at an unusual angle – she guessed that his shoulder was dislocated – and his left ankle seemed to be swollen to the size of a melon. Not to mention the blood that was seeping through several wounds. "You just had to blow up the GR! How did you do it? No, don't tell me. I don't want to know, not today. I don't want to spend the whole evening trying to find the mistake, when I planned to enjoy myself. It's enough to know that I'll have to suffer your complains about not being able to train properly anymore to spoil my night. So, let's get your ass inside."

Leaning down, Jenny put Vegeta's good right arm over her shoulder and pulled him up. She heard the quiet groan that he couldn't keep from escaping, and immediately felt a bit bad for her harsh words. On the other hand, he had probably deserved them. And there would most-likely be more, if she weren't pressed for time. Now, she just had to get him to his room to clean and dress his wounds. It was at times like these that she regretted not having any senzus left – except for the one senzu she kept in the drawer of her nightstand for emergencies. However, this was no emergency; in just a few days Vegeta would be fully healed, as far as she could see, so this would have to do.

Fortunately, Vegeta always left his window open, so she didn't have to drag him through the whole house. She entered the room through the window and deposited Vegeta, who was unusually quiet, on his bed, before she left to get the bandages and some warm water.

It didn't take long to find everything she needed, so she returned only a minute later. Jenny put the first aid bag on the ground and grimaced, as she realized what she now had to do. "Okay, Vegeta… Keep still. You know this is going to sting."

Biting her lower lip, Jenny carefully grabbed the training shirt, which was almost destroyed anyway, and after having counted to three under her breath, tore it off. Vegeta winced slightly, his muscles tensing, as the cloth pulled at wounds, but Jenny didn't leave him any time to recover, as she quickly repeated her actions with his training pants.

"Sorry," she grimaced, as she watched him tense once more. He really didn't look good, but she wasn't overly worried. Jenny had already seen worse, much worse. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll live," he grumbled. Jenny smiled, when she heard the annoyance in his voice. Yes, he would live. In just a few days, he would start to pester her to train even more than usual, now that the gravity room didn't exist any longer, with no way to restore it.

"I'm glad to hear that." She threw his clothes to the floor. "So, now I need your help a bit. You dislocated your shoulder," Vegeta rolled his eyes, as if saying 'Yeah, I hadn't noticed that', but Jenny continued undeterred, "and I need to set it again."

Jenny knew very well that Vegeta didn't like it, if she had to help him, so she watched, as he slowly and gingerly sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. This wasn't the first time that they had to do this, so without hesitating, Vegeta braced himself against her, as she set his shoulder with a quick move. A loud popping sound echoed through the room, as the shoulder fell back into place, and Vegeta grunted in pain. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome…" Jenny told him, as she helped him – if Vegeta wanted it or not – to lie down again. "And now, let me take care of your other wounds."

Taking a piece of cloth, Jenny dunked it into the bowl of water and then took to cleaning his wounds expertly and efficiently. Soon there was no blood to be seen anymore and Jenny was happy to notice that most of the wounds had already stopped bleeding. Next were the bandages, which she used to dress some of the worse injuries. However, before she bandaged his left foot, Jenny applied some cooling salves on it, and after it was bandaged, she put an icepack on the ankle and at last put his left arm into a sling so that he wouldn't move it so much.

"There you are, as good as new… Do you need anything else?" she asked him, tilting her head to one side.

"No…" Vegeta gritted his teeth, as he pushed himself a bit higher onto his pillows. "But I think you should go now. You're late." A smirk accompanied his statement, which grew wider, when at the same moment, Jenny cell phone began to vibrate and ring in her jeans pocket.

Jenny's eyes widened, as she looked at the clock. It was twenty minutes past seven. The movie would start in ten minutes. How had she managed to lose that much time with just taking care of Vegeta and his wounds? "Damn, damn, damn…" she muttered, as she quickly pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and saw that it was Damian calling her. "I'm so sorry!" she breathed into the phone, after she had flipped it open. "Vegeta blew up the GR… No, he isn't hurt that badly, but still bad enough that I had to pull him out of the mess and then clean and dress his wounds. But I'm on the way now, I promise. You go on inside. I'll get my ticket myself. It's bad enough, if I miss the beginning. I don't want you to miss the first bloody bodies. Okay, I'll see you guys in a few!"

Snapping her cell phone shut again and pushing it back into her pocket, she looked at Vegeta questioningly. "Can I really go? Are you okay?"

"Go, brat," Vegeta told her. "And hurry… but don't forget…"

"I know," she rolled her eyes, not seeing why Vegeta kept reminding her of this rule every so often. It wasn't that she had broken it _that_ often. "No transforming in town. I won't break that rule again. So, I'll better run. If there's anything, if you're feeling worse or…"

"I'll call you," Vegeta cut her off. "Now go, and have fun."

"Thanks, Vegeta," she grinned at him and took off, however, Vegeta had one last thing to call after her.

"You might want to change your shirt!"

Stopping dead in her tracks, Jenny looked down at herself and noticed much to her dismay the bloodstains on her violet sweater. "Oh no…" she groaned, knowing that it was most likely ruined. And it was one of her favorites, too. Luckily, her jeans and boots had escaped any damage, so she just needed to find some other top to wear. Running to her room, she pulled the sweater over her head, and once she was inside, she threw the doors of her closet open and grabbed the first thing she saw – a black top. She grimaced slightly, at having nothing with any color to wear, but unfortunately almost all of her other clothes were in the laundry. Well, she thought, it wasn't that bad and she couldn't be picky, if she wanted to make it to the cinema in time.

So she quickly pulled the top over her head and gave herself a once over in the mirror. It was okay. Taking the black leather coat she had gotten from her friends for her last birthday, she put it on and just remembered to grab her wallet, before she was already running towards the door again.

Just like that morning, she was running, weaving through crowds and crossing streets, but of course, all of the traffic lights were red, when she reached a street she had to cross. People were looking at her strangely, as she took off running again with her coat billowing behind her, as soon as the light switched to green, but she didn't care. She was in a hurry, after all.

A glance at her watch told her that it was thirty seconds until the movie started. And there were just two more blocks to go. She might just make it without missing too much of the beginning. While she was running, Jenny again pulled her cell phone out of the pocket and dialed Mailin's number. Her friend picked up after the first ring. "Hey, it's me… I'm almost there. Just around the corner." She grinned, having been right with her estimation, when Mailin told her that the trailers were just over and that the theater was getting really dark just now. The movie was about to start. "I'll be right…"

However, whatever Jenny said was drowned out by a noise similar to what she had just heard an hour ago, only a lot louder. And she heard it twice – once through the cell phone and once really close by, and the ground shook under her feet. An explosion. At the same time, her senses screamed at her that hundreds of kis had just vanished. Her heart picked up speed, as she yelled, "Mailin! Mai!"

There was no answer, just static, and just at this moment, Jenny rounded the corner. Her heart, which had beaten so fast just seconds before, now seemed to stop, as her mind registered what was right in front of her eyes. The new cinema had collapsed and was on fire, the flames reaching high into the sky. Rubble and dust was still flying everywhere. People were screaming and running around wildly. It was a horrible picture.

"No…" Jenny mumbled, the cell phone slipping from her hands and falling to the ground, as she took a hesitant step forward. Her senses reached out, as she desperately tried to find her friends, but what she hadn't wanted to realize seemed to be true. She couldn't feel them. Just why had she told them to wait for her inside? It was her fault, if… "No…" she repeated again, shaking her head, wanting to deny what her senses were telling her. Without even noticing it, her ki rose, her hair turning black. No one noticed the girl on the streets. First as she began to run again, in the direction of the cinema, a man reached out to her.

"Don't go in there!" he yelled, but Jenny pushed him back. He landed flat on his back and stared up in shock at the cold black eyes that were gazing down on him.

"Call the fire department," Jenny simply said, before she continued on her way inside.

It was hot and just getting hotter, the closer she got, but the heat didn't harm her. Nor did the flames that were licking at her, as she entered the building. A blue aura had settled around her, protecting her. Looking around, Jenny tried to figure out, in which of the many theaters the movie was playing, when she suddenly saw a ticket lying on the floor next to what she would guess was a charred corpse. Strangely enough, this picture didn't bother her. She felt indifferent. Nothing else mattered at this moment but her friends. She needed to find Mailin and Damian and get them out of there.

Jenny crouched down and picked the ticket up. She was lucky, it was a ticket to the movie they had planned to watch. Theater three. That's where she had to go. It was on this floor, which was good, because there was not much left of the upper floors. Her body seemed to move on its own, as she jogged over to the theater, passing and jumping over more corpses and rubble. The heat was getting more intense, if this was possible.

The door to the theater had been blown off its hinges by the shockwave of the explosion and common sense tried to tell Jenny that this was in vain, that she couldn't do anything for Mailin and Damian anymore. She ignored that voice, as she stepped over the threshold of the theater and let her eyes wander around. Seats were overturned and burning, as were the bodies in this theater. Nothing was left of the huge screen in the front.

In the distance Jenny thought she could hear sirens, but they were too late.

Her steps carried her further down, because she knew that Damian and Mailin used to sit in the front rows, as it was easier for Damian with his wheelchair. And she was right. There it was, his wheelchair. Overturned like many other seats, and under it buried, a body. Miraculously, he wasn't blackened and unrecognizable like many of the others, no, she could see that it was him. His face still looked the same, with his shaggy blond hair falling into his eyes. She could almost imagine that he was asleep, except for the fact that he was lying at an unnatural angle and for the trail of blood running down his pale face. And just a few feet away she saw the long auburn hair of her other best friend, Mailin. She looked as unharmed as Damian, but just as him, she didn't move. And even now that she was so close to them, she couldn't feel them.

They were gone.

Dead.

As this thought hit Jenny, something snapped inside of her. She sobbed and tears streamed down her face, as she dropped down to the ground, wrapping her arms around her stomach. It hurt, everything hurt. The pain was clawing, tearing through her. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. Her body tensed, her back arched, as the thought ran through her mind again.

_Dead._

Jenny screamed, an unearthly sound that was drowned out by the raging flames all around her. Her power flared up around her, as the pain grew too much to bear. She needed to let it out, somehow. Her body reacted almost on its own, as the pain fueled her, pushing her ki to new heights. It exploded. A crater formed underneath her, as sparks began to fly around her body. Her hair had turned to a golden color and become even spikier and unrulier than it usually was, when she was a Super Saiyajin.

Somewhere in her subconscious Jenny realized that she had just broken through the barrier of the second level, but this didn't matter at this moment. The only thing that mattered was the agonizing pain that was still ripping her body apart.

Her throat began to hurt, her eyes to burn, and eventually the scream faltered and Jenny's whole body went limp. The power didn't leave her, however, and neither did the pain. Jenny just wanted to be numb; she didn't want to feel this anymore, but her wish wasn't to be fulfilled.

Instead, as her gaze landed on her friends again, another emotion began to burn. Anger, wrath. A thirst for vengeance. Someone had done this. Someone needed to pay. And she would make them pay.

At this moment, along with her new power, something else had awoken within her, something strong, primal and blood thirsty. And Jenny embraced it fully.

* * *

_I killed their murderer._

* * *

Jenny's strength returned with this new emotion, fueling her and she got up from her kneeling position. She turned around to go, but stopped at the last moment. Everything was still burning around her, the way through the door barred by flames. More rubble had fallen from the ceiling and upper floors and Jenny wasn't sure how long this structure would still hold. She couldn't leave them here. Lari and Li, they'd want to have them back.

Carefully, as if she might hurt them, Jenny first picked up Damian and then Mailin, and laid them over her shoulders. She knew of no other way to carry them both at the same time and she hoped that they wouldn't be angry with her for carrying them like two sacks of potatoes.

When she reached the entrance hall, Jenny was met with the astonished faces of firefighters. They stared at her, as she walked past them, unharmed, the flames not even getting close to her. They evaporated as soon as they touched the aura that protected Jenny, Mailin and Damian. None of the firefighters even thought about stopping her.

First outside, where many curious onlookers had already gathered behind a cordon, one of the firemen stepped up to her. Jenny saw that he was older and had probably already seen a lot of things, maybe even during Buu's short reign of terror, and wasn't as surprised as he should be, when he, just as carefully as Jenny, took Mailin and motioned for another firefighter to take Damian. At first, Jenny didn't want to relinquish their hold on them, but eventually, she let go. They were safe now and she had other things to do.

The firefighter was saying something to her, but Jenny didn't listen to him, as she looked around and reached out with her senses. There was nothing unusual at first glance and her senses only told her that there were many excited and scared people around. But as she extended her senses further, she felt something else. Someone who was relaxed, cool about the whole situation, not at least agitated and just a bit excited. Only that this excitement tasted differently. They were happy about what had happened. However, another thing that gathered her attention was that it wasn't one ki, but two, and that the persons were hiding on the roof of the high building across from the cinema.

How cliché, Jenny thought with a cold smirk, as she simply took off into the sky, ignoring the startled and surprised shouts on the ground. The two men were crouching behind a low wall, well hidden from sight if you looked up from the ground, but they couldn't fool Jenny and her sixth sense. They gave startled shouts of surprise, as she suddenly stopped directly in front of them, appearing like a golden glowing avenging angel, and scrambled backwards.

The cold smirk was still on her face, as she crossed her arms and landed on the roof. The golden glow faded a bit, but the sparks were still surrounding her body. Two men, one middle aged, the other one in his twenties, stared up at her, fear written all over their faces. They were dressed in black, to hide in the darkness, but there was one tiny spark of red on their chest. A pin, but it was too dark to see its form.

"I take it, you're responsible for this?" she asked, her voice sending a shiver down their spines. She regarded them calmly. The younger one seemed ready to soil his pants, but the older one quickly regained his courage and bravado, as he got up again to face her.

"Yes," he boasted. "Wasn't it a grand display of fireworks? Our boss will be happy with us."

"Your boss?" Jenny tilted her head to one side. While she had long suspected that all those terror attacks couldn't have been the work of only one person, she was now curious to find out, who exactly was behind this. This might be her chance to stop those attacks once and for all, if she killed their leader.

"Ah, do you really think I'd tell you, who it is, little girl?" he taunted her, but he realized just a second later that he shouldn't have done that, as the girl had vanished from their spot in front of them. He turned around and saw that she was now holding his younger partner in a chokehold, with her arm tightly wrapped around his neck, while she was pushing his back against her chest. In her other hand a glowing orb was forming, which she was directing at the younger man's chest.

"If you don't tell me, I'll kill him." Jenny had never before killed a human being, but she simply knew that she didn't care about this anymore. Human or not, these men were killers and deserved only death. And in a way, she longed for the feeling of power, the thrill of the kill. It was better to feel this than the pain, much better.

"You won't dare."

Those were the last words the older man ever spoke, as the ki ball that had been directed at the younger man's chest tore through his own heart. Jenny watched the older man collapse with some kind of fascination and let go of the younger man, who fell to his knees with a whimper, his whole body shaking. Jenny saw that his pants were wet and smirked.

"Go," she told him coldly. "Tell your boss what's happened here. And tell him that I won't rest until you're all punished. Tell him I'll be happy to kill you all."

The younger man only stared at her for a moment longer in shock until he scampered off to what he hoped was safety. But Jenny didn't plan on letting him go free. She had a lock on his ki and would find him again without problems, wherever he might decide to hide. With some luck, he might lead her directly to his leader.

However that was something she would do later. With quiet steps she crossed the distance between herself and the body of the older man. She turned it around so that it was lying on its back, staining her hands with his blood while she was doing this. Blank unseeing eyes stared at her, but it didn't make her sick as she knew it should. No, she was glad that this man was dead. He had deserved this, as would everyone else, once she was finished with them.

Jenny's eyes again fell on the pin that she hadn't recognized before and tore it off his clothes, but now that she was seeing it from close-up, she knew immediately what it was.

She had never before seen a person wearing this, but she had heard more than enough stories about it to doubt what she was seeing, what this meant. The pin was formed like a red ribbon, with one white 'R' on each wing. Somehow Jenny doubted that she could put an end to this by just finding the boss of those two men. Contrary to popular belief it didn't seem to be just a small group intent on terrorizing the world; no, it appeared to be a big organization that was behind all of this.

Jenny smiled grimly, as she turned the pin in her fingers.

The Red Ribbon Army was back.

But Jenny had a plan. It might take months, maybe even years, but she wouldn't rest until she had executed it fully.

* * *

Time passed without Jenny noticing it. Darkness had fallen. But the only thing she noticed was that now with the first act of vengeance having been carried out, the wrath and anger had lessened somewhat. Even the pain had numbed to a bearable level. It was still enough to fuel the still present desire for vengeance, but not strong enough to tear her apart any longer. This other feeling, this feeling of power that was running through her body, this thrill just helped to deal with this. For the first time in her life she felt free, free of all the restraints her human half had put upon her. She was a Saiyajin, a warrior, a killer and for the first time in her life she felt like one.

And Son Jenny loved it.

Suddenly Jenny could hear distant footsteps and she realized that she wouldn't be alone here for much longer. Many people had seen how she had landed here and she guessed that the police or some other people would come to investigate. So, without another glance at the corpse on the ground, Jenny pocketed the pin and walked to the other edge of the roof. From there she just jumped down into the narrow alley behind the building.

After she had landed nearly soundlessly in a crouch, Jenny transformed back, at least until her hair turned black again, and then walked home. No one bothered or stopped her. She smirked mockingly. Sometimes it was just practical to have different forms and looks to choose from.

* * *

Vegeta sat up startled, hissing, as pain shot up his ankle, shoulder and several other places on his body, but he ignored the pain otherwise, as he extended his senses. For a moment he had thought that he had just dreamed, but his senses told him that it wasn't a dream.

For some reason or another, the girl had transformed. But not just that, no, she had surpassed the level of the Super Saiyajin.

What had happened?

His eyes wandered to the window and his eyes widened, when he saw the red glow in the distance, the same place, where he could feel the girl's ki.

Another attack? And had the girl finally decided to ignore his orders and do something about it? No, Vegeta shook his head. It must be worse. The second level could only be attained under the feeling of pure anger. While she had been angry about having been unable to help, she had never been angry enough.

Suddenly a thought hit him. And if his assumption was true, he feared the worst.

Ignoring the pain that shot through his body, Vegeta climbed out of his bed and put on some pants and a T-shirt that were lying on a chair, before putting his arm back into the sling. When the girl got home, he needed to talk to her. Each step hurt, but Vegeta barely limped, as he walked along the corridors to the living room. Maybe whatever had happened was already on the news and held some answers for him.

Vegeta was right. There was even a special live program about the happenings. Vegeta's shoulders slumped, as the news told him that it was indeed the cinema that had been attacked and that the chance for anyone in the building having survived this was nearly non-existent. He remembered only too well that the girl had told her friends to go inside without her. He spread out his senses but was unsuccessful. The twins' kis were gone. They had to be among the victims.

He knew he shouldn't feel this, but a part of him was glad that it was just her friends and not the girl herself. For once her habit of being late had been good for something. It had saved her life, because not even the girl could survive an inferno like this, when she was in her human form. Still, she had to be inconsolable and he needed to be there for her in some way.

But now the only thing Vegeta could do was to wait for the girl to return and so wait he did.

He didn't know how much time passed, until he could finally feel her presence in front of the building and heard the door and then footsteps. Vegeta carefully rose from the couch, ready to deal with a distraught girl, but what he saw surprised him. The girl's face was devoid of any emotion and not even her ki showed that she was grieving. "Brat…" he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

She regarded him calmly, without a trace of what might be going on within her visible on her face. "What are you doing up? You belong in bed."

Vegeta ignored her question and asked instead, "Are you alright?"

Jenny didn't answer him, but for a split second he saw some of the pain he had been expecting in her eyes. However, the pain was gone as quickly as it came. "I'll go to my room. And you should rest."

Without another word, Jenny walked on to her room. Vegeta just watched her go, completely at a loss about what to do. However, before she disappeared around the corner, she turned around once more and tossed him something. His good hand reached out and closed around a small object. His eyes widened in surprise, when he opened the fist. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. They were back.

"The Red Ribbon Army is behind the attacks," Jenny told him coldly. "I've already taken care of one of their men and the rest will follow, no matter how long it takes. I won't stay out of this any longer, Vegeta. It's personal now and you can't stop me anymore."

Vegeta stared down at the pin in his palm with a scowl and clenched his fist around it again until the needle buried itself in his skin. Apparently his worst fear really seemed to have become true.

* * *

After having washed her blood-stained hands, Jenny slumped down on the chair at her desk. Her diary was lying unopened on top of the desk and she absentmindedly traced the bindings with her fingers, before she opened it at the next empty page. She took a pen and jotted down the date, her breath hitching.

Just one more time, she swore herself. Just for this entry she was going to allow her feelings to show. One more time, she would allow herself to feel the pain, before she would start her mission.

And so she wrote, silent tears running down her cheeks and dripping onto the page, until she arrived at the end of her entry.

_And he won't be the last._

Jenny ran with her fingers over the last sentence and her resolve only strengthened, when she read it one more time. There were smudges of ink, where her tears had fallen while writing, but right now, there was no more need for tears. The time to mourn was over. Her once warm blue eyes were pitch-black and void of any emotion, as she closed the diary and rose from her bed. She turned around and saw Vegeta standing in the doorway to her room, slightly leaning to the right side, favoring his left leg; his left arm was still in the sling.

"What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"To make sure that you won't do anything stupid."

"You won't be able to stop me," she said with a strong voice. She walked up to the door, wanting to leave, but Vegeta blocked her path, forcing her to look at him. Jenny did so with a challenging glare. "I will kill each and every one of them. Everyone, who is on their side and everyone, who tries to stand in my way. Even you, if you don't step aside."

"Brat," Vegeta mumbled, still shocked by what he saw in her eyes. He hadn't wanted to accept this, but this girl was really serious. He had no doubt about it. He knew that look only too well, but seeing it in her eyes, eyes that only this afternoon had twinkled at him in anticipation for the night, was most disconcerting. There was nothing left of the girl he had known since her birth. In the end, her emotions had turned out to be her biggest weakness after all. Because of her emotions, of her pain, her anger, the Saiyajin had been able to get the upper hand.

As if to prove that she really meant what she said, Jenny raised her arm and charged a ki-ball in her palm, directing it at the older Saiyajin's chest. "Step aside, Vegeta. You know that I'll do it."

There was no compassion in her eyes, no sparkling light, just the hard and cold gaze of a warrior. Her hand didn't tremble as the ki-ball grew larger with each passing second and Vegeta knew that, if he didn't make a decision now, she would start her mission to eliminate the Red Ribbon Army by getting rid of the first person trying to stop her - him. And the sad thing was, in his current weakened state, she wouldn't have any problems following through with her threat.

So, after having taken a deep and heavy breath, Vegeta made probably one of the hardest decisions in his whole life.

He stepped aside and allowed Jenny to walk past him.

To a future that might just bring about her destruction.

* * *

**A/N2: So, did you expect this? This chapter is a huge turning point in Jenny's life and as you can guess, from now on the story will become darker and more serious. The last few chapters have been all happy-go-lucky, so maybe you have already guessed that life was just too good to last…**

**Just one more thing: please leave me a short (or long) review to tell me what you think about this chapter? Thanks a lot!**


	63. Part III: The first Act of Vengeance

**A/N: Whew… a couple of months and this chapter is finally finished :) I'm so proud, because this chapter was really hard to write. And also kind of depressing. **

**Please leave me a review and tell me what you think of this chapter :) Oh, and keep your fingers crossed for me, because on Tuesday I'll take the final exam of my traineeship to become a teacher. When I've passed this exam, I'm finally a real teacher! Yay me!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 62: The first Act of Vengeance**

Enma Daiou should know better than to jinx his day. Just this morning he had complained to his coworkers about how boring things were lately, with nearly nothing to do. There was peace in most of the universe at the moment, and while he had welcomed it for a time, having next to nothing to do was slowly grating on his nerves and there wasn't even anything good on the OWTV (Other World Television) that he could use to pass his time. His employees and the poor souls who had to stand before him were all victims of his frustration and those who could, had stayed clear of him for the past few days.

So, Enma Daiou was visibly happy, when one of his ogres came to him and announced that a large group of souls was due to arrive any minute. A look into his Book of Judgement told him that this was true, as suddenly new names began to cover the next twenty or so pages. Enma Daiou swallowed hard, when he saw the number of new souls. If he had known just how many souls would come to be judged, he would have preferred the boredom.

* * *

Damian had no idea what had just happened. One moment he was sitting in the movie theater, watching the previews and waiting for the movie to begin. Next to him, Mailin was on her cell phone, telling Jenny, who was late once again, that the movie would start any moment. He could hear Jenny reply that she was just around the corner. The previews were over and the last lights in the theater went off.

And then everything went wrong. Damian could just remember an ear deafening noise, screaming and he was flying… flying… and now he was here, wherever here was, and he didn't have a body!

When he looked down at himself, there were no arms, no legs, just white fluffy something. It seemed that he was a frigging cloud! Cursing, he looked around – how could he even look around without having eyes? – and saw that he wasn't alone. There were many more white fluffy clouds appearing all around him, faceless, armless and legless.

It was chaos. There was murmuring, shouting, questions. No one knew what happened, where they were.

Well, at least Damian wasn't alone, though he slowly got a vague feeling that he knew exactly where they were, though not exactly how they had gotten here.

"Dame? Damian!" a voice suddenly called out and Damian turned around to see a cloud that he just knew was his sister float towards him.

"Mai!" If he had been able to, he would have hugged her, but as this proved to be impossible without arms, they just stopped in front of each other. "Are you alright?"

"I think we're dead," Mailin mumbled, still somewhat in disbelief. "Are we dead?"

"Yeah, I think so, too…" If he'd had fists, Damian would have clenched them tightly. "I guess this was another attack. Only on a bigger scale than before."

"There must be hundreds…" Mailin whispered, and then, if she'd had eyes, Damian was sure that they would have widened. "Jenny…"

"Not here… I think…You were still on the phone with her and she was still far enough away…" Mailin still didn't look completely convinced, and Damian hoped that he was right. Although he was a bit scared of the reaction Jenny might have on their deaths. Something told him that it wouldn't be pretty.

Just at this moment the first being that wasn't a cloud – but didn't look that human either with its blue skin and horns – appeared, calling out, "Form a line, please. Form a line..."

"Come, Mai," Damian nudged her gently, trying to stay strong for both of them. What would their mom say? Their grandpa? Their other friends? "Let's get some answers…"

The white fluffy cloud in front of him nodded and together they floated towards the end of the line. They were lucky that they were pretty far at the front, so it didn't take long until they entered the building that looked a bit like a temple. Damian gaped at the huge being sitting behind an as equally huge desk. Was this Enma Daiou, the one who judged the souls?

Swallowing hard, Damian gathered all his courage, as they arrived in front of him. He wouldn't cower, no, he wanted answers.

"Names," Enma Daiou demanded in a booming authoritative voice.

Mailin, still in shock, didn't answer, so it was up to Damian, "Damian and Mailin Teo. And we're from Earth, if you haven't known, yet."

"E-Earth," Enma Daiou stuttered, looking at the two souls in front of him and at the long line behind them. Only now he registered the small symbol for the planet Earth in his Book of Judgement. Closing his eyes for a short moment, he regained his composure. "What happened? Is it… anything bad?"

If Damian had had eyes, they would have flashed with anger, but even without, Enma Daiou clearly noticed the fury. "Anything bad? Here are hundreds of people, all dead by the same attack. And you ask if this is anything bad?"

"What did this?"

"Terrorists," Damian supplied. "People on Earth who just like to spread terror by killing their fellow survivors of Buu's attack."

"So it's just humans?" Enma Daiou actually sounded relieved. "No one from another planet? Or Jinzoningen?"

Now Damian understood and even the cloud next to him tensed. And before he could open his mouth, Mailin spoke, with just as much fury and incredulity in her voice as he felt, "Just humans? So, it isn't bad when humans kill each other, but it's bad when a being from another planet attacks Earth?"

"As a matter of fact," the judge explained, "it is. A being from another planet could be a danger to the whole galaxy or even universe. But if it's just inhabitants of one planet attacking each other, we don't need to interfere. The chance of those attacks being directed at other planets, especially if they're happening on a backwater planet like Earth, is very slim. You kids have no idea, how many wars are being fought on other planets as we speak. As long as the war stays on the planet and the guardians don't see any need, the other higher beings won't be involved, but as soon as the other planets are in danger, we will interfere."

"Earth has no guardian," Damian spat, sharing his sister's fury. "You of all people should know that Dende was killed by Buu!"

This time it was Enma Daiou who was looking at them in surprise. "How do you…"

If Damian had had arms, he would have crossed them. "How do we know that a young Namek going by the name of Dende was Earth's guardian until Buu killed him? Jenny told us. I'm sure you know her sperm donor. Goes by the name of Son Goku and is pretty famous up here, I think."

Enma Daiou felt a headache coming. Could his day get any worse? First the mind numbing boredom and now this… Hundreds of souls from Earth and as it looked like two kids who were friends with Son Goku's daughter were among the victims. Taking a deep and calming breath, he eventually told them, "We are of course aware that Earth's currently without a guardian. But the high Kaioushin has taken it upon himself to watch over Earth, and if he hasn't noticed anything that requires our help, I'm sure that it can't be that bad."

"It wasn't that bad until now," Damian mumbled coldly. He felt Mailin's presence next to him, actually, he had never sensed her better than he did now. She was sharing his sentiments, but ever being the rational one of them, he noticed that she was trying to calm him down. Yeah, sure… Wouldn't do them any good to piss off the higher beings. But there was one thing that he couldn't keep quiet about, a worry that had been nagging him ever since he had realized that he and Mailin were dead. "Vegeta has forbidden Jenny to fight against the terrorists, but I'm sure that she won't listen to him anymore, now that we're dead. I've never seen a pissed off Saiyajin… Have you?"

Blanching slightly, Enma Daiou tried to regain his composure quickly, as he ignored the boy's question and instead informed them, "You'll both go to Heaven. There's a plane leaving every thirty minutes. My employees will show you the way."

"Come, Dame," Mailin said quietly, nudging Damian so that he would go. She was still furious as well, but had realized that it was futile to argue with one of the higher beings. It would only get them into trouble, she was sure of that. "Let's go to Heaven."

Damian nodded, but at the same time said, "Wait. I've got one last question. When we arrive in Heaven, will we get our bodies back?"

"No," Enma Daiou told him. "Only people who have served their planet greatly deserve the honor of keeping their bodies. The souls who go to Heaven, on the other hand, will get a part of their bodies back, in your case everything down to your waist. The rest will remain as it is now."

Looking down at himself, and realizing that even though he was dead now, he still wouldn't be able to walk again – slightly impossible without legs – his slightly cooled anger began to burn anew. "You've gotta be kidding me! No legs? I've been tied to a fucking wheelchair for years and you tell me that I won't even be able to walk again in friggin' Heaven?"

"Come on, Dame. Let's go," Mailin urged him again, though she could understand her brother's anger very well. Wasn't Heaven supposed to be some sort of paradise, spending the afterlife in happiness? Why did only important people get their bodies back? Shouldn't everyone be equal in Heaven? The way she understood it, this was all a lie. Damian had longed for being able to walk again for such a long time and now he would never again know the feeling of standing on his own feet.

Enma Daiou was relieved, when this time the boy followed his sister, if very reluctantly and glaring at him all the time. Having a soul really glare at him with so much hate and anger was something unusual, especially coming from a soul who was meant for Heaven. But he couldn't help but overhear the boy's next outcry, "I'm never gonna lose my virginity now. Heaven sucks…"

Still, even after the twins were long gone and he was taking care of the other souls that had arrived from Earth, Enma Daiou thought back to the boy's words with a sense of foreboding. _'I have never seen a pissed off Saiyajin… Have you?'_

* * *

It was dark, but this suited Jenny well, as she was standing on top of an old factory building. She had followed the killer's ki after she had left Capsule Corporation to this abandoned part of the Western Capital. A long time ago, before Buu, this part had flourished with industry. Many different factories had produced all kinds of things, but that was until Buu had gotten here and destroyed a huge part of this district. Now all that was left were ruins and empty buildings.

Well, almost empty buildings. The poor and homeless had decided that having a factory roof over their heads was better than no roof at all and many of them had made the abandoned buildings their home. Jenny had already seen several of them, but something had been suspicious. A couple of men dressed like homeless people had entered and left the old building she was observing at this very moment, but something told Jenny that they weren't real. Their postures had been too straight, their gazes too alert and they were walking around as if they were on patrol.

No, these guys weren't homeless. They were soldiers.

A grim smirk tugged at Jenny's lips, her black eyes filled with the wish for vengeance.

They would never know what hit them.

Jenny waited for another moment, memorizing the kis of the soldiers outside. If one of them escaped, what she didn't expect, she would use him to find the next target.

And then she struck. Jenny jumped off the building and landed directly in the middle of a group that had gathered in front of the main entrance of the factory. They looked at her in shock, startled by her sudden appearance. But they had no chance to react. Something silver flashed, blades singing as they sliced through the air and into the soldiers. The last thing they saw was the thirst for blood in burning black eyes.

Jenny didn't feel anything, as she left the bodies behind and entered the building. No, that wasn't true. She felt one thing. Power. And the need for more.

"Freeze!" a man wearing the uniform of the Red Ribbon Army shouted, as the door fell shut behind her, training his pistol on the strange armed girl that had just walked in.

Freezing was the last thing on Jenny's mind, as she calmly turned towards the soldier and regarded him with a cold look. He was young, just a couple of years older than she was, but he was the enemy. And she would treat him as such.

Just as she took one step forward, a shot rang through the air. Followed by two more, but none of them had the effect the soldier had hoped for. They just bounced off the girl's skin, without leaving a mark. A cruel smirk appeared on Jenny's face, as she took another step towards the soldier. She could sense the fear in his ki. It was delicious.

Jenny watched, as he tried to retreat, grappling with the walkie-talkie on his belt. It took him a few seconds to get it out, but when he finally did, he wasted no time. "There's an intruder," he yelled into the walkie-talkie. "Alarm red! Extremely dangerous. I repeat, an…"

The soldier never got to repeat his cry for help, as the girl was suddenly standing right in front of him and a piercing pain shot through his chest. He stared in disbelief at the blade that was sticking out of his body. His legs wouldn't support him anymore and he tasted blood in his mouth. With a blurry gaze, he looked up at the girl, who was staring down at him dispassionately.

"Who… who are you?"

"The one who'll destroy the Red Ribbon Army," the girl answered simply. The tone of her voice sent a shiver down his spine, just as the world around him became dark and he knew no more.

After Jenny had pulled her sword out of the now dead soldier's chest, she stared at the blood running down the blade, filling the engravings of the Dragon Balls with a deep red color. With some kind of sick fascination, her eyes followed the trail of blood until it dripped to the floor. She had always known, ever since she had started training, that she was powerful, but now that she used that power for this, now that she demonstrated how easy it was to destroy these weak humans, how easy it was to spill their blood, the Saiyajin rejoiced. It wanted more.

And it didn't need to wait long, as just a few seconds later an alarm went off all around Jenny, illuminating the hallways with red light. Thanks to the alarm, the place was quickly swarming with soldiers. The smirk on Jenny's face widened, as she began to weave through them, her swords effortlessly cutting through skin and flesh. Blood splattered, but thanks to the white aura surrounding her, it evaporated before it could even touch her.

She wasn't in a hurry, so while she was slowly, but surely making her way through the building, Jenny stayed true to her promise. She killed each and every person who tried to stand in her way and even those that tried to flee. None of those people deserved to live. No one.

But the whole time, she stayed focused on the one ki that she had yet to encounter. Jenny guessed that there had to be some kind of main office or something similar, where the high guys that were running this place were hiding. Maybe he was there, telling his bosses about what had happened earlier this night.

Screams and painful cries echoed all around her as the men were dying, and somewhere deep inside Jenny knew that she should be feeling more than satisfaction, more than this short burst of exhilaration, whenever she killed another one, that this should bother her, that she should feel guilty. But she didn't.

Still following that ki, she soon reached a large metal door, which was guarded by two armed soldiers. The alarm was still ringing shrilly, the red light still flashing, but these two were the first soldiers she had encountered in the last minute. Everyone else she had met was dead. She had allowed no one to flee. Not yet.

"Freeze!" one of two soldiers ordered, but Jenny just rolled her eyes and kept walking up to the door, ignoring the weapons that were trained on her. They couldn't hurt her. And this was proven to the two soldiers, when they both emptied their ammo clips on her. The two men couldn't believe their eyes, when every single bullet just bounced off of her, no matter where they hit.

Realizing that they were severely outmatched, they slowly began to back away, but Jenny was just waiting for this. The moment they took their first step back to flee – where to, Jenny had no idea, seeing as there was only the door behind them – she pounced. A split second later, both were dead on the ground, one of them even missing his head.

"Truly pathetic," Jenny mumbled. This was the Red Ribbon Army that had given daddy dearest so much grief? They were the ones who had constructed the Jinzoningen and Cell? It was really hard to believe.

Tilting her head to the side, Jenny regarded the metal door in front of her. This was it. Right behind this door she could feel the ki of the soldier she had let go earlier this night, along with five or six other pathetically low kis. Soldiers and the boss. Hopefully. She couldn't wait to get some answers.

A quiet whirring noise got her attention and Jenny looked up to see the security camera in the corner of the hallway, almost directly above the door. It was following her movements and Jenny didn't have to guess to know that she was being watched by the last survivors in this building. Smirking into the camera, Jenny wiped the blades on her sword on the uniform of one of the soldiers before putting them back into their sheaths, and then extended her right hand.

With a flick of her wrist the metal door exploded inwards. The deafening groan of the bending metal filled the hallway and two more kis vanished, their owners crushed by the heavy metal. There was no smoke or any other indication as to what would have caused the metal to give in that easily, and the surprised and shocked outcries of the soldiers inside that room showed Jenny that they hadn't expected her to get past that door.

Well, they surely had been in for a nasty surprise.

Coolly, Jenny stepped over the rubble and entered the room. A quick glance around told her that she had been right with her assumption – this was the main office, resembling a control room with many screens surveying different parts of the buildings at one wall – Jenny allowed another small smirk to slip across her face, when those screens showed the destruction she had left behind. There was one large grey desk in front of the screens, and it was at this desk that her true opponent was sitting – a middle aged man with jet black slick hair, wearing a dark blue military uniform. He, too, had the red symbol of the Red Ribbon Army on his chest.

The ki of the soldier she had spared earlier that night was on her right and she spared him a short glance, before turning her full attention back to the guy behind the desk.

She took another step forwards, when a voice to her left announced, "Freeze!"

Jenny rolled her eyes. This was already the third time that night that someone had issued that order and just like the last two times, she wasn't going to listen. "Jeez," she muttered, as she glared at the remaining three soldiers, who had all trained their weapons on her. "Don't you guys learn from your mistakes?"

Abandoning her target for the moment, Jenny began instead to move towards the three soldiers. They were all looking at her warily, but she had to give them credit – they weren't backing down. And she would reward one of them by giving him a ticket out of this building – alive. The other two, however…

Her swords were drawn quickly and a split second later, two soldiers, the one on the left and the one on the right, were impaled and stuck at the metal walls. The one in the middle was just looking at her, wide-eyed. He hadn't even seen her move and now his two comrades were dead, just like everyone else out there. And just like he was going to be in a moment, or so he thought.

By now, Jenny had fully crossed the distance between herself and the soldiers and had pulled her swords out of the walls. The two bodies slumped unceremoniously to the ground. Then, she turned towards the last remaining soldiers, and with a glare said, "Run."

The soldier didn't need to be told twice, as he scampered away. It was better to run away and survive so he could inform other Generals of the Red Ribbon Army about what had happened here, than die and leave the others in the dark about this girl.

Jenny watched with a satisfied look on her face, as the soldier fled. He would stay alive, for now, until he had done what he was meant to do and lead her to the next base. Jenny knew that she wouldn't be able to do this forever, but for now it was the safest way to find out where this scum was hiding.

"Now, where were we…" she muttered, turning her full attention back to the two remaining survivors. "Oh yeah… Sorry, but you've outlived your purpose," Jenny told the soldier she had allowed to flee from the cinema. He was huddling in a corner, having already seen what she could do a few hours before, how she had killed his comrade, and it was visible in his eyes that he knew that his end was coming. Jenny felt almost sorry for him, but then reminded herself of the reason for this. Vengeance. For Mailin and Damian.

His death came quickly and was relatively painless, as he didn't know anything but a burning pain in his chest before everything went dark around him. He had died the same way as his partner, with a ki-ball through his chest.

"And then there was only one…"

Jenny was impressed. There was not an ounce of fear in the man's eyes, as he was regarding her calmly. So either he was resigned to his fate, or was sure that she wouldn't be able to kill him. Either way, it was pretty stupid of him to not be afraid of her, not after what he had seen on those screens.

"That was pretty impressive," the man finally said, surprising Jenny. Still, none of this showed, as she was looking at him with an expression on her face that would cause lesser men to flee. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Colonel Brown. And may I ask your name, Miss?"

"None of your business," Jenny replied coolly, sheathing her swords and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "So, you're the boss here?"

"If you mean by 'boss' the leader of the Western Capital Base of the Red Ribbon Army, then you are correct. Well, if you won't tell me your name, will you at least tell me, why you did… this?" Colonel Brown motioned towards the monitors. "Or is this none of my business as well?"

The guy dared to smirk at her, but Jenny didn't rise to the bait. Instead, she just arched an eyebrow. "Earlier tonight you killed hundreds of people who were out to enjoy a good movie. Don't you think that this is enough incentive for me to go after the Red Ribbon Army, when I found out that you were behind this?"

"I see… Yes, it's unfortunate that so many innocents had to die, but showing the government the power we have, how easily we can crush things they have worked so hard for to rebuild, is important for our plan."

"Your plan?"

"Why, world domination, of course. Years ago, long before you were even born, we were thwarted, but not now. The world is still weakened and we will use this. We have rebuilt the Red Ribbon Army with bases all around the world. No one can stop us now. The world is ours!"

Jenny rolled her eyes. World domination, of course. "Could you be any more cliché?"

"Really," Colonel Brown pressed his fingertips together and eyes Jenny over his hands, "it's not cliché. It's something many groups have strived for over thousands of years. Maybe you could call it… tradition. It's time for a change. And maybe… maybe you'd be willing to help us?"

Snorting, Jenny replied, "Puh-lease… In case you haven't noticed, I slaughtered your soldiers."

"Exactly… with your power on our side, the takeover would be a lot less… violent. Innocents could be spared, the collateral damage minimized. So, what do you say?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. Not interested. It would get in my way of destroying the Red Ribbon Army."

"Too bad…" He lowered his hands, one of them disappearing under the table. "You could have become great in our army…"

The moment his hand appeared again above the desk, this time holding a gun, he was already keeling backwards, as a thin ki-blast had gone straight through his head.

"You guys really don't learn…" Jenny shook her head, wondering how Colonel Brown could have believed that a gun could kill her, or that he would be fast enough.

And really… wanting her to become one of them? If that wasn't a typical cliché, she didn't know. It was even worse than the world domination thing.

Okay… what to do now…

Somehow, Jenny had expected to feel differently, once she had killed everyone here, some satisfaction, maybe. But while a small part of her felt better for having taken this first step in her quest to destroy the Red Ribbon Army, it wasn't the feeling she had strived for. But on the other hand, she wasn't done yet. There was still a long road ahead of her, and maybe this feeling of full satisfaction would first fill her, when she had destroyed the very last stronghold of the Red Ribbon Army and when all their soldiers were dead.

Still, she was finished here… Reaching out with one hand, Jenny fired a ki-ball at the screens, watching them explode and catch flames. She hoped that the flames would spread and destroy most of the evidence that she had been here, but still left enough for the police to figure out that they were dealing with the Red Ribbon Army.

Without turning back, Jenny raised her ki and shot through the ceiling.

* * *

It was still night as Jenny once again landed on the roof of the building where her quest had begun. She had no idea, why she had returned, but it had felt important somehow. A section of the roof was roped off, with the white lines on the ground indicating the place the body had fallen. Fortunately there was no more police up here, their job done for tonight. The firefighters down on the streets, however, were still fighting against the flames in the building that used to be the new cinema. There were still several curious onlookers, but Jenny's eyes were drawn to the body bags lined up on the other side of the road. For the first time that night, Jenny felt almost physically sick, but fought against the nearly overwhelming urge to throw up.

"I had hoped that you'd come back…"

Jenny whirled around, actually startled to hear this voice. She hadn't even felt his ki, but then again, he had been training to hide it. Looks like he succeeded.

"Li…" Jenny almost choked, suddenly not knowing what to feel, what to say, how to react, so she once again grasped tightly onto the anger and the Saiyajin in her that had already gotten her so far. "What are you doing here?"

He stepped into the faint light of the moon and the city below and even in this semi-darkness she could see how horrible he looked. Eyes tired and bloodshot, dark shadows underneath his eyes and his face looked so much older than the last time she had seen him. And as he was looking at her, his eyes so sad, so heartbroken, Jenny wanted to cry again. But this urge was quickly crushed again. No. More. Tears.

"Tenshinhan felt their kis disappear," Li told her quietly. "He brought me here immediately and I told Lari. She… she's not doing good."

"I'm sorry…"

"Oh Jenny…" If possible, Li's eyes looked even sadder. "It's not your fault. But I knew that you'd blame yourself. That's why I'm—"

"I know that it's not my fault. I've killed the ones who are responsible for this. It's the Red Ribbon Army."

"I'm… aware of what's happened here. Jenny, I—"

"Don't." Jenny's eyes were once again cold. "I  
won't stop until the Red Ribbon Army is destroyed."

"Mailin and Damian wouldn't have wanted revenge."

"I don't care. It's about what I want. I want revenge and they need to be stopped. The government has been fumbling for too long, and see what's happened. Now it's my turn."

"Jenny," Li started again, but didn't say more, when he saw the look on Jenny's face, the very same one Vegeta had already been on the receiving end of, as he had tried to stop her. Li realized that this wasn't the same girl that had gone to his school anymore. It almost seemed as if something else had taken over her body, but this didn't stop him from worrying about her. "If you need anything…"

"There is one thing," Jenny told him. Li looked at her hopefully, but his hope was destroyed, as she continued, "Don't contact me. Don't talk to me. Act as if we've never been close. Sooner or later the Red Ribbon Army will find out who I am, and I won't put it past them to try to get to me by the people I'm close to. So stay the hell away from me."

Without another word, Jenny took off again, leaving Li behind. The old man looked after her, feeling tears running down his cheeks. He was grieving. He was grieving for Mailin and Damian, his grandchildren, and for Jenny, the girl he almost saw as his third grandchild. This night, all three of them had died.

* * *

Jenny landed on a cliff she had discovered not so long ago. It was beautiful here, a meadow and behind the meadow a deep forest. From this cliff she could look over the whole Western Capital, which looked almost magical at night, with all the glittering lights. Jenny had planned on taking Mailin and Damian here on the weekend, maybe going camping with them. This spot was really beautiful, but now it was a good place to hide and to think. She wasn't ready to go home yet. She still needed to make a lot of decisions.

And so she spent the rest of the night sitting there, staring over the Western Capital and yet seeing nothing. First as the sun began to rise in the sky, Jenny decided to head back to Capsule Corporation. There was still much to do.

Once she had climbed back into her room through her window, Jenny undressed and took a long, nearly scalding hot shower. It felt good after this long night, washing away the filth that had gathered on her body without her noticing. It also helped to wash away the exhaustion that was slowly seeping into her bones after this draining night. Sleep would have to wait.

Once she was dressed again, she put her hair into a ponytail and booted her notebook. Browsing through the school's website, she found what she was looking for and filled out the document before she printed it. Now she only needed Vegeta to sign it.

The Saiyajin was sitting in the kitchen, obviously waiting for her. He was already looking a bit better, some of the bruises had faded overnight, but he was still too weak to do anything to stop her. There was a plate with a few sandwiches at the spot at the table where she was usually sitting, but Jenny ignored them, as she put the printed document and a pen down in front of Vegeta.

"What's this?"

"I'm dropping out of school. You need to sign this."

In a way, Vegeta had already feared this. "What if I don't sign it?"

"I'll still drop out. I can't go to school and fight the Red Ribbon Army at the same time. And not to forget the spaceship. Only then, you might have to deal with social services."

Vegeta looked down at the document. It said that Jenny wouldn't visit a public school any longer and would be homeschooled instead. "What about… the boy… Cam? He left about a hundred messages for you on the answering machine over the course of the night. He's worried."

It was the first time that Vegeta spoke her boyfriend's name, hoping that mentioning him and his unanswered calls might change the girl's mind, but nothing changed. "I'll break up with him today. He'll just be a distraction. Now, will you sign it, or not?"

"I won't watch you do this. I won't watch you throw your life away," Vegeta said forcefully, as he gripped the pen tightly. It was poised over the document, but he hadn't signed it yet. He was looking at her imploringly, trying to find something in her face that might show him that she wouldn't do it, that a part of the old Jenny was still there. But there wasn't.

And her cold answer only confirmed it. "Then don't. Sign this damn thing and then get the hell out of my life. I don't need you anymore. I can destroy the Red Ribbon Army without help."

"Fine," Vegeta nearly growled, feeling the anger rise in him. Anger at the girl and anger at himself that he couldn't stop her. If he had the strength, he would beat some sense into her right now, but he was helpless. Words wouldn't get through to her and by the time he was again strong enough to face her, she would be in too deep. Only a miracle could help him now and maybe that boyfriend of hers would be that miracle. But somehow he doubted it. Resigned but still angry, Vegeta signed the document and handed it to Jenny.

She didn't even say thank you before she left the kitchen and the house.

Vegeta remained sitting for a while longer, pondering what to do. Essentially the girl had just kicked him out of her life. He would be lying, if he said that it didn't hurt. For the past nine years he had been there for her, especially after her grandmother's death. And while she had spent those four years at Li's school, they had still been… close.

He remembered their agreement after her grandmother's death. She had promised to follow the rules he had set for her and he had agreed to her terms. He remembered his promise that he would never leave her, but now she had broken the most important rule. He could no longer trust her, not when she was threatening to kill him, if he was in her way. She was unstable, unpredictable… It would be bad, if he left her now. But on the other hand, wouldn't it be worse, if he stayed? She would always see him as a threat - an even bigger threat, once he was back to full health - as long as he didn't help her. And he wouldn't. It was still his opinion that the human police was responsible for human terrorists.

And then, another part of him, maybe even the biggest part of him, just couldn't watch her walk down this path, unable to help or get through to her to stop her. After all, he had been down that path himself and knew what was awaiting her there. Pain, suffering and emptiness. Not the satisfaction she was longing for.

With a heavy sigh, Vegeta rose from the chair. He would need to pack a bag.

* * *

Cam was sitting in the assembly hall along with all those students who had come to school this morning. Many had remained at home, others would never come to school again… but Cam couldn't have stayed at home, no matter what his parents had wanted. His mom hadn't wanted him to leave their home, but Cam just needed to go. At home, not knowing, was just too suffocating.

He hadn't slept a wink the previous night, his worry too great. Directly after he had heard about the explosion of the new cinema, Cam had first tried to call Jenny on her cell phone, but her cell was just as dead as Mailin's and Damian's had been, when he had tried theirs afterwards. And when he had tried to reach them at their houses, no one had answered. His first instinct had been then to go to Capsule Corporation, to make sure that Jenny was okay, but his parents hadn't allowed him to leave the house that night.

Cam had no idea just how many messages he had left on Jenny's and Vegeta's answering machine, but no one had called him back. If he just knew that she was alright! Deep down, however, he knew that this wasn't the case, especially after the principal had announced just half an hour ago that Mailin and Damian were among the victims of the attack – and that they hadn't survived. Still, there had been no word about Jenny and there was still hope that she had somehow survived this inferno. Cam shouldn't forget what she was, how strong she was. Surely she must have made it out alive.

But even if she had, losing her two best friends must have been horrible. Cam was grieving for the twins, though he hadn't known them that well, but they meant the world to Jenny. Their deaths would be devastating for her. And even though he knew that there were no words to make her feel better, he just wanted to be there for her, to hold her, to help her grieve.

Still, for him to be able to do that, she had to be alive.

All around him students were either sitting quietly in shock or crying. Everyone had once again lost at least one person they had known. Cam remembered only too clearly how it had been after Buu, and this scene reminded him eerily of those early days after that monster had destroyed so many lives. Clenching his fists in anger and frustration, Cam wondered how someone, how _humans_ could do this. This morning in the news the police had finally announced that they had a lead on this group of terrorists, so it had to be humans.

The principal once again went to the stage, as he had done for the past one and a half hour in intervals of fifteen minutes, to announce any news he had heard concerning his missing students. Cam listened intently, hoping to hear some news about Jenny – be it about her being alive or being dead – but again there was nothing about her. There were some outcries of relief, when students heard that a friend was alive and just staying at home, but some other kids were now crying harder, as their worst fears were confirmed.

And he still didn't know anything. Not being able to sit still any longer, Cam got up from his chair and stormed from the assembly hall. No one moved to stop him. There had been too many students who had needed to get out for a while. In the end, however, they all had returned, not wanting to miss any news. Cam was sure that he would return, too, before the fifteen minutes were up, but at this moment, he couldn't take it anymore. It was killing him.

Running with his hand through his hair, he wandered aimlessly through the labyrinth of hallways. Almost every corner reminded him of Jenny. There was the intersection of two hallways where they had collided for the first time. Over there, at the drinking fountain, he had stolen a kiss just a few days ago. At the end of the corridor was the broom closet they had once spent an entire lunch break in.

His feet were carrying him through the corridors, while his mind was occupied with memories and the overwhelming worry for his girlfriend. So he almost believed that his mind was playing a trick on him, when he finally arrived in the hallway where Jenny's locker was and he saw her standing in front of hers. He blinked. Once. Twice. But she was still there.

Blond hair up in a ponytail and dressed in dark jeans and a dark T-shirt, looking incredibly pale. But alive!

"Jenny…" he mumbled stunned.

The girl in question looked up upon hearing him and what he saw on her face scared him. Her eyes were just so… dead. There was no emotion in them, nothing, just flat blue eyes, which seemed a lot darker than he remembered them. Usually, whenever she saw him, she would smile, and even when she was mad at him, her eyes would betray the happiness she felt. And now. Nothing. No smile, no happiness in her eyes. He could be anyone, a complete stranger with the way she was looking at him. Not her boyfriend.

Somehow knowing that he should tread carefully, Cam resisted the urge to run up to her. Instead he forced himself to take calm steps until he was standing right in front of her, but his self-control slipped then. Not being able to hide his relief any longer, Cam wrapped his arms tightly around her and pushed her against his chest. She was here. She was alive and she was here.

"You're alive, you're alive, you're alive…" he sobbed, burying his face in her neck, knowing that she would feel the tears that were leaking from his eyes on her skin. But he didn't care. He was just so happy, so relieved that she had survived that he wasn't the least bit embarrassed to be crying.

"I am," she replied, her voice flat. First now he noticed that Jenny wasn't returning the hug. "But Mailin and Damian aren't."

"I know… and I'm so sorry…" Cam said quietly, as he let go to look at his girlfriend. Nothing had changed on her face and it worried him. "Are you alright? Sorry, stupid question, of course you aren't. Not with Mailin and Damian being…"

"I'm fine," Jenny interrupted his ramblings and then turned her attention back to her locker. Cam was surprised to see that she was packing her belongings into a backpack.

"What are you doing?" He was scared of the answer, feeling as if Jenny was slipping right through his fingers. Even though he had just touched her, hugged her even, it had felt as if she hadn't been there.

"I'm dropping out of school," she informed him coolly without looking at him. "Vegeta signed the forms this morning."

"Why?" Cam couldn't hide the surprise, as he was pretty sure that Vegeta would never allow her to drop out of school just like this, without a good reason. Was he forcing her to leave? No, this couldn't be. Jenny had in one of her recent rants about it being so unfair that she wasn't allowed to fight the terrorists mentioned that Vegeta was adamant about her going to school. And then, suddenly, it made sense. "You're going to fight the terrorists. You know who they are."

"Smart boy." Her voice was slightly mocking, as she said this. "Now, be a good boy, too, and leave me alone, so that I can finish packing."

Was she… was she breaking up with him? She hadn't said the words, but with the way she was acting. "No," Cam told her, not wanting to give up that easily. "I won't leave you alone. I mean, I don't like that you want to drop out of school to fight them, but let me help you. You shouldn't do this alone."

Jenny raised her eyebrows. "And _how_ do _you_ want to help me? You're weak and pathetic. I have more power in my pinky than you'll ever have in your whole body. You'd only be in my way. And now go. I don't want you here."

"No," Cam just repeated. "You need my help, whether you want it or not. If only just my support."

"You don't want to support what I'm going to do." Jenny's voice was suddenly quieter and for a moment, just for a split second, he saw it in her eyes. The old Jenny. A cry for help. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared and her voice was strong again, strong and deadly, as she said, "I'm going to destroy them. No one will survive."

"You don't mean that," Cam said in disbelief. "You're no killer, Jenny. A fighter and warrior, yes, but no killer."

"Then I guess you don't know me after all." Jenny had finished packing, her locker now empty. "Watch the news tonight. I believe they will be very… enlightening."

However, just as she turned to go, the small part of her that she had kept buried since last night clawed its way to the surface. And before it could be pushed back again, Jenny wrapped her arms tightly around Cam's neck and kissed him. Just one final time, she was feeling and putting all the sadness, all the grief, despair, frustration and anger into this kiss. Cam was once again holding onto her tightly and that part of Jenny never wanted him to let go, to let him just hold her and tell her that it was a nightmare.

But it was a losing battle. The Saiyajin quickly regained the upper hand and pushed all the feelings back into the deepest pit of Jenny's soul. But before they were completely gone, Jenny whispered, "I'm sorry."

Then she let go, slipped out of the embrace and walked away without turning back.

The Saiyajin was again in control.

Jenny could feel Cam's eyes on her back until she rounded a corner and was out of sight.

Cam stared after Jenny until she rounded a corner and first, when she was completely gone, he allowed his legs to give in underneath him. Sliding down at the wall, he buried his face in his palms and cried. He cried for his broken heart and he cried for the girl he loved.

It would be a long time until he saw her again, though he would hear of her more than he'd want.

* * *

Capsule Corporation was empty, as she got home. There was no sign of Vegeta and she couldn't feel his ki. In the hallway, Jenny stopped shortly at the answering machine to delete the ninety-seven messages that Cam had left her during the night. She didn't listen to any of them.

Two of the most important people in her life were dead and three others she had just cut from her life. Rationally Jenny knew that she should feel something about this, but all she felt was numbness. No pain, no heartache. The anger, the feeling of being powerful, the thirst for blood and the wish for vengeance were still there, however, ready to be accessed. But nothing else, when she thought of the people who once where her life and who were now all gone.

Shaking her head, she went to her room and got dressed in pajamas. The previous night was catching up to her and she needed some sleep to be ready for what was going to be some very hard and long months, maybe years. The Red Ribbon Army and the spaceship. Her two number one priorities now.

Jenny fell asleep almost immediately after she had climbed into her bed. The expected nightmares never came.

* * *

Vegeta was hiding his ki, while he was watching her. His face was set in a deep scowl. The boy hadn't been able to convince her, though for a short moment he had dared to hope. His last hope for the girl was crushed. Vegeta had no idea what else he could do, but one thing was sure. He couldn't watch her descend into darkness.

And because of this, he turned his back to Capsule Corporation and walked away.

Not forever, just for a while, to recover. He would check on the girl, and after all, Capsule Corporation was still his home, too.

But until the girl snapped out of this, he wouldn't be able to stay at the place for more than a few days at a time.

Still, as he was walking away, his conscience deemed it necessary to remind him of a very important conversation the two of them had had a few years ago, after her grandmother's death.

_"D-does that mean, y-you'll stay here?"_

_"I'm not going anywhere."_


	64. Part III: War

**A/N: I passed! I'm a teacher! :) And I'm very happy with my final grade! Here in Germany we have a system of grades going from 1 to 6, similar to the American system from A to F. Let's say I passed with a B (a 2,0 in the German system) and after the hard times I've had with having to change schools in between because my old boss and mentors were just terrible to me, I couldn't be happier :)**

**And now, no more studying, no more papers to write… I hope that I'll now once again be able to dedicate more time to this story.**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 63: War**

_News_

_**The Western Capital Daily News – Special Edition**_

_April 6, 784_

_THE RED RIBBON ARMY RETURNS_

After a long time of heavy speculations the government has now announced that the Red Ribbon Army is behind the terror attacks of the last months.

Just one day ago one of these attacks destroyed a recently opened cinema in the Western Capital. Due to large discounts on this Thursday many people went there to enjoy a night of good movies. Of the hundreds of people, of which many were students, only a handful survived with heavy injuries. Forensics will probably need days to identify the victims.

"It was terrible," a man, who was close to the cinema at the moment of the explosion, said to our reporter. "A loud explosion, the ground was trembling. The fire, the heat. And still, there was a girl who just went into the building. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen. She looked so lost. I'm sure there were some friends of hers inside."

Other witnesses claimed that a golden glowing girl came out again, carrying to persons. They didn't believe their eyes, when, after the girl had handed the persons to a firefighter, she took into the sky and landed on the building where the police found a dead man a short time later. All evidence speaks for the fact that the golden girl has killed the man.

Only a few hours later the police got a call saying that a seemingly abandoned building in the industrial district was burning, but when the firefighters got there, they found more than they bargained for. Already outside the building they discovered several bodies, and on the inside they found what one firefighter described as a massacre. The firefighter continued telling the reporter that their whole way inside was littered with bodies, most of them brutally murdered.

However, while they were getting the fires back under control, they noticed that those bodies all had something in common – they were all dressed like soldiers, all of them bearing weapons and they all had a red pin in the form of a ribbon on their uniform.

The symbol for the Red Ribbon Army.

Just before the deadline of this issue of The Western Capital Daily News the police informed us that this building in the industrial district was in fact a base of the Red Ribbon Army. They found enough evidence to be sure of this, and one source even told us that the footage of some security cameras showed that all the soldiers were killed by a single person, and a woman on top of that. However, due to the poor quality of the footage, it can only be said that the woman is of average height, has dark hair and was wearing dark clothes.

Was it the same person, who had already killed the man on the roof a few hours before? Or was it maybe even the girl who went into the cinema after the explosion? Could it even be that those two are one and the same person? After all, it wouldn't be the first time that people changed their outer appearance. And after Buu, I daresay everything is possible.

But no matter if it's true or not, this journalist's opinion is that only a person, who has lost something or someone important and is truly lost is capable of what was found in the Red Ribbon Army's base.

However, this journalist is sure of one thing: This Lost Warrior will cause a great debate. Was it right of her to kill all those soldiers? Or should they have been put on trial for what they have done in all the attacks that have cost lives, especially the most recent one?

More information about the Red Ribbon Army and its earlier rise to power can be found on the pages 2-6.

…

_**The Western Capital Daily News**_

_April 8, 784_

_ANOTHER RED RIBBON ARMY BASE DESTROYED_

Last night, a base of the Red Ribbon Army, hidden in the Ancient Woods near the 356th Jungle Area, was found burned to the ground. No footage could be salvaged, but the government believes that it was again the Lost Warrior who has destroyed the base.

"The wounds on the soldiers are almost identical to the ones found on the bodies in the Western Capital," a government official told us. "Slash wounds from a very sharp blade, heavy burns and shattered bones." Many are surely wondering, how one normal person could be able to do this, but this journalist is sure that the Lost Warrior is anything but normal.

Still, the government asks the Lost Warrior to come before them and give a statement. […]

…

_**The Western Capital Daily News**_

_April 13, 784_

_THE LOST WARRIOR STRIKES AGAIN_

The Red Ribbon Army must slowly be starting to be afraid of the force called the Lost Warrior. Security cameras showed that she was once again responsible for bringing down a base of the infamous army. […]

One wonders, how she manages to find the bases so quickly, when the forces of the government still have no idea where they should start to look for them. […]

…

_**The Western Capital Daily News**_

_April 16, 784_

_THE LOST WARRIOR DOESN'T STOP_

Another base was destroyed by the Lost Warrior and once again, it seems that she left no one alive. From the time we published the first article until the now, many e-mails have reached us. It is perhaps not so surprising that most of our readers support the acts of the Lost Warrior, as none of them want to have a repeat performance of Buu's reign of power and destruction, but there are also quite a few readers condemning her for playing the judge, jury and executioner.

Fact is that the government issued a summons for the girl. She is now officially wanted for questioning on the murder of more than two hundred soldiers. […]

* * *

_Statistics_

If one looked at Jenny's journal now, the same one she had once poured all her thoughts and soul into, they would be startled that it had been transformed into a list of statistics. One list for each attack on a Red Ribbon Army's base. Each list was short, only naming the date, place, leader of the base, and the number of soldiers she had killed at the base of the Red Ribbon Army. But in addition to each list, there was a newspaper clipping attached, which reported about the attack.

Ever since the entry describing her best friends' deaths, no personal word had been written into that leather bound book. Just as she pushed away every emotion except for the hatred and anger that gave her the drive to go on with her mission, this book was now a testimony to the coldness that had begun to surround her. The journal was now nothing more than a report on her war accomplishments.

_Date: May 2, 784_

_Place: Southern Capital_

_Leader: Captain Teal_

_Dead soldiers: 76_

…

_Date: May 10, 784_

_Place: Barren Wasteland_

_Leader: Lieutenant Yellow_

_Dead soldiers: 91_

…

_Date: June 14, 784_

_Place: Gengoro Island_

_Leader: Sergeant Pink_

_Dead soldiers: 137_

…

_Date: August 23, 784_

_Place: Yahhoy_

_Leader: Colonel Olive_

_Dead soldiers: 59_

* * *

_The Lost Warrior_

It was November, slowly getting colder outside and many people thought that it was going to snow soon. Children were happy about it, many adults complained about icy roads, but there was one person who didn't care about it at all.

Jenny was sitting at her desk in her room, reading the latest of the many articles the _Western Capital Daily News_ had written about her and her war with the Red Ribbon Army over the course of the past few months, before she put it into her journal, matching to the last statistic she had jotted down. She snorted. She couldn't believe how incompetent the government once again was. They still had no idea, where the Red Ribbon Army was hiding – alright, they had managed to get to one of their bases before her – but overall it had been her to find them all with her little trick.

Only that it hadn't been as quickly as she had wished it to happen. Instead of going straight to another base, as she had hoped, the surviving soldiers of each base took their sweet time reporting to other bases. At first, Jenny had taken to stalking them every day, the whole day, but then, when it had become too boring, she had started to check on them once a day. And even though she had just rushed into the first few bases without a plan, Jenny had decided that it might be better to do some reconnaissance before attacking them. So, this too, took some time.

Still, it was a wonder that they still hadn't figured out who she was – both the Red Ribbon Army and the government. They should have more than enough footage of her, no matter how bad it was, to identify her. Even if she had black hair and black eyes. She had, after all, looked the same at the Tenkaichi Budokai. But maybe they were really just stupid. A bit more than four months should be more than enough time, after all.

And yet, here she was. The Red Ribbon Army was still as clueless as ever – apparently they weren't even thinking about the possibility that she might be related to the boy who had destroyed them before – and the Lost Warrior was still wanted by the government for questioning.

Oh yeah, the Lost Warrior.

Snorting again, Jenny's eyes zoomed in on the title the media had bestowed upon her. Whoever had thought of this title was obviously crazy. Or had too much time. Jenny had never felt less lost, less with a purpose than she did ever since she had started her war against the Red Ribbon Army. For the first time in her life, it felt as if she knew exactly why she was getting up each morning. To destroy the Red Ribbon Army.

There were, of course, still times that she didn't or couldn't spend on the war. Mostly, when there was a lull between finding two bases. But Jenny used those times wisely. She either trained – harder than ever before, even without the gravity room at her disposal – or she worked on the spaceship.

With a scowl on her face Jenny remembered the day, shortly after she had destroyed the first three bases, when the three scientists Tico, Mika and Kimi had tried to persuade her to stop her war on the Red Ribbon Army by giving her an ultimatum – either she stopped or they'd stop working on the spaceship.

Laughing humorlessly, Jenny had called them on their bluff. "You want Buu's victim to be resurrected just as much as I do," she had pointed out. "Look at me, Tico, and tell me that you don't want your wife back." When the oldest scientist had just averted his eyes, Jenny had said in a cold voice, "Thought so. Now, let's get to work. The sooner all of this is finished, the better." And so they did, though Jenny often noticed their pitying and wary looks, whenever their eyes landed on her. However, if they hoped that those looks would stop her, they didn't know her at all. Suffice to say, the easy camaraderie between Jenny and the scientists was completely gone.

Just a short time after that, she had given Satan the same answer, when he had come to her with a similar threat. Stop going after the Red Ribbon Army or he wouldn't finance the spaceship any longer. Unfortunately for him, his desire to have Videl back in his life was much bigger than the desire to stop her, so the money kept coming whenever they needed it.

And it showed.

They had truly made some vast improvements over the past couple of months, and the three scientists were positive that the spaceship would be finished in about a year, a few months ahead of schedule. It even started to look like a spaceship on the outside, and most of the work that still needed to be done was on the inside of the ball-shaped construction.

And whenever there was nothing she could do on the spaceship, her time was spent training. Alone, always alone. Ever since she had kicked him out of her life, she had seen Vegeta only three times. Three times in which they had exchanged about ten words. A part of her, which she successfully ignored, missed their sparring matches, but even without him she kept pushing her body to its limits. Reaching the second level was no longer a challenge and she was better with her swords than ever before.

No one who ever came into contact with her blades lived to tell the tale.

One might think that those rigorous training sessions left her exhausted, but Jenny barely slept. There were no nightmares to keep her awake, but still sleep often wouldn't come. Her mind was always busy, always calculating, always planning. Concocting different 'what-if'-scenarios. Stalking soldiers. Observing the next base she was going to attack.

In her war against the Red Ribbon Army such mundane things as sleep or food were pushed to the back of her mind. She slept when she was tired and she ate when she was hungry. Most of the times, she forgot. The fridge was empty on most days anyway. Grocery shopping had become one of her lowest priorities. With no one there to prepare a proper meal, it would all go to waste anyway. Canned food, instant noodles and cereals were the only things found in the kitchen, if at all.

Jenny barely felt hungry or tired anymore. Always too busy, too occupied. Too lost in her mind and the war.

Dark rings under her eyes became her steady companions. Her clothes began to hang more loosely on her frame. Even the last amount of remaining baby fat was now completely gone, leaving her form wiry and muscular. Bones protruded where they had barely showed before, but none of this registered with Jenny. As long as she still felt strong – and after all the training she had never felt stronger – those changes didn't matter.

All that mattered to the Lost Warrior was the destruction of the Red Ribbon Army.

* * *

_Hacchan_

Fan-fucking-tastic, Jenny thought as she was trudging through the deep snow. She could have flown, of course, but she wanted to surprise the soldiers. The whole area was too open in the sky, there were no places to hide, and they would notice immediately if there was something flying towards them.

So walking it was.

Fortunately she was powered up, so the cold didn't bother her that much, because her leather coat over the black top and her jeans wouldn't have really kept her warm. But this was the outfit she had worn, when she had taken out the first soldiers. With this outfit, everyone recognized the Lost Warrior. So she was even wearing it, when it was so cold outside that she would easily become an ice cube, if she didn't have her ki to keep her warm.

Suddenly, she began to hear loud voices, yelling. Then a scream.

Alarmed, Jenny hurried into the direction of the scream, believing that there might be someone in danger of the soldiers stationed nearby. After all, in her research of the area, she had discovered that there was a small village close to the base.

And she was right, as she reached her destination. There was a woman, who was about to be captured by a soldier. The woman put up a good fight, struggling against the strong grip of the soldier, screeching, kicking, even biting. Jenny was impressed, but didn't hesitate to step in.

One well-placed hit, and the soldier was thrown against a tree, sliding moaning to the ground. The woman stumbled from his now limp grasp and landed in the snow. Jenny barely spared her a glance, as she pulled out her swords and stepped over to the soldier. He was still conscious, but Jenny wanted it to be this way. She wanted him to know who had killed him.

"Look at me," she snarled, and he did look at her. A look of pure horror crossed his face, when he recognized her. Jenny smirked. "Good. And now die."

"Wait!" the woman suddenly shouted, but Jenny didn't listen to her. No one told her what to do anymore. Her long sword went down, directly through the soldier's heart. The woman gasped behind her, but Jenny was glad that she hadn't screamed.

After having pulled the sword out again, Jenny cleaned it in the snow and then put both swords back into their sheaths. First then she turned around to face the woman. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah," the woman replied shakily. Now that she was getting a better look at her, Jenny estimated her to be in her mid-forties. She was wearing fur-lined thick clothes and there was a fur-lined hat on her long red hair. "You're… you're the Lost Warrior…"

"So word travels even this far," Jenny said with a humorless smile. "But I guess you should know. After all, you have a friggin' infestation of this vermin close by."

"You're here because of them?" The look in the woman's eyes had suddenly become hopeful.

Jenny rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Why else? Now you better go home, before another soldier gets you." Shaking her head in disbelief – why would civilians even leave the relative safety of their village, when there were soldiers so close by? – Jenny turned to go, but stopped when the woman scrambled to her feet.

"Wait… Maybe you can help me."

"Help you? I think getting rid of the infestation is enough help."

The woman seemed to be taken aback by the harsh tone in her voice for a moment, but quickly shook it off. She was standing tall now, and Jenny realized that they were the same height. "Why don't you come back to my village with me, and then I can tell you what I need your help with."

"No," Jenny replied coolly. She wasn't here to do anyone any favors.

"No?" the woman just echoed in disbelief, but Jenny ignored her. She had once again turned around to go, and had even managed to take a few steps away from the woman, when she suddenly cried, "They kidnapped my best friend."

Clenching her fists, Jenny squeezed her eyes shut, as unbidden images of Mailin and Damian flashed in front of her inner eye. Her best friends. Killed by the Red Ribbon Army. A sudden bout of anger rushed through her, which she quickly harnessed through controlled breaths. So many people had lost best friends and family because of the Red Ribbon Army. This woman shouldn't feel the pain everyone else who had gone through this had felt.

"Alright," Jenny hissed, as she turned around. "Tell me what you know. And I'll do my best to rescue your friend, while I'm taking care of the soldiers."

"Thanks…" the woman breathed in relief. "I'm Suno by the way." The woman, Suno, waited a moment, apparently hoping for the Lost Warrior to tell her what her name was, but in vain. When there was no reply, she told the girl, "A couple of weeks ago, my friend Hacchan was out in the woods, gathering firewood. He said it wouldn't be long, but he didn't come back. Later that day, a search party went out, but all they found were traces of a struggle and a wounded soldier. He told us that his comrades have taken Hacchan to the Muscle Tower."

"So this Muscle Tower is their base? And you're sure that your friend is being held there?"

Suno nodded. "Years ago, the Red Ribbon Army already had a base with the same name here. But it was destroyed along with the Army. Now they've built a new Muscle Tower. They're keeping watch over our village. There's nothing we can do against them."

Jenny's eyebrows went up. "Wait. You're telling me that there's been a RRA base before, at the same spot, and the fucking government hasn't even come to investigate?" When the woman just shook her head, Jenny cursed. "Fuck. So what can you tell me about your friend?"

Suno smiled, as she said, "Hacchan is the gentlest person I know. Well, many people who don't know him are afraid of him, because he's so huge. But he wouldn't hurt a fly. He abhors violence. He's a bit different, but we all love him in this village."

"Alright… I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything. Maybe they've already killed him." A look of horror crossed Suno's face, but Jenny didn't feel bad about it. The sooner this woman accepted the harsh possibilities, the better. "Now you go back to the village. When I'm done in the Muscle Tower, I'll come to you."

Without another word, Jenny blasted off into the sky. She had already lost enough time and now with this extra mission, she didn't want to lose any more. The last thing she heard was the loud gasp from the woman, which caused a smirk to appear on her face. It was always fun to startle someone with her abilities.

Not even half a minute later, Jenny spotted the so called Muscle Tower. It was an ugly, silvery white construction, reaching high into the sky. Soldiers were milling around outside, all of them dressed warmly for the weather. There were dark clouds in the distance, storm clouds, and Jenny hoped to finish this soon. She really didn't feel like getting caught in a snow storm.

Suddenly, she was not even two hundred yards from the tower, the first bullets whizzed past her. Ignoring them, Jenny gained speed and crashed through the outer wall of the tower in one of the higher levels, right where the soldiers who had attacked her were manning their guns. A cruel, twisted smirk appeared on her face, as she whispered, "Boo!"

Some soldiers, the smart ones, decided to flee, but a few brave and foolish ones remained behind, pointing their machine guns at her. Jenny had to resist rolling her eyes. Would they never learn from their past mistakes? Shouldn't they know by now that bullets wouldn't work on her? And yet, they fired, salve after salve, but Jenny remained untouched.

Still with the smirk on her face, Jenny raised her hands and pointed her fingers, gun-style, at the men. Before they could react, each of them was the victim of a small ki-blast through their hearts. Without sparing them another glance, Jenny walked over to the hole in the wall and looked down. Apparently word had travelled, and the soldiers were scared shitless, as they fled the tower. But she wouldn't stay true to her word if she let them go like this. Everyone had to die, except for one. One would survive, until he had fulfilled his purpose.

Watching them calmly, Jenny reached out with her hand. A few well-placed ki-blasts and the fleeing soldiers were trapped in front of the tower, as there was now a deep ditch around them. Many of them looked up in fear, while others were looking for another way out. In vain. They wouldn't be spared. Once more Jenny directed her palm at them and shot a strong ball of ki at them. Screams, yells, and then quiet. Just a big crater was left.

Her senses told her that there was still one person alive downstairs, still inside the tower. He had been smart, avoiding a large target like his comrades, so he would live for now.

Turning her back to the crater, Jenny ascended the stairs that led to the next level without any hurry, but with clear determination. Her sensitive hearing picked up noises from behind the metal door. More soldiers. Good.

She blasted a hole through the door and drew her swords. The twenty soldiers waiting for her lasted three point five seconds. Another set of stairs, but this time she could only feel one ki. Whoever was leading this base was waiting for her.

The door slid open and there he was, standing calmly in front of his desk. A tall man – for a moment Jenny wondered, why she had only met one female leader until now – with long grey hair pulled into a ponytail at his neck and a scarred face. He looked almost pleased to see her. "Aah," he said with a smile, "the Lost Warrior. I'm honored to finally meet you."

"If you know, who I am, I think I deserve to know your name and title as well," Jenny said coolly, her eyes wandering around. Somehow, seeing him this calm and confident made her a bit wary. "I like to know the name of leader I'm killing. For my… personal records."

"Of course, of course… though I highly doubt that Lost Warrior is really you name. I'm Commander Grey and I'm very sure that you've finally met your master here."

"You?" Jenny felt like laughing. As if she would ever meet her master in a human. "No offence, but I can squash you like a fly. Now… why don't you tell me where you're keeping this villager you've kidnapped a couple of weeks ago? His friend told me that his name is Hacchan."

Commander Grey began to laugh. He was actually laughing at her. "Oh, my dear. How wrongly informed you are. This _Hacchan_ has never belonged in that village. He has always belonged into the Muscle Tower. Come out, Hachigou. I'd like to introduce you to someone."

Another door slid open in Jenny's right and out of instinct, she got into a fighting stance. There was no ki, no sign of a living person. Jenny didn't like it.

A shadow moved towards the door and then stepped through it. Of course, Jenny thought as she took in the figure that was slowly walking up to her. It was really huge and bore a strong resemblance to Frankenstein's Monster. With all the experiences and stories she had heard about the battle against Cell, and of course having known Juuhachigou in person, Jenny knew immediately what this monster was.

A Jinzoningen.

Maybe an early version, or their newest scientists weren't as good as Gero, but still a Jinzoningen.

And while Jenny was very confident that she would be able to beat him, even in this form, she cautioned herself to be careful. One should never underestimate a Jinzoningen. Especially when you didn't know how strong it was.

"Jinzoningen Hachigou," Commander Grey said, cheerfully rubbing his hands. "I'd like you to meet the Lost Warrior. Lost Warrior, this is Jinzoningen Hachigou. Or… as you called him before… Hacchan."

Damn! Couldn't that woman have told her that her best friend was a friggin' Jinzoningen? Different my ass!

Its eyes were glowing red, as it looked down at her. That woman had said that he was gentle, but now she couldn't see anything of it. It even looked like it didn't feel anything. As if it was a robot, without a free will.

"Hey Hacchan," Jenny tried, even she was perfectly sure that it wouldn't work. "Your friend Suno sent me. She's worried about you."

Its glowing red eyes showed no recognition to the name. And her fears were only confirmed by Commander Grey.

"According to the first Red Ribbon Army's records, the early version of Jinzoningen Hachigou was faulty. It had feelings and wouldn't hurt anyone. It escaped, when the first Muscle Tower was destroyed, but our scientists were curious and we captured it again now. With our technology, they managed to override its programming and reprogrammed it. And they gave it some upgrades. It's now what it was always meant to be – a killing machine. And you're going to be its first victim, Lost Warrior. Jinzoningen Hachigou – kill her."

"Yes, master," its hollow voice replied.

Jenny barely had time to jump out of the way, as its fist cracked the ground where she had been standing a split second before. Jenny had to admit – for its height, it was fast. She just wanted to prepare a counter attack, when she noticed something out of the corners of her eyes.

Commander Grey was trying to use the chance to flee. "Oh no, you're not gonna get away." Jumping over his desk, Jenny gripped him in a vice hold around his neck. Unfortunately for the commander, Hachigou used exactly this time to send an energy blast through its eyes at Jenny, who turned around to face it with Commander Grey in front of her at this very moment.

The commander's eyes went wide, as his chest exploded in pain, and then he was already gone.

"This gotta suck," Jenny mumbled, as she dropped the body. "Killed by your own weapon."

Turning her full attention back to the Jinzoningen, which was slowly stalking up to her, Jenny came to a decision. She would destroy the Tower first, and then she would take care of Hachigou. Maybe it would even die when the Tower crashed. But before she could do that…

A roundhouse kick directed at Jinzoningen Hachigou's chest sent him flying into a wall, where he remained motionless for a while. Jenny used the time to begin floating about a foot in the air and directed one hand at the ceiling and one hand at the floor. Simultaneously the hands began to glow and then she shot two ki-blasts from her palms – one went directly through the roof and the other through all the floors all the way down to the basement. Explosions could be heard downstairs, slowly working their up. The floor underneath her began to crumble and then the whole Muscle Tower collapsed like a house of cards. Jinzoningen Hachigou fell along with the rubble.

Jenny hadn't moved an inch, since she had released the ki-blasts, looking down at the destruction in satisfaction. But then something moved in the rubble of the tower and Jenny groaned. Maybe killing this Jinzoningen wasn't as easy as she had thought. But then again… Now a slow smirk spread over her face. Maybe she could drag out the fight for just a bit. It's been some time, since she had had even a small challenge. Killing off all those humans was threatening to become boring.

Jinzoningen Hachigou began to rise into the air, surprising Jenny again. She hadn't thought that those old Jinzoningen could fly. Oh well, Grey had talked about upgrades. This must be one of them.

"Ya know, you're pretty calm about me destroying your home," Jenny mocked him, as it had reached her height. The Jinzoningen, however, didn't grace her with an answer. Its face was still blank. It showed no emotion. Jenny dodged, when the Jinzoningen's fist suddenly lashed out. "Okay, okay… you want to fight. So we'll fight."

Jenny retaliated with a punch of her own, which not only hit its target but send it a few hundred feet through the air. Alright, maybe the Jinzoningen was pretty weak after all. Flying after him, Jenny used it as a punching bag. It tried to hit her again and again, but never succeeded. They were still in the air, always changing directions, so Jenny didn't know that they were right above the village until she sent Jinzoningen Hachigou plummet to the ground.

The crater it left behind wasn't particularly large, but very deep, so Jenny could take her time to land next to it, until Jinzoningen Hachigou climbed out of it. After the heavy beating it had experienced, Jenny still somehow expected some kind of reaction on that emotionless face, but nothing. No fear, no anger, nothing.

Until suddenly a voice called out, "Hacchan!"

For the first time since Commander Grey had introduced this Jinzoningen, something changed on that face. Something flickered in its red eyes, until the red disappeared. A look of confusion crossed its face, as it turned away from Jenny. But still, Jenny didn't relax. As a matter of fact, she was pretty mad at the villagers, who obviously thought it was really smart to come out of their houses in the middle of a battle.

"Suno?" its voice, no longer as hollow as before, mumbled. "What's going on?"

Then a jerk went through the body and red eyes were once again directed at Jenny. Jenny braced herself, ready to do whatever she needed to do. What was one Jinzoningen after all the soldiers she had already killed and before all the soldiers that she would still kill? Gathering a ki-ball in her right hand, she prepared to attack.

"Hacchan? What are you doing?" Suno asked, shaking her head in confusion. "Don't attack her! She saved you!"

Another shudder went through the Jinzoningen and he fell to his knees only a few feet in front of Jenny. His clear black eyes were looking up at her and she was startled at the immense fear she saw in them. He wrapped his arms around himself, almost as if holding himself together. The eyes began to glow red again, but with a shake of his head, they returned to their normal black color.

Hacchan looked up at Jenny, still in fear, but also pleading. His eyes wandered to the ki-ball in her palm for a moment, before begging, "Please… do it…"

It was so quiet that Jenny almost wouldn't have heard it, but she knew what Hacchan was asking. With a look of grim determination on her face, she pushed the ki-ball directly into his chest, where it exploded along with him.

Jinzoningen Hachigou – Hacchan - was no more.

"Noooo!" Suno cried, falling to her knees. Other villagers appeared at her side, trying to comfort the grieving woman. "Why did you do it? Why did you kill him?"

"He was dangerous," Jenny answered, her voice cool. "He was reprogrammed."

"He was fighting against it!"

"Yes, he was. But he knew that he was losing. He would have hurt you all. This was the only thing I could do for you all."

"That's not true!" Suno yelled. "We would have given him another chance! We would have helped him! People thought that he was evil before! That he was a monster! But one boy didn't think so. He helped Hacchan flee, when he destroyed the Red Ribbon Army! Son Goku gave Hacchan a second chance!"

"Of course," Jenny mumbled with a scowl. Who else did she know who would give dangerous beings like the Jinzoningen a second chance? "Well, thank Dende that I'm not him or you would all be very dead very soon."

"You're cruel," the woman hissed. "You're heartless. You should wish to be like him. You should wish—"

"I shouldn't wish anything!" Jenny snarled, as her anger began to grow and threatened to explode. "I'm not my father and I'll never want to be like him."

With clenched fists, Jenny turned away from them and shot off into the sky, leaving speechless villagers behind. She flew directly to Capsule Corporation, where she stormed into her room and opened her journal.

_Date: November 4, 784_

_Place: Muscle Tower (near Jingle Village)_

_Leader: Commander Grey_

_Dead soldiers: number unknown_

_Killed the first Jinzoningen. He was Son Goku's friend._

After finishing her quick entry, Jenny flew into the desert to train. The burning heat was good after all the snow and the cold and here were still enough mountains to blow off some of the steam and anger. Here she could ascend into the second level without hurting someone. Here she could destroy without anyone noticing.

Here she could be the monster that she truly was.

…

In all her anger, Jenny had never noticed the one ki in the village that would make her mission from then on much more complicated. The soldier she had spared had been witness to her destruction of Jinzoningen Hachigou and her revelation. And after he had carefully sneaked away, he called General Black, the leader of the whole Red Ribbon Army.

"I need to speak to General Black. I've got news," he said into his mobile. "The Lost Warrior destroyed the Muscle Tower. But she revealed her identity. She's Son Goku's daughter."

"That's very valuable information, soldier," a female voice answered. "Stay low for now. Don't come to another base until we've reviewed all the data we have about Son Goku and his family."

* * *

_Weasel_

Jenny was annoyed. Until November she had had little to no problems finding the bases of the Red Ribbon Army, but then she had to go and reveal herself. Careless. Stupid. Her own fault.

After having destroyed a part of the desert, Jenny began stalking the soldier she had allowed to flee from the Muscle Tower. After a few days, she was growing confused. He seemed to be laying low, hiding, but not going to another base. Finally, after two weeks, she'd had enough and decided that another scare might be in order to get him going to another base.

Unfortunately, when cornered by her, the soldier revealed that they knew that she was Son Jenny and a Saiyajin. They knew that she could sense their kis and that she had been following the soldiers like this. He also told her, before she killed him, that every soldier who had managed to flee from her, should go into hiding and not go to other Army headquarters.

Fuck.

Everything had become a lot more difficult after that moment, but instead of stopping, Jenny now began to haunt dark bars and dingy clubs. Hoping to get some information from the underground. Everyone who saw her knew of course who she was, and most of them stayed out of her way. She got some people to talk, but none of them had any valuable information.

It went like this for weeks. Christmas came and went without being acknowledged, and the new year was about to start. On New Year's Eve Jenny was again hunting for information, when she was pointed to a corner in a club by one of its darker and more questionable clientele. He said that a man called Weasel was sitting there and that he knew everything about the Red Ribbon Army.

Not wanting to let this chance slide, Jenny approached the corner and sat down on the bench across from an older, sleazy looking guy. He was wearing old, but not all that shabby clothes and didn't have a lot of hair on his head. "You're Weasel?"

The man looked up from his beer and checked out the girl in front of him. "That's me. What can I do for you, Sweety?"

Scowling at the nickname, Jenny pulled her two swords out of their sheaths and put them on the table between them. Not for the first time she was glad that the metal detectors at the entrance couldn't detect the metal her swords were made of and her coat was hiding them well. "I think you know who I am and what I want."

Weasel's eyes widened, as he took in the swords and then took a closer look at the girl in front of him. "The Lost Warrior… I'm… I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you." He just wanted to get up to leave, but Jenny's hand shot out and grabbed his wrists, gripping it tightly. Weasel winced in pain, but sat back down.

"The Red Ribbon Army. I've heard you know everything about them. I need to know where they're hiding."

"Well, _everything_ is a bit of an exaggeration…" Jenny squeezed his wrist again. "But I've got enough connections to find out what you want to know… if you have the money."

"I won't pay you," Jenny said coolly.

Shrugging, Weasel leaned back, trying to free his hand, but the grip was still tight. "Then the deal's off."

"No, it's not." Once again, the grip on his wrist tightened. Weasel had to grit his teeth to keep from crying out loud. If she squeezed any harder, his wrist would break. "I can hurt you, Weasel. I can hurt you so much that you want to die. And then I can kill you with my little finger. I'll do that, if you stand in my way. But if you work with me, I won't hurt you and you'll stay alive."

As she released his wrist, Weasel immediately cradled it against his chest. He watched in fear, as the Lost Warrior picked up her swords and put them back into their sheaths. Then she got up from the bench and prepared to go.

"Think about it."

"Where… where do I find you?" Weasel asked weakly, as she took her first step.

"Don't worry," Jenny called over her shoulder. "I'll find you. And you better be quick."

…

A few days later, Jenny found Weasel again, and to her satisfaction, he had found out some information about another base of the Red Ribbon Army.

"I won't always be this quick," he told her, as he handed over the details in an envelope. "Gathering the right information could take time."

"I know, but I hope you'll always do your best…" Jenny told him, taking the envelope. "Until next time."

Weasel wasn't always the most cooperative business partner. Jenny often had to threaten him with violence or even remind him of the pain she could cause him until she got the information out of him. But she always got it, and the leaders of the Red Ribbon Army were fairly surprised, when she once again appeared on their doorsteps, as they had firmly believed that they had outsmarted her.

They were getting antsy. Jenny could feel it and clearly see it. Their attacks on her got more and more reckless. Now that they knew who she was, they even went after her, when she wasn't looking for them. Though strangely enough, they never attacked Capsule Corporation, but Jenny was glad for that. But now that they were getting more forward in their war, she not only had to deal with normal human soldiers anymore, but also with old and revived models of Jinzoningen more and more often. Those were desperate attempts, especially as it had quickly gotten obvious to all of them that the Jinzoningen were still no match for her. Jenny hoped that this meant that she was getting closer to her goal.

Their complete annihilation.

* * *

_Avoiding_

Nine months. Nine months had passed since the attack on the cinema. Nine months since the girl's best friends had been killed. Nine months since her downward spiral had begun.

Nine months spent avoiding her as much as possible.

Nine months in which he had barely exchanged twenty words with her.

Vegeta had stayed away from Capsule Corporation most of the time, having moved back into the small Capsule house in the woods near Li's school. Of course, no one there knew that he was living there. No one was allowed to know that the girl was basically living alone. She wasn't of age yet, so if social services figured it out, they'd get into a lot of trouble.

Most of the times, he kept his ki hidden. At the same time, he always observed the girl's ki. He always knew where she was – which was easy, as she hardly hid her ki anymore – and sometimes, when he had gathered enough courage, he followed her without her knowing.

And every time he saw her, every time he saw that another part of her soul had died, his guilt grew.

Every time he saw her, he was reminded of his failure. He should have stopped her the night she had lost her friends. He shouldn't have stepped aside. He should have given his life to save her.

But he didn't and now there was nothing he could do anymore. Now, it was too late. She was too far gone for him to reach her.

Only a miracle could save her now.

At that time Vegeta didn't know that, just a few months later, a possible miracle would literally arrive on their doorsteps.

* * *

**A/N2: In case you're wondering why time passes so quickly… well, as it is very obvious that Jenny is much more powerful than anything the Red Ribbon Army could throw at her, I didn't want to describe every single attack. It would only get repetitive and boring. And besides… The next chapter has been waiting on my hard drive for so long that I can't wait to post it :) Expect it in a couple of days!**


	65. Part III: The Visitor

**A/N: I know, I know I said a few days, but I just couldn't wait to post this chapter! It's really been sitting and waiting on my hard drive for too long. It just wanted to be posted, so I had to obey ;) Unfortunately I haven't even started yet with ch. 65, so that one won't be out as quickly. But at least I know exactly what I want to happen, so maybe it won't be that long until the next update. But chapters 66 and 67 have also been finished for some time, so expect quick updates, when it's their turn, and the first 1.700 words of chapter 68 are written as well. It's an amazing feeling to finally get to post chapters you've written so long ago :)**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 64: The Visitor**

It was a beautiful day in April. The sun was shining brightly, warming the Earth after its long absence during the dark and dreary winter months. Many animals used the chance to get out of their holes, once again enjoying the peaceful nature. This peace, however, should be soon destroyed again – at least for a few minutes.

In a clearing of a forest not far away from the Western Capital, a strange looking machine appeared with a bright flash, chasing away the small animals that had been there just seconds ago. The machine was about ten feet high with a glass dome covering its top and stood on three feet. After the humming sound of the machine subsided, the dome opened and a young man jumped out, landing on the green grass. He was about six foot tall and wore olive colored baggy pants, a black tank top and a blue jacket. He also had longer lilac colored hair that was tied back with only a few strands hanging into his blue eyes. Wiping one of those strands out of his eyes, he looked around carefully, before he turned back to the machine and turned it into a capsule by pressing a gray button. After he had stored the capsule away in a small box that he put into a pocket of his jacket, he gazed around once more and eventually took off into the sky, leaving behind a white trail of ki that already started to fade again.

With the speed he was flying at, it didn't take him long to reach the outskirts of the city, where he landed in an alley, unseen. It was a beautiful day in spring and it didn't bother him to walk the rest of his way – before he had departed, his mother had warned him not to display any of his stranger abilities in public, as if he even needed this warning. He knew better than to upset people by letting them see something they wouldn't understand.

However, while he was walking through the streets, he started to wonder. While there were quite a few people about, it was nothing compared to the usual hustle and bustle he knew form this timeline's Western Capital, which was quite unusual, seeing as he was slowly nearing the heart of the city. Another odd thing he noticed was the many construction sites and ruins of larger buildings. His heartbeat started to quicken, as a bad feeling was slowly growing inside of him. At first he had not paid it any heed, as they could have very well hidden it, but now the absence of the kis of his friends worried him greatly. But what could have possibly been strong enough to wipe out every single warrior on this planet?

Immediately checking for another large ki, he sighed with relief, as he didn't find one. Either whatever had done this – _if_ something had killed his friends – also knew how to hide its ki, did not have one or it was dead. He hoped for the latter, also not seeing any reason in reconstructing houses and buildings, when there was still something alive that could destroy it again. After all, even the people in his time had been insightful enough not to rebuild anything until the Jinzoningen had been destroyed.

Maybe he should hurry up a bit and find someone, who could explain this. Maybe someone of the old gang was still alive and just hiding his ki. Damn it, what should he tell his mom, if his worst fears came true?

Suddenly, as he was walking past a dark alley, he could hear someone whimper and noises as if someone was fighting. Expanding his ki, he could just feel two humans, one only a tad bit stronger than the other, but if there was some fighting going on and he could save a life, he shouldn't hesitate. Taking a few steps inside and waiting until his eyes had adjusted to the shadows, he finally saw them. But what he saw surprised him – a young woman, no, a girl who couldn't be older than eighteen, according to what he was able to see, was holding a middle-aged man by his throat pressed against a wall. The girl, who was wearing a black leather coat and had long blond and wavy hair, had a superior smirk on her face and he could smell the fear of the man.

Drawing his sword, he called, "Let him go."

He noticed her tense for a second, probably because she had been caught, but she didn't turn her head. "Sorry, can't do that."

"I warn you," he took a few steps closer, sword poised in his right hand, "let him go and I won't hurt you."

"Oh puh-lease," she half-whined, half-groaned, but clearly sounded annoyed, "as if you could hurt me." She now finally sneaked a glance at him, but had to squint against the glaring sun. However, as she noticed the sword gleam in the sunlight, she sighed and let the man go, who quickly scurried away. As she was glowering at the disappearing man, he could hear her mumble something like _Damn weasel!_ under her breath, before she turned her attention back to him. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this – how could she just turn her back on him, when he had a weapon pointed at her? Either she was incredibly stupid or she knew exactly what she was doing. "So, you wanna fight?" She reached with both hands over her shoulders and pulled two swords, one long, one short, out from their hiding-place underneath the coat. "Let's fight."

...

Jenny truly wondered when her day had started to turn out this way. Everything had gone so well this morning – she and the scientists had made some progress on the spaceship and then even gotten a message from Weasel that he had again some new information about the Red Ribbon Army. With him being her informant about the Red Ribbon Army it had only been normal that he had quickly figured out who she was. Fortunately he had promised – okay, after a few threats – not to disclose her identity to the still oblivious government. This was also the reason why she didn't feel the need to transform anymore, when she was dealing with him. After all, she was still stronger than him.

Yeah, it had been then, when things had started to go wrong. When she had found him, Weasel hadn't been really cooperative, as usual, starting once again to demand money in exchange for information, which she, as usual, wasn't willing to give. She had just wanted to use some of her normally very effective methods of persuasion, when this guy had decided to step in – of course, way too early, as she hadn't gotten any information out of Weasel yet. But that didn't matter – as soon as she had scared this wannabe-hero away, she would find Weasel again, hoping that he would be much more helpful then.

Holding both swords lazily in her hands, she walked up to him with a slight swagger in her steps and first stopped, when only a couple of feet were separating them. Due to the sunlight, she could still only see a shadow and the gleaming tip of his sword, but that didn't bother her at all. In only a few seconds it would all be over and she could return to her mission to find Weasel and squeeze the information she needed out of him. "So, you think you need to warn me? How about, I warn you? Do you have any fucking idea what you've just interrupted? No, of course not. Let me tell you one thing – this shit was important. So, what about this? We fight, I win and then I go back to my business. How does that sound?"

"Not good," he only answered. Now that she was standing closer, he could finally see her face. He had been right with his first assumption – this girl couldn't be older than eighteen, though her eyes – blue eyes - told him that she had had to grow up too fast. He knew that look, since he also saw it every day, when he looked into a mirror. But still… "You've hurt a man, an innocent, on purpose." He ignored her snort, and continued, as if he hadn't heard it at all. "I've seen enough suffering and I can't just stand by, when someone is attacked."

Jenny rolled her eyes at him. Was he trying to play the good guy, making her the bad guy, err, girl? Or was this just some kind of trap? It wouldn't be, after all, the first time that the Red Ribbon Army sent someone after her, since they had found out who she was. "Fuck… Okay then, how about we fight now and see what the outcome will be? But I promise, I will make it quick."

He couldn't believe how nonchalant and confident she appeared. She wasn't just bluffing, he could see it in her eyes - she honestly thought that she was going to win! And, as if proving her point, she attacked him without further warning and he just barely managed to block the two swords aiming at him. However, he was surprised to notice that she obviously hadn't intended to kill him, but mostly only scare him. Well, he would need to show her that he wasn't scared that easily. Ducking, he whirled around and once again their swords clashed. Raising his ki slightly, he caught her off guard and pushed her backwards. He could swear that he had heard her growl before she lunged at him again. Thinking that this time, she wouldn't be able to surprise him, he tightened the hold on his weapon and braced himself. And again, he had been wrong, as she somersaulted over his head, sprung around and kicked him in the back, sending him sprawling on the ground.

Jenny smirked, as she saw her opponent quickly flipping back to his feet. This fight actually promised to become mildly interesting – he seemed to know a bit about martial arts. And now she had a slight advantage on him, as they had changed positions and he was now the one looking into the harsh light, while she was now finally able to see exactly what he was doing – not that she needed her eyes, as she could very well feel him by his ki, which was, by the way, a bit higher than average and also a bit familiar; she just couldn't place it.

Suddenly, as he was once again facing her, Jenny recoiled slightly. "Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me!" she exclaimed, as she had regained her composure. This young man in front of her had a fascinating resemblance to Trunks, only that it couldn't be, since Trunks had been dead already for almost ten years. Besides, this one was looking older and even slightly different and the kis weren't identical. If the Red Ribbon Army had really thought she would fall for this, they couldn't be more wrong. "You guys really have to believe that I'm completely stupid! Okay, compliments for this, for having the guts to even try this shit, but still…" She shook her head in utter disbelief. "I mean, just look at the hair and, come on, he's only a year older than me and not five or six! And didn't you even think for a second that I might recognize that the kis aren't, if close, not the same?"

He looked at her, confusion written all over his face. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what the fuck I'm talking about! So stop playing clueless!" Jenny could not believe this. How dare he? First trying to pull this stunt and then denying everything. She truly should have expected this, even had in some way known that they would try anything to weaken her or make her lose her focus, but still, nothing could have prepared her for this. Shaking her head once again, she hissed, "This is way below the belt. Using him, using any of them to get to me…" She tightened the grip around her swords and transformed, her hair and eyes turning black. "For this, you will pay."

Too stunned by her sudden changes, he only missed her blades by inches. What the hell was going on here? He still didn't understand what she was talking about, but he finally understood that this girl was to be taken seriously. Her now black eyes flashed at him dangerously, as their swords clashed again, and her ki had risen to heights that could only be rivaled by Krillin or Tenshinhan. Not that he was worried, since he was easily surpassing her in power. No human would ever be able to defeat a Saiyajin, this was a proven fact and he would prove it again.

Soon, only blurry images could be seen in that alley, as both fighters started to move quicker than for the human's eye to perceive. Sparks and sounds of metal grating against metal could be heard and then the rattling sound of trashcans falling over.

Then again, maybe she wasn't human at all, he thought, as he picked some litter out of his hair and climbed out of the mess of garbage he had landed in. A human changing his or her outer appearance wasn't that unusual – his mother had once told him that Tenshinhan's former girlfriend changed now and then, only that her transformation was usually accompanied by a complete change of character – so this hadn't worried him overly much. Only the fact that she had already sent him to the ground twice and her incredibly high ki made him wonder who, or rather, what he was dealing with.

"What are you?" he asked, once again getting into a defensive stance, as he saw her sword again swinging at him.

"Aquarius, you?"

"That's not what I meant," he said through gritted teeth and jumped away from her. "You're too strong to be human."

"Oh, come on. Don't give me this shit. You know exactly what I am and who I am. After all, you guys have been sending killers after me ever since you've found out." While she was talking, Jenny also started to wonder about him. He could match her strength almost without effort, only the way he fought with the sword was a bit sloppy – but this she could use to her advantage. He couldn't be a Jinzoningen, as Jinzoningen didn't have ki and Jenny had not heard yet about a way to record ki-signatures and use them on beings without ki, but he couldn't be human either. This only led to one conclusion, one that she wasn't willing to understand. They were dead and she was working on the only way to bring them back. Besides, if it really was him, shouldn't he recognize her?

"You still haven't answered my question." He was slowly getting tired of this game. Why did she insist that he knew her, or at least of her, when he had never seen her before?

He heard her sigh, but the annoyed look was still on her face. "Actually, still pissed off, but as you obviously want to continue playing fucking clueless, I tell you what you already know. I'm a Saiyajin."

_A Saiyajin?_ Was she maybe responsible for the disappearance of the others' kis?

He didn't have any more time to wonder about this, as he once more had to dodge one of her attacks. However, as he swung up his sword to block the second assault, the girl simply twisted the hand in which she was holding the longer of her two weapons and wrenched his sword almost effortlessly out of his grasp. It hit the ground with a clattering sound a few feet behind her and the moment he wanted go after it, he already felt the pointy end of her short sword at his throat.

"Don't move, or we'll see what _you_ are," she threatened, as she was stepping forward until she had him pressed against a wall.

One look into her eyes told him that she wasn't joking, so he kept still. During the fight he had noticed that her swords were indeed very sharp and could easily pierce anything that she wanted to be pierced – he was even sure that powering up more wouldn't help him much. If she really was what she claimed to be, there might be a serious fight ahead and he would really much stay alive to be a part of it and this meant not getting killed now. This also meant that he needed a plan, but to form a plan he needed some more time before getting his throat slit. "Who are you?"

"I think now it's my turn to ask some questions, don't ya think?" she asked sweetly and then continued in a tone that displayed steel determination. "Now, who the fuck are you?"

Suddenly, now that he had the more or less comfortable possibility to take a good look at her, he got an unexpected sense of déjà-vu. Something about her just seemed so awfully familiar, something he hadn't noticed before. He let his eyes wander as far as the tip of the sword allowed them to – also noticing the strange engravings on the short sword; those engravings looked a lot like the Dragon Balls, which only added to his confusion - trying to figure it out, until he met her eyes and, gazing into them, he just knew. "Gohan…"

"What?" Jenny whispered, lowering the sword just for a second, before bringing it up again closer than before. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You look like him. Your eyes, they are…" If he had been able to shake his head, he would have done it. "Just like his…"

"No. More. Fucking. Games!" Jenny forced out through gritted teeth, bringing the tip of her sword even closer to his throat, so that the cool blade touched the skin. If he really had been sent after her by the Red Ribbon Army, he was a really good actor. She couldn't even begin to describe the raw emotions in his voice – sadness, wonder and also a bit of hope, mixed with so many others that she couldn't identify. He actually acted, as if he knew her brother and her family. "I warn you, don't lie to me. Who are you?"

"My name is Trunks Briefs," he told her. He started slightly, as her eyes widened in apparent surprise and disbelief, and feared that maybe this had been the wrong thing to say. "And I'm from the future."

Trying to slow down her heart that was beating hard and fast against her chest, Jenny took a few deep and calming breaths. He had to be lying! Trunks was dead! But what if what he had said was true and he really had come from the future? This would mean that she had succeeded in resurrecting them, but if that were the case, then why had he traveled back in time and most importantly, why didn't he recognize her? "You claim to be Trunks fucking Briefs and from the future?"

"I am Trunks Briefs and I am from the future," he confirmed, deliberately ignoring her overabundant use of swear words. Somehow, she didn't look like that kind of girl.

"But you have no idea who I am," she stated, eyeing him warily with narrowed eyes.

"I have never seen you before," he answered truthfully, though he knew that this hadn't really been a question. "I only came from the future to tell my friends here that the Jinzoningen and Cell in my time are defeated and that the world has started to rebuild what has been destroyed."

"You're… you're Mirai Trunks…" Jenny lowered her sword, but was still vigilant in case this was just a trick to lull her into a feeling of false security. "The one who came to the past the first time to warn them against the Jinzoningen and later to help them fight against Cell."

"That's me." He sighed with relief and this not only because the sword wasn't directed at his throat anymore. Even if he still didn't know her, she seemed to have at least heard of him. "How do you know this? Do you know Son Goku or his son maybe, Gohan?" He hoped that the answer to this question would explain, why her eyes looked so much like the ones of his deceased friend and mentor.

Slowly growing more relaxed, but still vigilant, Jenny stepped back, giving him some space. "Goku and I, we met about ten fucking years ago." Taking a deep breath, not knowing if she could trust him with this information, she hesitated and averted her eyes. Though she was still a bit cautious, she couldn't help but think that this might really be true and wondered how she could not have thought about this possibility of him being Mirai Trunks before. But still, a small part of her was reluctant to trust him. Too much had already happened to her to simply trust someone she had just met, especially considering the current situation. But was trusting someone the same as entrusting someone with some information that was already common knowledge among her enemies? When she met again his inquiring gaze, she thought _Fuck_ _it all!_ and said, "I'm his daughter."

"His daughter?" he sputtered, letting his eyes wander over her again. Now that she'd said it, it was much easier to see the resemblance between the girl and the legendary Saiyajin. This also explained, why her eyes looked so much like Gohan's, though her personality couldn't be any more different from Goku's and Gohan's. But how ChiChi would allow such language from her was a mystery he had yet to solve. However, more importantly he wondered, when she was born, because as far as he knew, Goku hadn't changed his decision to stay in the afterlife. "How?"

Jenny chuckled wryly, suddenly feeling more relieved after having witnessed his genuinely confused reaction, and crossed her arms over her head to sheathe her two swords. It appeared that she had done the right thing with telling him. But, just to be sure, she had to let Vegeta take a look at him to confirm this _stranger's_ identity, as soon as the Prince turned up again at Capsule Corporation. Until then, it wouldn't hurt to be nice, even if it had just the neat side-effect of catching him off guard, should he be lying. If there was one thing, she had learned over the past year, it was never to trust anyone. "I think you know how _this_ shit works. I'm Jenny, by the way."

Ever being the gentlemen his mother had raised him to be, he extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Jenny."

"Nice to meet ya, too, Mirai," she replied, as she took his hand. "I hope you don't mind, if I call you Mirai, because calling you Trunks is friggin' weird."

"I don't mind at all. I believe it would also be strange for my other self of this time, if he suddenly not only had to share his looks, but also his name with... What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, when Jenny lowered her head, letting her black hair fall into her face.

"A lot of shit is wrong. Trunks is dead. As is almost everyone else…" Noticing the slightly shaken look on his face, she forced a smile on hers, already angry at herself for showing this weakness. It's been too long, since she'd had to talk to someone about this. "It's a fucking long story. How about we head back to Capsule Corporation and I fill you in on the way there?" She turned around to leave the alley and saw Mirai's sword lying on the ground. She bent down, picked it up and gave it a few good swings. "The sword's not bad, but no one taught you how to use it, am I right?"

He caught the weapon, as she tossed it at him and sheathed it. "That's right," he admitted. "How could you tell?"

Shrugging, she told him, "Your moves were kinda uncoordinated and you just haven't been one with your sword. It's kinda hard to explain, but anyone being taught in the art of sword fighting, like I was, could see this."

"Who taught you?" Mirai asked conversationally, as they left the alley together and walked along the same road he had already wanted to take to Capsule Corporation. He had noticed that her use of curses had lessened while talking about the swords. Somehow, this fight with the girl amazed him. Her fighting technique had been flawless, unlike his own. And the most curios thing of their whole fight had been that obviously none of them had even thought about taking the fight into the air or using ki attacks. It almost seemed, as if Jenny had wanted to solely rely on her skills with her swords and pure Martial Arts.

"A master of weapons," she explained. "His name is Li. I've spent four years at his school, during which I learned to fight almost perfectly with different weapons and also learnt to not only rely on the powers given to me by my heritage. At the end of my apprenticeship, he gave me these swords, but this is a story for another time. You wanted to know about the other warriors…"

"That's right. What happened to them? I already had a bad feeling, when I couldn't feel their kis, but I tried to tell myself that they were only hiding them, for whatever reason. I think I just didn't want to believe that they're all dead."

"Not all of them are dead. Vegeta's still alive," Jenny answered with a small smile on her face, which disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared and was replaced with a dark, angry look. "But we rarely talk to each other. He's never around anyway."

Somehow Mirai got the feeling that there was more to what Jenny was saying, but on the other hand it was just so like his father to treat his rival's daughter like that. "So, is it just you and Vegeta? Or is there also someone else?"

Shrugging, Jenny replied, "It's just us. Grandma survived the attacks, but she died not even three years later. Some shit like a heart attack, the doctor said, though I think it's been because of a fucking broken heart for having lost grandpa in the attacks."

"Those attacks…" he began thoughtfully, not really knowing how to breach that obviously still painful subject, but desperately needing to know. "What happened? When did this happen? What did all of this?" Motioning with his arms to the construction sites and the destroyed buildings, he illustrated, what exactly he was talking about. He wanted to know, what had been strong enough to wipe out almost all of the strongest warriors on this planet.

"Buu," she spat, clearly disgusted by this name. "Fucking Buu happened. He destroyed everything, killed about two third of earth's population, my family and friends before daddy dearest managed to stop him. And all of this shit happened within a few fucking hours, ten years ago."

Buu… This name didn't mean anything to him and to be honest, it was hard to believe that someone called Buu – what a ridiculous name was that anyway? - had been able to almost destroy the earth. But his eyes and this girl told him otherwise. Ten years… How old had she been then? Seven, eight? It must have been cruel to be stripped of everyone you love in one single day.

He himself remembered how much it had hurt, when he had lost Gohan and he had been older then. Besides, he still had had his mother then, his own blood to rely on. Unlike him, she didn't have true family left after the attacks. Only Vegeta and his grandmother, if he wasn't completely wrong, since he believed that ChiChi's mother was already long dead. And then, only three years later, she had lost the only woman in her life, leaving her with a man, who he deemed to be completely unfitting for a father figure and role model according to his own experiences in the Room of Spirit and Time. No wonder she was talking like that!

"So, you're staying with Vegeta?" Mirai had to ask eventually, after they had walked next to each other in silence for a few minutes.

"Yeah, we're living together at Capsule Corporation. He's the only… person I have left, since grandma died. Before, they kind of… shared… the raising me part. Grandma taking over all the human aspects, if you might call it that way, and Vegeta taking over the Saiyajin aspects, but after…" She shrugged, almost too nonchalantly for his taste. "It was just me and him."

"I see…" Once again silence, but this time it was more uncomfortable than before and Mirai couldn't help but feel responsible for this. Way to go to make a first impression, he chastised himself. First attacking her and then bringing up touchy subjects. Racking his brain, he desperately tried to think of a subject that might lighten the mood, until he suddenly remembered their 'conversation' back in the alley. "By the way, Sagittarius."

Jenny stopped, but instead of saying something, she only tilted her head to the right and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I asked you what you are and you answered Aquarius and well, Sagittarius, that's me. Thought you might want to know."

Smiling – actually the first real smile he had seen on her face since he had met her – Jenny shook her head and went on. "You're fucking strange, you know that?"

"Well, you should try to grow up around women and perverts and get out of this unscathed." Mirai bit his tongue, as he saw that her eyes once again got darker and that the smile left her face. _Open mouth, insert foot, please._ It seemed that he was slowly running out of feet.

"Buu was a fucking Majin," Jenny suddenly explained, as if the lighter moment had never happened. "To make a freaking long story short, this magician, Babidi, came to resurrect Buu and succeeded with the energy of Gohan, Vegeta and Goku. Piccolo killed Babidi, but Buu went on a rampage and killed everything and everyone who got in his way. Daddy dearest eventually managed to kill him, but it was too late for the others."

"How did you and Vegeta survive?" Mirai caught himself asking, before he could stop the words from tumbling from his mouth.

"I- it's not important. We were lucky, I guess." He heard her inhale deeply, before she turned to him. "It's fucking okay, Mirai. I'm fine. It's the past. Life's shitty most of the time, I admit, but yours must've been a lot shittier. You had to fight the Jinzoningen for how long? Fifteen, sixteen years?"

"Well, I was about six months old, when they first attacked, and I managed to kill them when I was about twenty." He shook his head, remembering how his mother had thrown a fit, when he had admitted that he didn't know anymore how old he actually was. Traveling back and forth in time twice and spending two years in another dimension made him a lot older than he actually should be according to his birth certificate. "Time Travel and the Room of Spirit and Time really mess with your age. But we shouldn't talk about this. You are right, this is the past, so let's talk about the present."

Her lips formed a small sardonic grin, as she heard his words. Behind the high walls that had protected her for the past year, she thought that the present was good. The past only hurt. He didn't need to know how much she really missed her family. Talking about the present meant being able to hold onto the anger, without which she probably wouldn't be able to go on.

Maybe having Mirai – if he really was who he claimed to be, Jenny reminded herself forcefully, inwardly shaking her head at how easily she had forgotten to be on guard - here in her time might even help her. After having grown up with Bulma Briefs as mother, he just had to know a thing or two about technology and his strength might be an asset in her current mission. "Ask away, what do you want to know?"

"This guy back in the alley… He wasn't innocent? Because, if he was, I truly need to reconsider if I want to stay with you. After all, you might be leading me into a trap," he joked. In those few minutes he had known her, he had already seen so much of himself in her that it was scary. There was a certain amount of darkness that came from her heritage and experiences, and high walls that were protecting her, but now that he had the chance, he could neither sense nor see anything remotely evil.

"You might call him innocent, but he's deep in some shit," Jenny replied. "He's my informant for everything concerning the fuckin' RRA."

Mirai stopped dead in his tracks and blurted, "RRA? As in Red Ribbon Army? They're back?"

* * *

Mirai still couldn't wrap his mind around it, as he was unpacking his few belongings in the guest room that Jenny had shown him. Well, _shown him_ was a slight exaggeration, as she had merely said to him, "You know where the guest rooms are. I'm gonna train." And then she had left, just like that. A small part of him was bothered by this dismissal, but a bigger part of him was glad for the quiet. At least now he had some time to think about everything that had been revealed on the way to Capsule Corporation.

And the most shocking revelation wasn't even that the Red Ribbon Army was back. No, this wasn't it. What had shaken him most was the fact that everyone was dead. Every single one of his friends, except for Vegeta, who had except for one occasion – which had been his death – never shown more than indifference towards him, and a girl he had never met before. No, that wasn't quite right. Tenshinhan and Chao-zu were still alive, too, but that was it. Gohan, Yamcha, Krillin, Muten Roshi, ChiChi, his mother…. Oh Kami, his mother…

Mirai buried his face in his hands, as he slumped down on the bed. It was his timeline all over again.

Only that this destruction hadn't happened over the course of two decades, but within a few hours, by a being which power he couldn't even imagine.

"_Daddy dearest managed to kill him somehow. I guess he really must've been pissed to achieve this fucking power. Vegeta couldn't even put a fucking dent into Buu."_

If not even his father, who must have reached the second level by then, had managed to harm this Buu, Goku truly must have become powerful in the afterlife.

And yet, when he heard Jenny speak of him, it was more than obvious that, while there was a certain amount of respect for the power, she didn't like her father particularly much.

Then again, she didn't seem to like anything particularly much.

Which wasn't that surprising really, with his father having been the only role model in the last few years. Their grandmother – it was weird that they had the same grandmother, even though she and Jenny hadn't been blood-related – might have been able to keep the balance somewhat, but he knew his father. He had spent two years all alone with this man, after all, and he knew that his father just wasn't fit to be a good role model for a child. It was a wonder that the girl wasn't a blood thirsty killer.

Maybe, maybe he could try to be the balance while he was staying. In a way, he knew what she was going through, what she had gone through, so maybe he had a chance to get through to her. There just had to be more to Jenny than what he had seen of her until now, the front she was presenting. He had seen it in her eyes, just for a short moment, but it had been there. The pain, the vulnerability, the cry for help. And if he could help her somehow, he would do it.

Nodding resolutely, Mirai got up again and finished putting his clothes away. He wished, he could check in with his mom, but the communicator she had been working on hadn't been quite finished, when he had left. Maybe she could have helped him with his new mission, but it seemed that he was on his own.

He could only do his best.

It didn't take long until everything was stored away and while he didn't want to wait in his room until Jenny came to get him, he also wasn't sure if he should go and find her. Sighing, Mirai went to the big window of his room, from which he had a good view over the backyard.

And was immediately fascinated by what he was seeing.

Just like many other people before him, he just couldn't look away, as Jenny was doing one of the many katas with her swords. She was black-haired again, Mirai noticed, wearing only a black sports bra and black training pants with her black hair in a tight braid. It was a fast-paced kata, but as he watched, he could understand how she had beaten him so easily. Contrary to his, her moves were really flawless, smooth, as if the swords were just extensions of her arms. It all seemed to come naturally to her, as if she were born for it.

Well, Mirai decided. Bothering her right now, when she was in such deep concentration, wouldn't be good, but there was one thing he could do.

He grinned lightly, as he left his room and walked towards the kitchen.

She was a Saiyajin, so she must be starving after her training session.

* * *

"Damn," Mirai muttered, as he had gone through every closet in the kitchen and the fridge and had only been able to find some cereals, noodles, milk, cheese, yoghurt and a small rest of instant tomato sauce. What the hell was this girl eating? It would be almost impossible to prepare a meal. Almost…

So Mirai went to work, cooking the noodles, mixing some of the milk with the yoghurt, about two third of the cheese and some spices that he had found and heated it so that the cheese would melt. All of it went into a gratin dish with the noodles, then he spread the rest of the cheese over it and put it into the oven for twenty minutes. In the meantime, Mirai made the instant tomato sauce and put some more spices into it just in case. He didn't know Jenny's tastes at all, but he knew from personal experience that a hungry Saiyajin would eat almost everything that was even remotely edible.

"This doesn't smell too bad."

Mirai whirled around startled upon hearing this unexpected voice. There he was. His father was casually leaning against the doorframe, the look in his face unreadable. Mirai didn't know what to say, mainly because his father looked so different from the last time he had seen him. The hair was much shorter, human in its style, and he was actually wearing dark blue jeans and a tight black T-shirt. "F-father?"

"So it really was your ki I felt," Vegeta stated indifferently, as he walked past Mirai to the sink and filled a glass with some cold water. "Why are you back?"

Shaking his head slightly, Mirai quickly got rid of the surprise, when he saw that while he had changed on the outside, his father was still the very same man on the inside. "I killed Juunanagou, Juuhachigou and Cell. I've come back to tell you this."

Raising an eyebrow, Vegeta asked with sarcasm dripping from his voice, "And you expect me to do what? To offer my congratulations for managing to do something in twenty years, something for which we only needed a few weeks? Then you've come to the wrong place."

Mirai resisted the urge to clench his fists, as he tried to stay calm. "I just thought you'd be interested in hearing that I'm still alive and that my timeline is safe now."

"Think again," Vegeta only said to him. "But at least you're already making yourself useful around here. Keep doing that and we might consider not sending you back yet."

For a split second, Mirai thought he saw something in his father's eyes, an almost pleading look, but it was gone with a blink, so that Mirai believed to have imagined it. After all, his father would never look at anyone like that.

So focused was he on his father that he once again jumped around, when he again heard a voice behind him.

"So, he's the real deal?" Vegeta must have nodded behind him, because a smirk appeared on Jenny's face, as she said, "Good. Would've been too bad to just kill you. Too much freaking power to waste. Might be useful."

Before Mirai could say something, the timer of the oven went off and he put his mystery pasta bake on the table. No one spoke during the meal, but contrary to his father and Jenny, who just seemed to be not talking, Mirai was again lost in his thoughts.

When he had left his timeline this morning, he had expected a warm welcome by his friends. He had imagined telling them how much he had missed them, but that everything was good now in his timeline. He certainly hadn't imagined this. His father didn't want him here at all, except if he could prove himself useful, and Jenny just seemed to want him around for the same reason.

This obvious rejection stung just a bit more, when he realized that Jenny barely touched the food.

…

While they were eating, Vegeta was carefully watching the boy. He noticed the glances he gave the girl, he saw the hurt in his eyes, when she barely ate anything, at least according to Saiyajin standards. And he noticed the subtle glares the boy was giving him, whenever he thought he wasn't looking. But, fortunately, most of the boy's attention was on the girl.

Here they were, two warriors who had gone through similar things. But at the same time they couldn't be more different. The girl, always angry, always pushing everyone who she couldn't use for her mission away. And then the boy, still holding onto a part of his innocence, reaching out to people, wanting to help them.

It was obvious that the boy wanted to help the girl.

Vegeta hoped that the girl would let him help her.

The Red Ribbon Army was almost completely destroyed and if she didn't snap out of it after the last soldier was dead, Vegeta was scared about what he would have to do to stop her. And he would need to stop her, before she became the next threat to the world and the whole universe.

So Mirai was Jenny's only and last chance to regain control over herself without having to kill her.

If Dende were still alive, Vegeta might be found praying to him that Mirai would manage to break through the high walls Jenny had erected around herself and save her before it really was too late.

* * *

**A/N2: Dun dun dun... Enter Mirai ;)**


	66. Part III: My Way

**A/N: Don't you guys just love holidays? When you don't have to work and can do what you want every day? Getting up late, spending the day as you like and staying up as long as you want? I use my summer hols for catching up on my reading and writing. I've gotten the "Game of Thrones" series and even though I've just read the first one until now, I'm hooked. Okay, I've watched the TV show before that, but still, the first book was great and I can't wait to read the second one. But before I could start with it, I wanted to finish this chapter. And here it is! :o) Enjoy reading!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 65: My Way**

Dinner was an eerily silent affair, Mirai reflected, while he, his father and Jenny were eating. No one was saying a word, and not feeling brave enough to interrupt the icy silence between Jenny and his father, he hadn't dared to start a conversation himself. Even after Vegeta had left without a word, when he had finished, Mirai didn't know what to say. Instead he had just found himself looking at the girl several times, watching her. He hadn't had a chance to get a real good look at her before, too shocked and confused by her revelations, but now that he did he was immediately worried.

Now that she had transformed back, but was still only wearing the black sports bra she had trained in, it was easy to see how thin she really was. Her coat had hidden it well before, but now every protruding bone was visible. And somehow, it looked even worse now that she wasn't in her Saiyajinform – it hadn't seemed to be that bad, when he had watched her train with her swords earlier. Maybe because her muscles were slightly more bulged then. Saiyajins were always slim, their bodies pure muscle, if they kept up their training, easily burning all the calories they took in with their huge meals. Jenny, however, looked sickly thin. Almost anorexic. If she didn't have the muscular body of a Saiyajin, he was sure her skin would have been tight over her bones. But thanks to her heritage, her strong and lean muscles were still between her skin and her bones.

The only question in Mirai's eyes was: how long? How long had she already been eating as much as a normal human, or even less? How long until her body would attack her muscles in need for nourishment? How long until she would grow weaker despite all her training?

But it wasn't just how thin she was, though it was the most alarming thing that had Mirai worried. On her arms, stomach and back he could see small, faint scars. The rings under her eyes looked like black bruises, there was a scowl on her face most of the time, and if it wasn't a scowl it was a frown or a mockery of a smile. Never the true thing. Never. Her long hair was limp, missing its natural shine.

How could Vegeta not see this? And if he did, how could he not do anything? Only a healthy Saiyajin could get stronger. His father had told him even that in the Room of Spirit and time, when he had come down with a fever, after he had trained too hard and too long, forgoing sleep and meals, just to prove to his father how strong he was. The body needs enough nourishment and rest. Otherwise you would just get weaker instead of stronger.

Maybe… no, not even his father would be so cruel. He couldn't be hoping that Jenny got weaker and weaker and then… No. She was the last surviving Saiyajin in this timeline next to him, and the very last female on top of that. He couldn't wish that for his race.

Why wasn't he helping her? Was it because she was Goku's daughter? Was it because she was just a third class? Or was it because she was the last thing that kept him bound to Earth?

Mirai didn't know, and somehow, he also didn't want to know. His father had already disappointed him more than enough. No, that wasn't true… His expectations in his father had been too high, so he had set himself up for this disappointment. But still… if Vegeta didn't help her, who would in this timeline?

I will, Mirai reaffirmed his earlier decision with a firmness that surprised even him.

He was torn out of his thoughts, when Jenny's chair suddenly scraped on the floor as she pushed it back and got up. "I'm going to take a shower now and after that I'm going Weasel-hunting," she announced, as she turned to go. But before she could leave the kitchen, she hesitated for a second and then turned around with an unreadable look on her face. "If you want to, you can come along."

"Sure…" Mirai said, confused but at the same time happy at her invitation. "I'll clean the kitchen and then I'll go to my room. Just get me, when you're ready."

Nodding, Jenny left the kitchen, but Mirai could only sigh. A part of him was happy that she seemed to care enough about him to ask him to come along. But on the other hand, this afternoon, right after they had met, they had seemed closer somehow. She had been a lot more open than tonight, but maybe he had just caught her off guard, causing her to lower the walls around her.

Shaking his head, Mirai began to clean the table by putting the plates into the dishwasher and the leftovers into the fridge. At least she had asked him and this had to count for something.

Maybe… maybe she was just as desperate for a friend as he was.

Closing his eyes, Mirai braced himself against the counter, as he felt the first tears in his eyes since Jenny had told him about what had happened to the others. Everyone. Was. Gone.

Dead.

There was a reason, why Mirai had come back to this point of time and not to the time shortly after Cell. He had wanted to meet an older Gohan again. He had wanted to meet himself, when he was older. He had hoped that… that they would get close.

His mother had been so worried about him. All he had back in his time were his mom, ChiChi and Muten Roshi. There was no one his own age who he could relate to. No one he could see as a friend. More than once his mom had told him to go out and meet some people, but who could he meet? The people in his time were scared of anything supernatural, so he would have had to hide. Always. And he couldn't hide, who he was. He couldn't deny his heritage. And because of that, he had never made any friends.

So, coming back here, he had hoped to become friends with the young Saiyajins of this time. No, it wasn't just what he had hoped for. It was what his mom had hoped for, too.

"You stay there as long as you want," she had told him, before he had left. They had been standing in front of the time machine and there had been a slightly misty look to her eyes. "Get to know them. Allow them to really get to know you. Don't worry about me and first come back, when you really want to. By that time, I'm sure I've finished the communicator, so you can talk to me, when you go back to them."

Mirai had been confused by her words at first, but then later, in the time machine, he had guessed what his mom had been trying to tell him. She wanted to give him the chance at a new life, away from all the destruction, surrounded by other Saiyajins who could become his friends, and his living family. She wanted him to decide to stay in the other timeline for good. To be happy there and build a life which she knew would be impossible in their timeline.

If only she had known, what had been waiting for him here.

Almost just as much destruction as in his timeline. Only two survivors – his father and a girl whose existence they hadn't even dreamed of.

It was certainly not what either of them had imagined.

"You stand there any longer and the girl will leave without you."

Whirling around, Mirai found his father stand in front of the kitchen table. Cursing himself, Mirai vowed to pay better attention to his surroundings from now on. It wouldn't do him any good, if his father managed to surprise him again, at least in his father's eyes.

"I was… I was just…"

"I don't care, what you were doing," his father said harshly and threw an envelope on the table. "Here…"

"What's this?" Mirai asked confused, as he picked up the envelope. When he opened it, he found a thick bundle of bills. "Why are you giving me money?"

"It's for groceries. Now that actually someone's here who'll eat something, you'll use it to fill the fridge."

Clenching his fist around the envelope and the money, Mirai tried to keep his temper. How dare this man in front of him assume that just because he'd be staying here for some time, he'd do all the chores around here? Preparing meals, cleaning up after the meal, going grocery shopping.

"Is there anything specific you wish me to buy, _father_?" Mirai hissed eventually, as Vegeta was already leaving the kitchen again.

Mirai almost thought, he'd misheard, when his father answered quietly, "Chocolate. Buy her lots of milk chocolate."

Shaking his head, Mirai watched his father leave. Then, after having put the envelope into his pocket, he finished cleaning the kitchen, and then went up to the guest room he'd claimed as his. He put the money into a bag he had brought along – he would really need to do some grocery shopping tomorrow, if he wanted to stay here for a bit longer _and_ find out what was wrong with Jenny – and then sat down on the bed, waiting.

He wondered for a moment, if he should change into other clothes, but then again, he didn't know where they would go. After he had gotten here, he had changed into a pair of light blue jeans and a dark T-shirt – his favorite clothes would need to be washed; he had, after all, flown into a dumpster during his fight with Jenny – so he guessed that they would do.

"You ready?" Jenny's voice asked suddenly from the doorway. Mirai noticed that she was again wearing the clothes from earlier today – black boots, black jeans, black top and black leather coat. Not to forget the black hair and dark make-up around her eyes, a stark contrast to her pale skin.

Berating himself for having once again gotten lost in his thoughts, he took his blue Capsule Corporation jacket and got up. "Sure."

"Good, but drop the CC jacket. Even though the RRA knows who I am, the government is _still_ clueless about my identity and I'd like to keep it this way. But if I'm seen with someone wearing the logo of Capsule Corp. they'll figure it out."

"Alright," Mirai agreed and left the jacket on the bed. He pondered taking his sword for a moment, but then realized that it would be difficult to conceal without his jacket. So, with a quiet sigh, he didn't take it with him. "It makes sense. So, where are we gonna go?"

"To the bad part of town," Jenny just announced and then turned on her heels, obviously trusting him to follow her.

Once they were outside, Mirai had expected them to fly to their destination, but Jenny seemed to be utterly content to walk. The moon was starting to rise into the cloudless sky, but the air was still pleasantly warm. During their walk, Mirai tried to think of a few things to say, but what he had already suspected during dinner seemed to be true. Jenny was closed off again, emitting an air that nearly screamed: '_Stay away from me!'_ He still had so many questions, but if she wanted to talk to him, she needed to make the first move. Mirai guessed that pushing her might just make her push him away.

About half an hour later, they were standing in front of a dark building. Inside, the muffled beats of the bass were clearly audible to his Saiyajin hearing and people mostly dressed in black were lingering around the entrance. Already in the past five minutes of their walk, Mirai had noticed that they must have left the 'good part of town' behind.

Many of the streetlamps weren't working well; some were flickering, others not working at all. Just this would make this part of the Western Capital a lot darker than the other parts, but the numbers of people you usually wouldn't see in daylight in the better part of town betrayed it even more. Homeless people and drunk people. Women who were selling their bodies and drug addicts. Almost at every corner. And the smell, Kami the smell. Urine and sweat, rot and decay.

Mirai knew why he always stayed clear of those parts of the towns he visited. His sensitive Saiyajin senses, especially his sense of smell, made it extremely difficult go visit them. That and he just couldn't stand seeing those poor people, whose lives had been ruined and how they continued to ruin themselves. With all the destruction and pain he had experienced, it was only so much one could take.

Still, Jenny didn't seem to be impressed by all of this at all. She was walking swiftly through the dark alleys and stepped up to the bouncer of the dark club with a confidence he would certainly lack in a situation like this. The fact that she didn't need to say anything to be let inside the club just showed that they knew her, or at least of her, and didn't dare to deny her entrance.

Warily, Mirai followed her inside and through the throngs of people.

It was dark, the air filled with smoke. The smell of sweat and smoke was incredibly strong inside. The heavy music too loud for his ears. Bodies writhing against each other on the dance floor.

Again, Jenny wasn't bothered by this. She was headed straight for a corner on the other side of the hall, where it was even darker than in the rest of the club. She knew where she was going, Mirai was sure of it, and also that she wasn't here for the first time.

"It's pretty cliché, isn't it?" he asked her, saying the first thing since they had left Capsule Corporation that night. "I mean, hiding in a dark and dingy club?"

"Don't tell me," Jenny threw over her shoulder and then, just a few seconds later, they were standing in front of a table, behind which a stunned man was sitting – Weasel. A scared look crossed over his face and he tried to get up from the chair he was sitting on, but Jenny was quicker and pushed him back down quite forcefully. Then she took a seat on the chair across from him. "Weasel, Weasel, Weasel… You know that I'll always find you…"

"Damn," Weasel muttered resigned and leaned back. "Sweety, what can I do for you… oh, you've brought a friend." Weasel was eyeing Mirai suspiciously, as he realized that the girl wasn't alone, but then turned his full attention back to Jenny.

"Weasel, that's Mirai. Mirai, Weasel," Jenny introduced them shortly, before getting straight to business. "You know exactly why I'm here, Weasel. We've got some unfinished business. What news do you have for me? And no games, Weasel. I'm tired of them."

"Okay, okay…" He sighed in exasperation and hesitated a moment before he told them, "I've found out where Major Brown's base is."

"Very good," Jenny said with a pleased smirk on her face. "And where is it?"

Weasel pushed a piece of paper across the table. Jenny took it and unfolded it to take a quick look at what was written there. Unfortunately Mirai was standing at an angle to Jenny which didn't allow him to look at it as well. Really, he thought frowning, if Jenny wanted him to come along, she should share some of the things they were dealing with.

Appearing to be satisfied with the information, Jenny put the note into a pocket of her jeans and rose from the chair. "Thanks Weasel," she told the man, as she took a few bills from another pocket and threw them on the table. "Buy yourself something to drink. You've earned it. And I'll hope I'll be seeing you soon with some new information. _The_ information."

"It's been a pleasure as always, Sweety," Weasel said, quickly gathering the money she had given him before she decided otherwise. This was the first time she had given him any money, and even if it wasn't a lot, it was still enough to buy a few drinks. "And I'll keep my eyes and ears open for ya."

Nodding at him, Jenny turned on her heel and walked again past the dance floor to the exit, barely giving Mirai time to follow her. Once they were outside and a few blocks away from the club, Mirai asked, "What was on that note? And who's Major Brown?"

"The coordinates for Major Brown's base and Brown is one of the last head honchos of the Red Ribbon Army. I've already defeated everyone else except for him, General Green and Commander Black. But very soon, the Red Ribbon Army will be history," Jenny said with so much icy hatred and anger in her voice that Mirai had to resist a shudder.

"I see," he only said in reply. "And what now?"

"Now," Jenny told him, once again with a smirk on her face, "we'll go to Amenbo Island."

The name of this island made Mirai froze in his tracks. "Amenbo Island?" he whispered, shocked. And even more surprised, when Jenny turned around to face him with raised eyebrows.

"Does the name mean anything to you?"

"It's… it's where the Jinzoningen attacked for the first time in both timelines," he told her, trying to stop the trembling of his hands. Even after all this time, thinking of the beginning of the terror gave him a really bad feeling.

"So what?" Jenny asked nonchalantly, as she began to float. "It's still just another island. The Jinzoningen are no longer a threat to this world, but the Red Ribbon Army is. So I'm going to this island now to take care of them. You can go home, if you're too chicken to go there." Without another word, she shot into the sky, her ki only leaving a trail behind.

For a split second Mirai actually thought about going back to Capsule Corporation, but then shook his head resolutely and once again followed Jenny. That was all he seemed to be doing tonight – following her.

She was going fast, but not as fast as she could in this form, giving Mirai a chance to catch up. This made him once again hopeful that she wanted him to be there, at her side, for this.

It didn't take them long to reach the island and Mirai was surprised by what he saw. The city looked as if it had never been destroyed, the lights on the streets and of the buildings twinkling in the dark night that had by now completely fallen. But then Mirai remembered that it must have been restored by the wishes after Cell.

"They're hiding in the mountain," Jenny said firmly, her gaze fixed on the tall peak at one edge of the island.

"How do you know?" Mirai asked confused.

"I can feel many small kis moving _inside_ the mountain."

Concentrating slightly, Mirai realized that she was right. The gathering of kis he could feel in that direction seemed to be inside the mountain and not on the outside. "You're right."

"Of course I am," she told him smugly. "So, you ready?"

"Ready?" he asked confused. "For what?"

"For fighting." Without another word, Jenny shot off again.

This was really getting old and frustrating, Mirai thought with a scowl, before he raised his ki to go after her. He expected her to go slower, as they got nearer to the mountain, and especially as the first bullets began to whiz past them, but she just pushed on, going even faster than before, until she crashed through the wall.

What followed was a massacre.

Soldiers attacked Jenny, either with their guns or in hand to hand combat, even though they all seemed to know that their attempts were futile. She had her swords out, but instead of just knocking them out, the blades were slashing and hacking through them. And those that didn't die by her swords were killed by ki-attacks. Soldiers were fleeing, but were cut down before they could get far.

Mirai could only stare in shock, as she killed everyone in her vicinity and beyond. When she had told him that she was fighting against the Red Ribbon Army, he hadn't expected _this_. Jenny showed no hesitation whenever she struck one more man down, no scruple, no remorse. Except for the glint of anger and hatred in her eyes, her face was void of any emotion. She was a killer, as simple as that, murdering soldiers left and right.

And it was over so quickly that Mirai hadn't even be able to do anything at all. All the hallways they had passed through were littered with bodies and now they were standing in the control room, where a few more soldiers were huddled in one corner with a man he assumed to be Major Brown.

"I surrender!" the man cried out, when Jenny broke through the door and her eyes found them in the corner. "Please, we surrender. Please, let us live."

"You're Major Brown?" Jenny asked him, her voice dripping with distaste at the man's behavior. When the man nodded, she only muttered, "Pathetic", and lifted her hand with her palm directed at the huddling group.

"Wait," Mirai quickly said, getting between Jenny and the soldiers. "They've given up. You shouldn't hurt them."

"Those fucking pathetic excuses for soldiers don't deserve to live," Jenny snarled angrily. "And now, step aside, Mirai. I don't have time for your nonsense."

Shaking his head, Mirai was resolute in his decision to stay where he was. If Jenny wanted him to leave, she had to make him. "I'm not going." And to prove his point, he transformed into a Super Saiyajin, drawing startled gasps from the men behind him. Too bad he had left his sword at Capsule Corporation.

"As you wish." Without hesitating another second, she rushed forwards and transformed as well, and before Mirai could react, the hilt of her short sword connected with his jaw, sending him reeling backwards. Another kick to his temple and he was lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

Damn, she was fast.

And how fast she really was, was proven by how quickly a ki-ball appeared in her hand and was thrown at the soldiers. Mirai just managed to shouted, "No!", before a heavy explosion destroyed the wall along with the soldiers. He climbed back to his feet, while the smoke was clearing, coughing.

"And now the mountain," he heard her mumble before she left the base through the hole in the wall.

Not exactly knowing what she was planning now, Mirai thought it best to follow her outside. And it had been better this way, because the moment he had cleared the hole, Jenny let loose a barrage of ki-blast, which quickly brought the mighty mountain to its knees. Fortunately most of the rubble fell into the water, sparing the city, but what was once a high mountain was now nothing more than a mount of rubble.

"Now I'm done," Jenny announced and just wanted to leave, when Mirai's cold and shocked voice held her back.

"Why did you do it?" he asked, his voice betraying the shock and disgust he was feeling towards her actions.

"What? Destroy the mountain?" Jenny replied coolly. "It was their base, it had to be destroyed. I don't like leaving any evidence."

"You know what I mean," Mirai now yelled. "You killed them! The soldiers! They stood no chance against you! And Major Brown and his men even surrendered. But you killed them! Why? Why did you do it?"

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Jenny replied with a dark scowl on her face, "They're the enemy. And the enemy has to be destroyed. You destroyed the Jinzoningen in your timeline, didn't you? And what about Cell? You killed him, too. They were all your enemies."

"That's not the same!" Mirai hissed. "These soldiers were human. You don't have the right to play judge, jury and executioner!"

"They've killed people!" Jenny now exploded. "Hundreds of people! All of them innocent, being at the wrong time at the wrong place! And you just want them to get away with it?"

"I didn't say that…" Mirai took a deep breath, trying to get his anger back under control. "I meant that they should have the right of a trial. Let the human judges decide about their punishment."

"You're an idiot," she snarled. "An idiot and a hypocrite. So you say that they should have a trial just because they're human? That's nonsense! You're saying that humans are better than… let's say… the Jinzoningen."

"The Jinzoningen were monsters!" Mirai roared, losing his temper again. It was hard not to, when he was reminded of the destruction in his timeline, all the dead and wounded people.

"Not all of them," Jenny snapped back. "Juuhachigou was alright. She and Krillin are happy together and so in love. They even have a cute little daughter. But too bad that you can't see for yourself, because they're dead!"

Mirai was reeling. Juuhachigou and Krillin? This couldn't be possible. Okay, Krillin had been crushing on the female Jinzoningen, but they were heartless. They couldn't love, could they?

"Can you answer a question, Mirai?" Jenny asked, somewhat calmer, though her body was still incredibly tense, almost as if she could explode again any moment. When he nodded silently, she continued, "What would you do, if another Icejin appeared on Earth?"

"Kill him," Mirai answered without hesitating.

"Why?"

"Because he's a threat."

"So you don't think that Icejins who come to Earth deserve a trial?"

"Of course not."

"That's what I thought," Jenny told him with a superior smirk on her face, and Mirai had the feeling that she had played him. "So you're saying that Icejins or, let's say, other aliens who attack the Earth don't deserve a trial, that they should just be killed. Because they're a threat. If you really argue that way, it also means that we Saiyajins should be killed. All of us. Because potentially, we're still a threat."

"That's different," Mirai hissed, slowly understanding what she was getting up.

"Different? How?" Mirai had no answer. But he wouldn't admit that. "See? You also think that threats to Earth should be eliminated. The Red Ribbon Army is a threat. And because of that, I have to destroy them."

"That doesn't mean you have to kill them!" Mirai was yelling again. She had hit a nerve and his Saiyajin pride didn't allow that.

"Yes it fucking does," she shouted back. "If I don't kill them, they'll eventually find a chance to kill me! Do you see this?" She pulled back the sleeve of her coat and showed him a few of the faint scars he had already noticed earlier. "Humans shouldn't be able to hurt us, but I let my guard down for just one tiny second, I just think for one moment that they aren't a threat, keep my ki too low, playing with them, because I want them to think they have a fighting chance, this happens. One second can change everything, Mirai. So killing them is the only way to make sure that I'll stay alive. And besides, seeing them squirm and killing them is a damn good feeling."

Mirai didn't know what to say, too shocked by what she had shown him. He was sure that not all of these scars were results of her fight against the Red Ribbon Army, but just the fact _that_ they had managed to hurt her shook him.

"Nothing more to say? Good. I'm fucking sick of this conversation. I'll do things my way and some day… maybe not today… maybe not tomorrow…. But I promise, some day you'll see things my way. And now I'm going back home."

Powering up again, so that a golden flare of ki was around her, she disappeared. Mirai sighed, as he dropped out of Super Saiyajin.

Maybe he should go home, too.

…

It was past midnight, when Mirai entered the guest room through the window. He had been flying around a lot, thinking. After what he had witnessed tonight, after everything Jenny had said, he doubted that he could help her. She didn't want to be helped. She believed that she was right in what she was doing. And he would never see things her way, he was sure of that. Never.

Then… How could he help someone like her? He couldn't… She wouldn't listen to him. She was too far gone, had too much blood on her hands. He hadn't even started his quest and already he was forced to give up.

Sighing in defeat, Mirai took the just unpacked bag from the closet and began to throw his clothes inside again. His mother would surely be surprised that he came back just hours after he had left.

"Leaving already?"

Damn! His father had once again managed to sneak up on him.

Still packing his clothes, Mirai avoided his question by saying, "For someone who's supposed to be barely around, you're spending a lot of time here today."

"Ouch," Vegeta mocked him, not moving from his position in the doorframe. "The boy is testy."

"The boy is just sick of being treated like—" he snapped, finally turning around to face his father.

"Like what," Vegeta interrupted him calmly.

"Like… like… I don't know!" Mirai yelled, tearing at his hair and then slumping down on the bed. "It's just so frustrating."

"Yes, she usually is lately."

His father had seen right through him. But it wasn't just Jenny who was so frustrating, it was the complete situation. "What should I do?" he murmured, more to himself that to his father, but it was his father, who answered.

"I've never taken you to be a coward," Vegeta said to him, already leaving the room again, but before he was completely gone, he added, "So don't act like one."

His father was right. He wasn't a coward. So he wouldn't run away.

Even if he couldn't help Jenny, he would try. And the first thing he would do tomorrow was to fill the fridge. And buy the chocolate, of course.

* * *

Going grocery shopping was the first thing that Mirai did the following morning. He bought all of the essentials - bread, milk, water, meat, different kinds of vegetables and fruits, potatoes, pasta and everything else he thought was needed in a kitchen used by Saiyajins. And of course, the milk chocolate his father had mentioned. Just to be on the safe side, Mirai had bought ten bars, though he still had no idea why his father had told him to buy this.

He had barely been back at Capsoule Corporation and stored everything away when Jenny appeared in the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder. For once, she wasn't dressed in those black clothes, but in dark blue jeans and a black T-shirt instead. Her blond hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. "You've been busy," she remarked in a mocking tone.

"Someone has to be," Mirai replied without looking at her again. He could really do without her mocking him. "What do you want?"

"I want to show you something."

"Really," Mirai answered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You want to show me how you slaughter even more people?"

"Fine," she snapped, though there was something to her voice that wasn't there before. This, more than anything caused him to turn around again. "Be that way. But believe me, you really would have _loved_ to see this."

"Wait," he said with a sigh. "What do you want to show me?"

"You'll see," Jenny only said with a mysterious smirk on her face.

…

Mirai had been confused, when Jenny had led him to the main office and laboratories of Capsule Corporation. The secretary – he thought he remembered her face, but wasn't sure – gave them wary and sad looks as they passed and entered the elevator. They went down to the laboratories, which confused Mirai even more, but his eyes lit up, when they stepped into one of the labs, recognizing the three lab techs with a smile on his face.

The three scientists looked up, when they heard the door slide open with a quiet hiss. One year ago, they would have welcomed the girl with open arms, but ever since she had started her war against the Red Ribbon Army, she was a completely different person. Now they only called on her, when they really needed her help, or needed to show her something important.

"Jenny," Tico said with a forced smile on his face. "We didn't expect to see you today."

"I hadn't planned on coming today," Jenny told him, her face again void of any emotion. "But we've got a visitor. This is Trunks, from the alternate future. I call him Mirai."

"Tico, it's so good to see you again," Mirai greeted him with a warm handshake. "And you too, Kimi and Mika. It's good to see you doing so well in this timeline."

"Euh, do we know you?" Tico asked confused, as Mirai let go of his hand.

"Sorry," Mirai laughed. "You're all still alive in my timeline, but Tico is retired by now and it's been some months since I've seen him. You three helped my mom a lot over the past few years, especially with the time machine."

"A time machine?" Kimi asked intrigued. "We've actually helped Bulma, I mean the other Bulma, build the famous time machine?"

"That you did," Mirai told them grinning. It was good to finally see some familiar and most of all friendly faces. "And what are you doing here now? Jenny wouldn't tell me."

Tico chuckled, amused by the fact that the young man from the future hadn't seen what was basically right in front of him yet. "We're building _this _for her."

Mirai followed Tico's pointed finger and gasped in disbelief. A huge sphere, looking remarkably like the designs his mom had of a spaceship, was standing not that far away from him. "You're building a space ship." He whirled around to face Jenny. "Why are you building a spaceship?"

"When this spaceship is finished, I'll go to New Namek and wish everyone back."

"New Namek? You know where it is?"

"Not yet," Jenny answered grimly. "But if the spaceship is finished within the next year, the _high and mighty_ Kaioushin will be so _gracious_ to give me the coordinates."

"And it will be finished in time," Tico quickly threw in. "Mirai, would you like to see the inside of the spaceship?"

"Sure," Mirai agreed eagerly, though a part of him was still reeling from this new discovery. New Namek. Mirai had often wondered if it were possible to go there and use their Dragonballs, but neither he nor his mother had any idea where the planet was located in the vast universe and no God had ever told them. What made Jenny so special that the _Kaioushin_ of all people, the highest of the Gods, would give her the coordinates?

"This is the bridge," Tico informed him, after they had walked up the metal plank and entered the spaceship itself.

There was a huge screen at the front of the room, with two comfortable looking seats in front of a control panel. The area wasn't as big as he had imagined it to be. He had once seen the blueprints for the spaceship that his grandfather had built for Son Goku and in that spaceship the bridge had been a training area at the same time. Basically the forerunner of the gravity room.

"And here is the training area," Tico said, showing Mirai a smaller room through an open door, where there were shelves for weights at one wall and mats in the middle. "It's not big, but enough for basic training and even easy sparring, though I wouldn't recommend it. Not with how Jenny and Vegeta used to go at it. The gravity in this room can be raised up to 500G without affecting the other areas, when it is finished. And over here, we have the kitchen."

It was another small room with cabinets at one wall, and empty spots that Mirai supposed were for a fridge, a small stove and oven and a microwave. In the middle of the room Mirai could imagine a table, but it wasn't there yet.

The next rooms Tico showed him were one floor higher and they had to walk up a narrow flight of stairs. Upstairs were the two bedrooms, which were still bare, but Tico told him that a queen sized bed should fit into each of them, as well as a closet and a night desk. And at last there was the bathroom, containing only a shower cubicle, toilet, sink and a mirror.

Overall, Mirai was impressed by what they had achieved with the spaceship and how all these rooms fit into it. Sure, everything was a bit bare and simple, no great comforts, but he shouldn't forget that this spaceship wasn't built for a vacation. It had everything that was needed and that was the most important thing.

"Amazing," Mirai simply breathed, when they had finished the tour. "You've done a great job."

"We're happy to hear that," Tico said smiling, as they left the spaceship, but the smile vanished immediately again upon seeing Jenny. "There's still some work to be done, but we're sure that we'll be able to finish it within the next few months. In November, maybe October, if we're lucky."

"I could help," Mirai offered immediately. "My mom's taught me a lot and I'm sure you could use another hand."

"We can always use another hand," Mika told him grinning. "Welcome aboard."

Mika clasped Mirai's shoulder and immediately led him over to the part they were working on at the moment, beginning to talk shop.

They didn't notice the thoughtful frown on Jenny's face.

…

A few hours later, on their way home, Jenny didn't say a word to him. As a matter of fact, she hadn't said a word since she had introduced him to the scientist, except for telling him that it was time to go.

However, Mirai didn't mind the silence this time. There were after all plenty of things running through his own mind after this day. Even after having worked with the scientists on the spaceship Mirai still had a hard time to comprehend that Jenny was actually planning to go to New Namek and use the Nameks' Dragonballs to resurrect everyone.

He wondered what they would think, when they saw how much Jenny had changed since they had been killed. Because Mirai was sure that she couldn't have always been like this – no one growing up with Gohan as brother and Bulma as mother-figure could be like this from the very beginning. Something must have happened to change her after their deaths.

Mirai was determined to figure out what had caused the changes.

And he already had an idea where to start.

* * *

A few days later, Jenny went off training on her own and Mirai didn't feel like following her. Instead he took one of his capsules that contained a car and then flew into the direction of the village where he, after he had done some research, found the school where Jenny had been taught to fight with her swords. He was sure that no school would tolerate Jenny's behavior, so maybe they had some answers. Jenny had, after all, spent four years there.

He landed clearly out of sight of any villager and took the car out of the capsule. He wasn't sure if they were aware of Jenny's extra abilities, but he thought that it was better to be safe than sorry.

The drive to the village wasn't a long one and once he arrived, he parked the car and started to look around. There were some people milling around, but since it was the middle of the day, he assumed that many were at work. But even after ten minutes of walking around aimlessly, there was no sign of a school.

With a sigh, Mirai decided that it would be better to ask someone, before people started to look at him strangely. And seeing as he was also a bit thirsty, he thought that asking someone who was working at the local store was a good idea. The village was just small enough that people like the owner of the store or employees might be able to help him.

So, after getting a bottle of water from a shelf, he walked to the front to pay. There was an elderly woman working the cash register and after he had handed her the money, he asked, "Excuse me… but I'm looking for a school that supposed to be around here. I believe the owner's name is Li. Can you tell me where I can find it?"

"Of course," the woman answered with a smile. "Just follow the main road and then turn right at the cinema. From then on you just have to follow the road again. Outside of the village it's a dirt road, so prepare for a bumpy ride, but it will lead you directly to the school."

"Thanks," Mirai sighed in relief that he hadn't been completely wrong. He took the bottle and just wanted to leave, when the woman's voice stopped him again.

"Please excuse my curiosity, but you look to be a bit too old to be a student… And Li's not looking for new teachers either, so what do you want up there?"

Mirai smiled over his shoulder, as he answered, "I just want to help a friend."

…

The old woman was right with her warning the road was in pretty bad shape, but Mirai's car made it to the first buildings in one piece. Though Mirai would now have to be careful, when he opened the water bottle.

However, just after he had parked the car in the visitor's parking spot, Mirai couldn't believe his eyes. It seemed that someone was already waiting for him, looking at him with a surprised look on his face that was probably mirrored on Mirai's. "Tenshinhan…"

"It really _is_ you," Tenshinhan said in astonishment, immediately crossing the distance between them and shaking hands with Mirai. "I felt you appear a few days ago, but I wasn't sure. Until now. It's good to see you. You look good."

"Thanks, it's good to see you, too. So, what are you doing here?" Mirai wondered.

Tenshinhan smiled. "I'm working here as a teacher. Chao-zu's here, too, but he's got kitchen duty today. But what brings you here?"

Sighing, the smile on Mirai's face dimmed. "Jenny… I was… I was hoping to find some answers here…"

Nodding grimly, Tenshinhan suggested, "Why don't you come to my place? I'll try to give you the answers you are looking for."

While they were walking, Tenshinhan pointed out the different buildings of the school and explained how this school worked. Mirai listened with rapt attention, wondering if this school also existed in his timeline and if Li would have taken him on as student, if they had met. He would have loved to learn how to use his sword correctly.

Just a short walk later, they were standing in front of a hut and Tenshinhan opened the door. As they walked inside, Tenshinhan called out, "Suki? We have a guest."

A young blond woman appeared in the room, carrying a small dark-haired toddler on her arm. "Who is it?"

Again Mirai could only stare. If he wasn't wrong, then this woman was Tenshinhan's wife and the girl their daughter.

"Suki, I'd like you to meet Trunks. He's the one who came from the future to warn us about the Jinzoningen and who has helped us in our fight against Cell. Trunks, this is my wife Suki and our little daughter Maya."

"It's nice to meet you, Suki," Mirai said, still stunned, as he shook the woman's hand. "Please, call me Mirai. You too, Tenshinhan. I believe it's less confusing."

"Sure… would you like something to drink? Some water? Or something stronger?"

"Yes, please," Mirai replied to Tenshinhan's question, while Suki was ushering him towards the couch, where he sat down. "Water is okay."

Once he had a glass of water stand in front of him, Tenshinan asked Mirai, "You wanted to know about Jenny, right?"

"Yeah… I'm staying at Capsule Corporation and… she's not what I had imagined Goku's daughter to be like, if he had one."

"First," Tenshinhan began with a sad look on her face, "don't ever compare her to Goku. She's never responded well to that. Not even before…"

"Before what?" Mirai asked, his curiosity now piqued. "I mean… I've already thought that Jenny couldn't have always been like this… that something must have happened… but what?"

"Let me start at the beginning," Tenshinhan said, as he began his tale. "Jenny came to this school when she was ten years old. She had a hard time in the beginning, but she quickly became friends with the students in the group she was placed in. They have all graduated by now, but two of them are still working here. But her two best friends were Mailin and Damian, the grandchildren of the owner of this school, Li. They weren't fighters, but went to school here anyway…"

* * *

That was it, Mirai thought as he was flying home from his very enlightening talk with Tenshinhan and his wife later that night. It was already long dark and the moon was out.

That was the reason.

Jenny had lost her two best friends to the Red Ribbon Army. This had driven her over the edge.

Mirai remembered only all too well the feelings that had run through him when he had found Gohan's body. The feelings that had allowed him to become a Super Saiyajin.

Only that Jenny had ascended to the second level, allowing the Saiyajin part of her to gain the upper hand and allowing it stay. According to Tenshinhan, Jenny was so ruled by her anger and hatred of the Red Ribbon Army, that she was clinging to it so badly that her Human part stood no chance. And that she kept pushing the people who were once close to her away. Tenshinhan guessed that she was doing this to protect them just as much as to protect herself, because once she opened her heart again to someone, the Human in her could overwhelm the Saiyajin again.

Yes, Mirai had noticed this as well. The way she either distanced herself from him or kept picking fights with him, they were all attempts to push him away. Only that he wouldn't allow her to push him away. Not anymore.

"She's dying," Mirai had told them quietly. "She doesn't take care of herself. She barely eats and she's so thin. If something doesn't happen soon…"

"We know," Suki had agreed softly. "But there's nothing _we_ can do. But you, you still stand a chance. You have no history with her. She doesn't know you. But you have both lost persons close to you. You can relate. And this might be your chance to do something, to get through to her."

"I'll try… I'll do my best, I promise…"

And he would keep that promise.

…

Somehow Mirai wasn't surprised when Jenny was waiting for him in the backyard, when he landed there. He didn't react to the dark scowl on her face or to her tense muscles. After his conversation with Tenshinhan and Suki he couldn't be angry at her. He could only feel sorry for what she had to go through. First she had to grow up without her parents, then the rest of her family died, and then the last straw, her two best friends were killed. Other people would have snapped long before that.

So he didn't say anything, as he walked past her. He didn't say anything, as she grabbed his arm – the first physical contact between them since their fight a few days ago – and whirled him around with a harsh glare on her face.

"Why did you go?" she hissed. "Why did you go to Li's school?"

Mirai regarded her calmly and looked straight into her icy blue eyes, as he answered, "I'm worried about you. So I went to talk to people who knew you… before…"

"Fuck it! And fuck you, Mirai!" Jenny yelled. "You had no fucking right to go to them!"

"First," Mirai said, feeling still completely calm, "I knew Tenshinhan before you did, so I had every right to visit him. And second, I can do whatever I want to do. And I want to help you. Jenny, I know what you're going through. I've lost Gohan and everyone else in my timeline, so I can imagine how you feel. I want to be your friend. I can't stand seeing you like this."

Overwhelmed by her anger, Jenny pushed Mirai away forcefully. Despite her being in her normal Human form, Mirai stumbled a few feet before regaining his footing. She was panting heavily, her whole body tense. It was a wonder that she hadn't hit him yet.

"Fuck off, Mirai! You have no fucking idea! And if you can't stand the sight of me, go home to your timeline! Go home to your precious mom! I don't want you here! I don't need you here! I don't need anyone!" she screamed at him.

"No… that's not true and deep down, you know it," he said, already turning to go. "I will stay here and I will help you, whether you like it or not. And now I'm going to bed. I'm tired. Good night, Jenny."

Jenny might have her way of doing things, but now it was Mirai's turn.

_Now I'm going to do things my way_.

…

Jenny was fuming, as she watched him go back into the house, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. They were shaking and Jenny quickly crossed her arms to keep them still. She couldn't believe it! She couldn't believe him! The nerve of him!

She wanted to yell, she wanted to hit something! She needed to do something to keep her anger from exploding.

Jenny couldn't remember the last time, when her anger - her emotions - had tried to consume her like this.

No, that wasn't true. The last time her anger had overwhelmed her it had caused her transformation into the second level of Super Saiyajin. The night when everything had started.

Since then, the anger had been ever present, as was the hatred, but it had never been on the surface, always simmering just beneath. This had allowed her to keep a cool head during her war. Keeping such a tight grip on her emotions had allowed her to work so efficiently, always allowing just so much of her anger to seep through to keep going.

But now, ever since Mirai had appeared, she was on an emotional rollercoaster. She had been so used to being alone all the time that just his presence at Capsule Corporation was kind of unsettling. She had never yelled at anyone so much as she had in the past few days. And the fact that he wouldn't just leave her alone, that he was questioning her actions, and even dared to say that he knew what she was going through was just even more infuriating.

So she had yelled at him. Screamed at him to leave. After all, everyone else had left her, after she had told them to, even Vegeta. But not Mirai. Mirai shrugged everything she was throwing at him off.

Jenny hated him for it.

But at the same time, deep down, Jenny wasn't sure if hating him for it was the right thing to do. Because a part of her, a part long forgotten, had reacted when he had told her that he would stay. It had clung to his words, as if they were a lifeline.

And now it just wouldn't go away.

_Fuck you, Mirai!_


	67. Part III: The Attack

**A/N: And here it is, the new chapter… This has also been finished and waiting on my hard drive for a long time and I only made some minor changes, before I posted it. And the next one after that won't take long either. Give me a couple of days to get over it one more time and then you'll get it, too! I promise! :)**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 66: The Attack**

Mirai sighed, as he again had to store more than half of the food he had prepared in the fridge. Once again, Jenny had barely eaten anything and already in the short time he had known her, he could see how she was still slowly but steadily losing weight. The only upside was that the huge stack of milk chocolate bars that he had bought the day after he had arrived in this timeline had shrunken drastically since then. And he knew that it was Jenny who had eaten the chocolate, as he had seen the wrapping paper in her room. But still, while chocolate was at least something, it wasn't enough. She needed more nourishment, but she didn't care for that.

Jenny was so single-mindedly focused on her war against the Red Ribbon Army that she didn't care about anything else, except maybe for the spaceship. Just their complete annihilation mattered. Nothing else. Not even her own health.

Over the past few weeks, Mirai had been forced to watch her further decline, but all the time he had tried to get through to her and to get her to open up. There was a different girl underneath all these layers of anger and hatred, he was sure of it by now. He just had to find it and get it out.

And he had tried to find it, so hard. He had tried to spend as much time with her as possible – be it on her Weasel-hunts (fortunately Weasel still hadn't found out anything new, so Mirai hadn't been forced to witness another massacre), helping with the spaceship or even training.

Oh yeah, training. Sparring with Jenny was something else. His father's training methods had always been incredibly harsh, and Jenny's were pretty close to his. At first, he had only watched her, waiting for her invitation - Mirai had hoped at first that she would be more open to him joining her, if he didn't push too hard – but even just watching her had made him uneasy.

While her training with her swords could be described as beautiful, her other training could only be called brutal. She usually went to deserted places for this – she had told him that Vegeta had blown up the gravity room about a year ago – often with very difficult training conditions. Extreme heat, extreme cold. Sandstorms, snowstorms and thunderstorms.

And no matter how harsh the conditions were, Jenny's training regime was always harsher. Most of the time she was powered up to the second level and since she had obviously lacked a sparring partner for the past year, she always used her own attacks against herself. No matter how dangerous her ki-blasts were, she always took them head on, sometimes dodging, sometimes blocking, but very often just taking the brunt of it.

At least now Mirai knew where her other scars had come from, as she almost never left one of those training sessions unhurt. And Mirai knew from his own experiences that self-inflicted wounds never healed as well as wounds inflicted by others.

He had asked her of course, why she wasn't taking a senzu, but he had been shocked, when Jenny had told him that there were no senzus left. Even in his timeline Korin was still alive and providing him with senzus whenever he needed some.

A few days after he had watched the first training, the day after his talk with Tenshinhan and the confrontation with Jenny, in which he had told her that he wouldn't leave, Mirai hadn't been able to watch this anymore and had challenged her to a sparring match. Jenny had looked like she might try to push him away again, but had then agreed. Mirai had known that holding back during this first sparring match between them might just put him right back onto the sidelines, so he had gone full out, not giving an inch.

In the end, it had been his experience of having to fight for his life his whole life long and the few years he was older than her that had been the deciding factor in this match. After long grueling hours of fighting back and forth, it had been Jenny lying on the dusty ground and dropping out of Super Saiyajin, cursing and grumbling - not him.

By winning this match, Mirai seemed to have earned some respect in Jenny's eyes. Or at least his power, but it was a start.

Ever since that day in the desert, she wasn't as hostile towards him as she used to be. Sure, she still picked fights with him, yelling at him, but at least then he was seeing something in her eyes. There was a difference between the icy anger, the cool hatred or even the emotionless nothingness that could usually be seen in her eyes, and the fire that was burning in her eyes whenever she was yelling at him.

As he realized this, he continued to challenge her, pushing her buttons. He continued to fight with her. In their sparring matches, he taunted her. And he allowed her to take her anger out on him. No matter what she threw at him, no matter how hard her punches were, he never left. He took everything. Never complaining, but also never backing down.

As long as she was showing her feelings, it didn't matter to Mirai what she was feeling. It didn't matter that he was on the receiving end of it. Eventually, he was sure, all this anger would be burned out. Eventually she just had to show other emotions. And then he would be there to pick up the pieces.

Mirai was a constant in her life now and she slowly seemed to understand that he wasn't going anywhere, even if she used him as a punching back whenever she felt like it. She could curse at him and throw insults at his head without driving him away. She began to see that he was there, whenever she needed to vent her anger, and that he would just take it.

It might not be a healthy relationship and a far cry from being friends, but this was what Jenny needed right now. She needed someone in her life. She needed someone who wouldn't go away when she told him to. She needed someone to see her at her lowest point and not care about it. She needed someone to challenge her, someone to point out mistakes. She needed someone to vent, someone to take out her anger on without flinching, someone who was just there.

And she would have needed someone like this much, much sooner.

Sighing again, Mirai slumped down on the kitchen chair he had claimed as his in the past few weeks, as his thoughts drifted to his father. Vegeta was gone again, had been so for a few days already. Actually, he had barely seen his father around after his first day here. Mirai couldn't understand, how Vegeta could leave Jenny alone in a time like this. Now, when she needed so much support. It really was no wonder that the girl had become like this. Mirai was sure that his anger and bitterness would have consumed him as well, if his mom hadn't kept him grounded and smacked some sense back into him now and then. His father should have stood up to Jenny and not just allow things to get so out of hand.

Even now that Mirai was here and being there for Jenny, his father wasn't much of a help. As far as Mirai knew, his father hadn't said a word to the girl in the past few weeks. Though Mirai couldn't forget the look on his father's face the last time he had come to Capsule Corporation, only to walk in on one of their arguments.

He and Jenny had been arguing again, about something so senseless that he didn't even remember what it had been about. But her eyes had been blazing, not just with anger but this time he had even been able to detect some amusement. She had actually enjoyed their fight. His father had watched this exchange for a while with an unreadable look on his face until Jenny had noticed him. First when she had snapped at him ("And what are you looking at?") his father had left, but not before having given Mirai an encouraging nod.

Mirai still didn't know what to make of it. Did his father tell him that he was doing a good job? Did his father actually care about Jenny's welfare after all? But why hadn't he done anything, if that was the case?

Mirai had quickly dismissed the thought, though it was never completely gone from his mind, especially after Tenshinhan had told him how Jenny used to look up to Vegeta, how close they had apparently been. Mirai didn't really want to believe this. Vegeta was, in his opinion, unfit to raise a child. Jenny must have looked up to him, because he was the last link to her heritage, because he was a good fighter, and not because he was a good father.

Still, while there were subtle signs that Jenny was doing a bit better, it still wasn't enough in Mirai's opinion. Sure, at least she was showing her feelings more and more often, even mocking him now and then in what could almost be considered a good-natured way. And he had noticed how it wasn't just him spending time with her anymore, but also her spending time with him, even though they weren't always talking or actually doing something together. She was voluntarily spending time with him and this had to count for something. But all of these were just really tiny steps. He knew that he should give her more time, but he had the feeling that they were slowly running out.

Sooner or later, she would need to talk. And it would be better if it were sooner. Mirai didn't doubt that Weasel would soon find out where the last two high ranking members of the Red Ribbon Army were hiding and he was afraid of what would happen to Jenny afterwards. How would she react, when the Red Ribbon Army was no more?

She needed to talk, but Mirai was sure that with as closed off as she usually was, she would _never_ talk about her feelings with him. At least not without being more relaxed.

Suddenly a grin spread over Mirai's face, as he remembered how his mother had loosened his tongue to make him talk about his problems more than once and had managed to cheer him up as a neat side effect.

Maybe this would also help to cheer her up for a bit and drag her – at least temporarily – out of her depression.

Still grinning, Mirai left the kitchen and went to Jenny's room, entering without knocking, even though she had warned him again and again not to do that. Ignoring her warning glare, as she looked up from her notebook, Mirai went straight to her closet and pulled it open. There had to be other clothes than all the dark blue and black ones she usually wore.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for an outfit," he replied simply, holding up a light blue T-shirt and nodded in approval.

He heard her move behind him, as Jenny said, "I don't think that's your size."

Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, Mirai turned around and put the T-shirt along with a pair blue jeans on her bed. "It's not for me. It's for you. We're going out tonight and have some fun."

"Fun," Jenny repeated incredulously, as if this concept was completely alien to her.

"Yes, fun."

"I don't have time," Jenny told him, again feeling her anger rise. Yet, at the same time she felt a yearning she hadn't felt in a long time. A really small part of her wanted to have fun, but she ignored it. "I've talked to Weasel today and he said that it will only be a matter of days until he can tell me where the last dregs of the Red Ribbon Army are hiding."

"Then all the more reason to celebrate. We'll go to a bar, have some drinks and have some fun. And I won't accept 'no' as an answer," Mirai said to her, as he went back to the door. But before he closed it behind him, he added, "We'll leave in thirty minutes."

Now he could only hope that the hidden, ignored part of Jenny that knew how to live and not just be alive would respond to this invitation by coming along.

* * *

Mirai 1: Jenny 0.

Inwardly, Mirai was doing a victory dance, as he and Jenny were sitting in a booth of one of the not so dingy bars, which still turned a blind eye to minors consuming alcohol as long as an adult bought it. She had really come along, thirty minutes on the dot after he had left her room after his announcement, scowling and complaining the whole time, but she had come. The hidden girl, the curiosity and the longing for company had won. Yes, she was getting better.

"This is your fucking idea of fun?" she sneered, looking around the dim bar, when he came back with a bottle and two shot glasses. "Getting drunk?"

Shrugging, Mirai answered, "It surely beats sitting around in a dark room and brooding."

"I don't brood," she mumbled, while Mirai filled both their glasses.

Raising his glass with a smirk worthy of being Vegeta's son, he toasted, "Then to not brooding." He threw the shot back and immediately refilled his glass, looking at Jenny with a challenging look on his face, waiting for her to drink her shot.

Jenny hesitated only for a moment, before she responded to the challenge and drank her shot as well. It burned all the way through her throat down to her stomach, but already a few seconds later, she was starting to feel warm. She had never drunk alcohol before, but even in her inexperience she could tell that this stuff was strong.

"Fuck…" So strong that she couldn't hold back a few coughs. "What's that stuff?"

"It's good, isn't it?" Mirai said grinning, already filling her glass again. "My mom introduced me to this, when she needed to cheer me up. Don't worry, you'll get used to the burn."

And he was right. After the third shot, Jenny barely felt the burn anymore. Instead she was starting to feel different things. The warmth that had already started to spread through her after the first glass was now starting to warm her cheeks. After the fifth shot, she started to feel lightheaded and her toes and fingers startled to tingle. After the seventh, the tension began to seep out of her muscles for the first time in a year.

Mirai watched her lean back and relax, nodding to himself. It was working. "Tell me about Mailin and Damian," he prodded softly, after she had drunk two more shots, gauging her reaction.

Jenny looked at him for a long moment, before eventually answering, "They were my best friends. I loved 'em. They're dead now. Fuckin' Red Ribbon Army killed 'em."

"I know," Mirai told her, his voice still gentle. "I'm sure they loved you, too. But don't forget, you'll wish them all back. You'll see them again."

"No," Jenny said quietly, but forcefully. "Can't see them again when they're back. Wouldn't understand. Won't like me."

"Why won't they like you? They're you're friends."

"Because I'm a monster," Jenny replied in a tone full of hate – hate at herself, Mirai realized with a start. She downed another shot. "Can't be friends with a monster."

"I want to be your friend, Jenny. I really do. You just have to let—"

"Leave it, Mirai," Jenny interrupted. "Don't wanna talk about. Let's get drunk an' have some fun."

Mirai sighed, but nodded. She had opened herself a bit and that was enough for now. Maybe, after she had let him in once, she would do so again, once they were sober. Provided, of course, that she didn't kill him, because she was blaming him for the hangover she was sure to have the next morning. "Alright. But I think, you're already a bit drunk."

"Am not," Jenny protested, and then suddenly burst out laughing. Mirai couldn't help it – he joined in her laughter.

* * *

Jenny giggled, leaning against Mirai, as they stumbled out of the bar later that night.

Maybe it was just all the alcohol that was running through her veins at that moment, but Jenny hadn't felt this free, so as if nothing mattered anymore, in a very long time. It was not indifference; it was just that at this very moment, all her pain, all her worries were gone. She was laughing, really truly laughing, a sound that hadn't escaped her lips in such a long time that it actually felt weird to produce it again. And the joke that Mirai had just told her wasn't even that funny – at least she didn't think it was. Jenny actually had a hard time to remember what it had been about.

She might have denied it at first, but Mirai's idea of going out and getting drunk had been the best idea he'd had so far, since he'd come to their time. As much fun as their arguments had become, this was much funnier.

"Ya know," she slurred, clasping his shoulder, more to keep from falling over her own feet than to emphasize that she was talking to him, "ya're really an alright guy. A gal could get used ter ya."

Mirai grinned, being more than slightly drunk himself, but not nearly as pissed as the girl at his side. He had to admit that she could certainly hold her own in a drinking contest, even though she wasn't used to it, but he also shouldn't forget that she, like him, was a Saiyajin and that they needed more alcohol to be intoxicated than normal humans. That was probably the reason why the drinks affected her more than him – she was in her human form, while he was always a Saiyajin. And of course, not to forget how underweight she was.

Still, he was happy to see her so relaxed and happy. In his slightly woozy mind, he wondered, if he was finally seeing the real Jenny in front of him. The girl she had been before the Red Ribbon Army had killed her friends. "A guy could get use to you, too," he replied, as he put an arm around her shoulder.

Jenny, however, ducked out from under his arm and danced a few steps forwards, so that she was standing in front of him. Giggling, she twirled around and clasped her hands behind her back. "Nah, really. Yer not nearly as arrogant and annoying as… as… ah, ya know… shit…" With another laugh, she whirled around again, while Mirai was simply shaking his head, snickering.

It was then that everything seemed to happen at once.

A sharp sound rang through the air, breaking Jenny's laughter, and she heard Mirai's hiss. She turned to him again immediately and saw that he was holding his left arm. A trail of thick red blood trickled through his fingers and there was a slight grimace of pain on his face.

"Mirai?" she asked, for the first time since she had known him worried for him, suddenly feeling much more sober than just five seconds ago. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," he quickly reassured her, even though he didn't feel completely okay. It hurt. "It's just a scratch. Looks worse than it is. What about you, are you-?" He looked up from his arm and all color drained from his face, as he broke off midsentence.

"What's wrong?" Jenny asked, confusion creeping into her voice.

Mirai was completely frozen, even though he knew he should do something, anything. There, just between Jenny's collarbone and her chest, a deeply red color began to blossom, staining the light blue T-shirt he had talked her into wearing that night. And this stain was growing larger with each passing second, with each passing second that he kept staring at her. Why didn't she feel anything?

Jenny, finally catching on that he was staring at her shirt, followed his gaze. Her lips formed a silent 'fuck', as she saw the blood ruining her T-shirt, and just a split second later, a pain so strong, so agonizing that she wanted to scream, shot through her chest, but the scream died on her lips before it could escape, and everything went dark around her. She collapsed.

Finally, too late, the spell on Mirai was broken and he stumbled over to her side. His own small wound was completely forgotten. "Jenny!" he called, slapping her cheeks lightly. She didn't react. "Jenny!"

Panic and worry began to overwhelm him, but he took a deep breath, trying to get his body, feelings and thoughts under control, before he carefully gathered her into his arms and shot into the sky. He needed to get to Capsule Corporation, no, a hospital, as quickly as possible.

He knew that there was one not that far away, but still the flight seemed to take an eternity. He could feel the sticky warmth drench his shirt, where he pressed Jenny against his chest, and could also feel it run between his fingers, where he held her back. Her face was deathly pale, her breathing flat and ragged. The bullet had gone straight through her, hitting him in the process, or maybe it was the other way around. But he could only hope against hope that it hadn't hurt any vital organs, though it must have at least punctured her lungs. Jenny was dying on him and he felt helpless to know that there was nothing he could do to stop it, instead of getting her to a hospital as quickly as possible.

Much to his relief, he spotted the building just a few seconds later and immediately dropped down next to the emergency entrance. Fortunately, some paramedics were standing in front of the door, having a smoke, as he landed. One of them dropped his cigarette in surprise, as he saw the young man land in front of them with an unconscious girl in his arms, both of them covered in blood.

Somehow, it felt really cliché, just like in all the bad hospital TV-shows, when he yelled with a panic-stricken voice, "I need help!"

The momentarily stunned paramedics reacted at once. Two rushed up to him, while a third one disappeared inside, probably and hopefully alarming a doctor. "Put her on that stretcher," one of them ordered, and Mirai obeyed immediately, laying her down on one of the stretchers at the entrance. Jenny's head rolled to her side, as he laid her down and if he couldn't see the very faint rise and fall of her chest, he would have believed her to be dead already. "Step back!"

Once again, he numbly obeyed the order, but continued to walk next to the stretcher, as the two paramedics rolled her inside. Maybe it was just his imagination, but the glaring florescent lights seemed to make Jenny's skin appear even paler and the blood even redder.

"What happened to her?" an unfamiliar voice asked and Mirai was jerked out of his thoughts. He looked up from Jenny into the kind, but professional brown eyes of the doctor the third paramedic had fetched.

Mirai swallowed hard, feeling like a small boy, as he answered, "We were out, partying… on our way home and then she was shot. The bullet went through her and hit me. Or maybe it was the other way around. I don't know." Immediately, the doctor's eyes assessed him, but Mirai just shook his head, "Just a scratch. Help her!"

"It's okay, son," the doctor said soothingly. "You need to stay calm. I promise I'll do anything in my power to help your friend. But first you need to answer a few questions. Do you know of any illnesses? Is she allergic to anything? Is she taking any drugs or medicine? She'll need blood, so do you know her blood type?" Mirai just shook his head 'no' the whole time, answering all the questions at the same time. No, he didn't know of any illnesses, no she wasn't allergic to anything and no, she wasn't taking any drugs and medicine. And no, he didn't know her blood type. "Think hard… Any information is crucial, especially concerning her blood type. Are you sure you don't know?"

"Yes, I'm sure…" The only thing he was sure of, however, was that even if he did know, it wouldn't help. Jenny's blood was completely different from normal human blood, thanks to the influences of her Saiyajin genes. This was something that his mother had found out.

Nodding thoughtfully, the doctor nodded. "I see…" Then, to the nurses who had replaced the paramedics at Jenny's side, he ordered, "Take her to the emergency operating room, now, and prepare everything. I'll be with you in a sec." Mirai took a step forward, as they wheeled the stretcher and therewith Jenny away, but the doctor put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him without using any strength at all. It just showed how much of an emotional mess he was, when Mirai didn't use any force to get past him. "You can't come with us. Just sit down here and one of the nurses or I will come to you, when we know more."

Mirai did neither nod nor protest, when the doctor disappeared behind the same corner as the nurses with Jenny. He didn't move at all. He just stood there in the middle of the corridor, staring at the spot where he had last seen Jenny, and yet he didn't see anything. He didn't hear anything. He didn't notice the people around him, until there was suddenly a soft hand on his arm and he turned his head lightly.

And elderly looking nurse was standing next to him. She was barely reaching his shoulder, but her gentle green eyes managed to capture his gaze. "You should sit down, dear, and let me take a look at you."

Without any resistance, Mirai allowed her to lead him over into a small room, where she told him to sit down on a chair. It was an examination room, containing just one cot, a desk with a computer and two chairs. His gaze wandered around aimlessly and eventually ended up on a painting of a beautiful meadow filled with wildflowers and a boy and a girl lying there next to each other in the sunlight.

"You said you were hit?" the nurse asked him, forcing him to tear his gaze away from the painting. She was looking him up and down questioningly, looking for the wound, which, Mirai realized, proved to be hard with his shirt being drenched in Jenny's blood.

"My arm," he answered simply, however, when the nurse looked a bit undecided, he clarified, "The left one."

Without another word, she carefully rolled his short sleeve up a bit further and began to wipe the blood away with a wet cloth, but she furrowed her brows, when she saw the wound. "It's already stopped bleeding," she noted surprised.

Mirai shrugged indifferently, his thoughts far away, as he answered, "'t was just a scratch and 'm a fast healer."

The nurse nodded, as she bandaged his arm anyway. "Dr. Menzel is one of the best doctors in this hospital. You're lucky that he was here. I'm sure he'll truly do everything in his power to save your friend."

Mirai's eyes darted longingly to the door. His fingers were itching, feeling the need to do something, anything. Sitting around and waiting for something to happen had never been something he was particularly good at, but this was much worse. His friend was out there, dying, and he was sitting here in this little room, having a wound bandaged that would have been healed completely in a few hours.

Jenny's ki was weak, too weak. He could barely feel it anymore from where he was, and it was getting weaker with each passing second.

And it was his fault.

He had been so stupid, talking her into getting out of the house one night with the threat of the Red Ribbon Army still hanging over her. He had talked her into getting drunk and she had been completely vulnerable because of that. Had she been in her Saiyajinform, the bullet probably wouldn't have even touched her T-shirt, but she had been in her human form, which meant that she had been as weak and helpless as a normal human being. She had no longer been bulletproof.

Jenny was dying because of him.

"So there, all done," the elderly nurse said soothingly, as she patted his now bandaged arm. "Is there anything else I could do for you, dear?"

Filled with guilt, Mirai simply shook his head. He didn't need anything. They shouldn't worry about him. They should rather do everything in their power to get Jenny through this.

"Are you sure? Well, I think for one you could do with a new shirt. I don't think I can let you get out into the waiting room with this one."

Mirai's brows furrowed in confusion, until he looked down at himself. Oh yeah, he had forgotten that it was drenched with Jenny's blood.

Then, all of the sudden his stomach twisted and he turned around just in time to empty his stomach into the wastepaper basket next to his chair. He was heaving violently and barely noticed the soothing hand rubbing his back. Tears were burning in his eyes, but he squeezed them shut defiantly. He wouldn't cry. Not yet. Jenny wasn't gone yet. No matter how weak, he could still feel her.

Suddenly, probably a few minutes after nothing was left in his stomach anymore, two wrinkled hands held out a tissue and a glass of water in front of him. With shaking hands, he took both items, and after he had drunk every last drop of water, he wiped his mouth with the tissue before he threw it into the wastepaper basket as well.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay, dear… I understand. No need to be sorry." She took the glass from him and Mirai's eyes followed her hands, as she put it on the table, before they grabbed some white fabric. "Here, take this and get out of your shirt. You'll probably feel a bit better afterwards."

Nodding, Mirai took his own bloody shirt of and tossed it onto the cot, which was standing on the other end of the room. While he was pulling the clean white T-shirt over his head, he wondered, when she had gone to get this new shirt, because he hadn't noticed her leave. Had he really been so out of it?

"There now, much better…" She smiled at him kindly and Mirai tried to return this smile, though he was sure that it was more a grimace than a smile. The nurse didn't comment on that, however, as she simply asked, "Are you ready to go to the waiting area? Dr. Menzel will come to you, if there's news. And there are also still some forms you need to fill out."

"Okay," Mirai croaked. The nurse smiled again and put her hand on his back, as she led him out of the room and into the waiting area. However, before they could get there, the doctor who had taken Jenny to the ER was suddenly standing in front of him with a grim and serious look on his face. Gasping, as he tried very hard to find her ki, Mirai asked, "Doctor?"

"I wish I could come to you with good news, but it isn't so," Dr. Menzel told him. "I will be honest with you. Your friend is dying. Her shoulder blade was shattered and the bullet went right through her left lung. I can't say it exactly until I've got a look inside of her, but I guess that the bullet missed her heart by half an inch, maybe even less. She has lost too much blood and after trying to determine her blood type…" He shook his head, letting his sentence trail off. "We don't have much time, minutes at the most, and to have even the slightest chance to save her, I will need you to be completely honest with me, son. I have never seen blood like hers before. There are things in her blood that I've never even heard of before. That's why I need you to tell me everything you know about her, everything that could help us. Quickly."

Mirai eyed the doctor for a moment, not really knowing what to do, what to say. His mother had always instilled in him that it was important to keep their secret, but wasn't it more important right now to save the girl who he still hoped to become friends with by giving the doctor the information he needed?

Jenny was dying! So what was he waiting for?

"She's not completely human," he finally answered, his voice sounding unlike his own to his ears. "She's part Saiyajin, that means, part alien. Her father came from outer space."

The doctor's eyes widened for a split second, but then he finally nodded. "This makes sense… As unbelievable as it may sound, but after everything that's happened on this planet… Aliens don't seem that farfetched any longer. However, this news is not good. She needs blood and I don't know, how she would react to human blood."

Suddenly, from one moment to another, a thought hit Mirai, and he didn't know, why he hadn't thought about this before. It was so logical! There was no other way. "Take my blood," he told the doctor decisively. "I'm like her. My mother is human, my father was a Saiyajin."

"Are you brother and sister?" the doctor asked surprised.

Shaking his head, Mirai replied, "No, but among Saiyajins there are no different blood types. So it is possible that her body will tolerate my blood, at least better than normal human blood."

"It is…" Doctor Menzel mused quietly. "But I'm not sure, if I want to take this risk. If her body doesn't accept the blood, she will die."

"And if you don't give her blood?" Mirai challenged.

The doctor looked at him for a moment longer, before he eventually nodded, much to Mirai's relief. "Alright," he said to the nurse. "Prepare this young man for a blood transfusion. In the meantime, I will prepare the girl for surgery."

"Thank you…" Mirai breathed, but the doctor only squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, before leaving again.

…

A few minutes had passed, since Mirai had given as much blood as the nurse wanted to risk to save Jenny's life. He would have given a lot more, hell, he would have given all of his blood if it meant that Jenny had a better chance at surviving. Still, even though he hadn't given as much as he had wanted, he was feeling slightly woozy, despite being a Saiyajin, and was glad that he was lying down. His eyes were drooping, but he wouldn't allow himself to doze off. He needed to stay awake. He needed to keep concentrating on Jenny.

Too many minutes had passed, too many minutes in which he hadn't heard anything about Jenny's condition. The nurse couldn't tell him anything, no matter how often he asked. The only thing they would tell him was that Jenny was now in surgery, but that with her wounds, it would take a while, maybe even a couple of hours, before there was any news. But her ki was still there, barely so, but he could still feel it. And as long as he could, it meant that she was still alive.

Mirai must have drifted off for a couple of minutes despite his fight against the exhaustion, because his eyes suddenly jerked open, when he heard a commotion outside on the hallways. The voices were muffled, but his senses told him that Vegeta had arrived.

_Damn…_ He had completely forgotten about him. Had they contacted him at Capsule Corporation? After all, Mirai had given his name and address as Jenny's guardian in the forms he had filled out while they had taken his blood.

Straining his ears, Mirai hoped to find out what he was yelling about.

"_Where… she?"_

"…_cuse… Sir… can't…"_

"… _girl… where…?"_

"… _family?"_

"… _goddamn father! Now…"_

Mirai was surprised to hear these words. He couldn't have heard right, right? His father, the great prince of the dead race of Saiyajins, was claiming a third class as his daughter? The loss of blood must have made him delirious, because during the last few weeks, he had not once seen any indication of this. Sure, for a moment or two, he had thought that his father was caring for Jenny in some way, but certainly not as a father cared for his daughter.

"… _surgery… not good… critical._ _Wait! Can't… in there!"_

The door to the room he was lying in was thrown open and if Mirai had had any energy to do this, he would have flinched back under the murderous glare his father was sending him. This was the look that thousands of beings had been on the receiving end of before they had been brutally murdered.

"What happened?" The glare was accentuated by the deadly quiet voice that sent a shiver down Mirai's spine. He would have somehow liked it better had his father yelled at him. "_What happened?"_

"Went out… had some drinks… some f—"

Suddenly, not even a split second later, Mirai couldn't breathe. Vegeta had moved from his spot at the door and had his hands wrapped tightly around his throat. Mirai tried desperately to pull the hands away from his throat, but in his weakened state he didn't have the slightest chance. "You got her drunk? Are you really this stupid?" Great, now he was yelling, Mirai registered vaguely in his mind, as he began to lose consciousness, black dots dancing in front of his eyes.

Somewhere, in the background, he could hear more voices yelling and then suddenly he could breathe again. But before the pressure on his throat disappeared, he heard his father hiss, "If she dies, I'll kill you."

Mirai inhaled much needed air, and as the black dots started to disappear, he saw how Vegeta allowed himself to be pulled back by two orderlies. His woozy mind wondered, why he let them do it. After all, they normally wouldn't even be able to lay their hands on him.

"Sir, you need to leave," the elderly nurse, who had taken such good care of him, told Vegeta firmly, not backing down, as his glare was directed at her for a second. "This young man has just given a lot of blood to help your daughter and he needs to rest. I can't have you threaten him or anyone else in this hospital."

Vegeta's heated glare was once again directed at him, causing him to flinch. This was the first time that he could actually see the hatred in his father's eyes, hatred only meant for him. This stung. Until now, the only thing his father had deemed him with was indifference, and while he had thought that this had hurt, this hatred hurt a lot more.

"Sir…" the nurse now said forcefully, as Vegeta hadn't moved from the spot.

"It's okay," Mirai suddenly rasped, not really knowing why he did it. Maybe, even if his father hated him now, it would be better to wait with him for news about Jenny than to wait alone. "He can stay… It… was just an accident. He didn't mean it."

The nurse looked at him for a long moment, before she sighed. "Alright, but if I even hear raised voices from this room, I'll call security." She left the room along with the orderlies with a scowl directed at Vegeta, but instead of closing the door, she left it open.

And then they were alone, and suddenly Mirai didn't think anymore that it was such a good idea. After all, Vegeta could just as easily kill him without making any noise. However, instead of trying to kill him again, Vegeta crossed the room and sat down on the only chair.

The glare didn't falter once.


	68. Part III: Waiting

**A/N: Does Jenny survive? This is the really big question! But I guess you just have to read to find out! Enjoy!**

**BTW, I'm going on vacation next Monday and I don't think I'll be able to update before I leave. 1700 words have already been written, but there's still more to come in the next chapter… So, stay tuned! I'll try not to keep you waiting for too long!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 67: Waiting**

None of them spoke for a long time and even though he tried to fight it, Mirai felt himself drifting off again. To stop himself from falling asleep, he eventually mumbled, slurring slightly, "I'm sorry."

Vegeta didn't make any sound to acknowledge what he had said and Mirai just knew, if he opened his eyes again, he would see that his apology hadn't had any effect on the hatred in his father's eyes. At this moment, he wished that his father had followed through with his attempt to strangle him, at least then he wouldn't have to deal with this.

"I just wanted her to have fun for one night…" Mirai went on after another few minutes of oppressive silence. "To let go … I had hoped, that she'd like to talk… and it had worked…. I've never seen her smile so much since I've come here… She was happy… And she's been more open than before…"

"You're wrong." Vegeta's voice was quiet, chilling. Mirai wished that he hadn't said anything. "Talk… What good would it do to get her to talk, when she's drunk? She'd have probably forgotten it the morning after. And your misguided attempt to make her happy… Happiness induced by alcohol isn't true happiness. It isn't real and I think you know that. A few hours of intoxication will never be enough to heal her." Vegeta's already quiet voice became almost inaudible, as he whispered, "As a matter of fact, I doubt that she'll ever again be able to feel this true happiness."

There it was again, that weird tone in his voice. He had heard it a couple of times before, when Vegeta had spoken of Jenny. All the other times he had thought that this tone was an indication that a very small part of his father cared for the girl. But now, after what he had heard transpire outside in the hallway and Vegeta's attempt to kill him, Mirai slowly started to believe that it was more. That his father was feeling more for a girl, the daughter of a third class warrior, than he did for his own flesh and blood.

It hurt.

"You love her," Mirai mumbled startled, as the revelation hit him. Even after his mother had repeatedly reassured him that his father was capable of this emotion, he hadn't wanted to believe it. Until this very moment. And unfortunately, those words left his lips before he could stop himself, before he could consider the consequences. It just happened. And now he was waiting for the fallout. After all, everyone knew that his father wasn't big on those feelings and that he'd rather die than admit them.

A long beat of silence. And then the quiet, almost muffled admission. "I do."

Those two words came so unexpected that Mirai's eyes flew open. And instead of the heated glare that he expected, he was met with a picture of his father that he had never seen before. The proud prince of the Saiyajins let his head hang low, almost buried in his hands. Somehow, seeing his father like this, so defeated and devastated, scared him.

This was not the cold-hearted warrior he had experienced during his second trip to the past, when they had spent two years in the Room of Spirit and Time together. This was not even the man his mother usually described in her tales of the past. He didn't recognize the man sitting in front of him, seeming almost broken.

Sure, he remembered the others telling him, how Vegeta had reacted, when Cell had killed him. How he had furiously attacked the Jinzoningen, but somehow, this wasn't the same. He could deal with a Vegeta, who used violence as an outlet for his emotions, but he couldn't deal with this man in front of him. A man who had seemingly given up.

"She'll make it," Mirai said finally to break the silence and to cheer this man – his father – up. "She's strong, and stubborn. She won't let the Red Ribbon Army win like this."

Vegeta's head shot up, all traces of the broken man gone, as the murderous glare was back in place. "Let's hope you're right, boy. Because I meant it. If she doesn't make it, you're dead."

Mirai swallowed hard, trying to withstand the glare, but eventually lowered his eyes. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything. Maybe he should have closed his eyes again and acted, as if he hadn't seen his father show this weakness.

Yes, closing his eyes sounded like a very good idea. It also helped him to concentrate on Jenny's ki, as his concentration wasn't at its best at the moment. He frowned lightly, as he realized that Jenny's ki had dropped again – it had been barely there before, but now it really took all his concentration to find it.

This wasn't good.

…

_The sun was shining brightly, blinding him. He raised his hand to protect his eyes and relished in the warmth the sun was bringing. Birds were singing around him and there was a forest close by. He appeared to be standing in some sort of meadow – wildflowers were growing everywhere around him and the grass looked as if it had never been cut. It was peaceful. _

_And it had to be a dream. A beautiful dream, but a dream nonetheless. Because he was pretty sure that he was in the hospital, recovering from giving his blood to Jenny._

_Jenny._

_Cheerful laughter caused him to turn around and there, only a few yards away, was a little girl. A very familiar little girl. She was wearing her long blond hair in a ponytail and her blue eyes were sparkling, when they spotted him. "Mirai!" she called out, skipping up to him. "What are ya doing here?"_

"_Jenny?" he asked dumbfounded. Yep, definitely a dream, only why was he dreaming of Jenny as a little girl?_

"_Duh!" she said, giggling. "Of course it's me. Come on, I wanna show you something!"_

_Her tiny hand grabbed his, and still completely surprised by this very strange dream, Mirai let himself be pulled along, towards the tree line. "Where are we going?"_

"_Ssh… We're almost there…"_

_It was once again becoming darker around them, the deeper they went into the woods. Almost no light reached the ground and Mirai somehow got a bad feeling about this. "Maybe we should turn around, go back…"_

"_Don't be scared," the little girl whispered to him comfortingly. "Here we are."_

_Mirai froze dead in his tracks, as his eyes landed on a long row of graves. He couldn't see the beginning of the line, but it must have been hundreds. "What's this?"_

"_Look." The little girl tugged at his hands and led him to the end of the line. There was a fresh grave, not even closed and inside the hole was just an empty coffin. However, the headstone was already in place and Mirai gasped in shock, when he read the inscription._

Son Jenny

Murderer.

May she rot in hell.

"_What the hell is this?" he demanded to know, looking at the little girl, only to find that she had grown into the Jenny he knew. Pale, too thin, deep bags under her eyes. She was wearing the clothes from the attack and he could see the red stain blossom from her chest. _

"_This is everyone I killed," she told him emotionlessly, looking down the row with dead eyes. "Everyone who has died because of me. And it's time that I join them."_

"_No!" Mirai protested, but before he could stop her, she was already lying in the coffin, her hands neatly folded on her stomach. _

"_Goodnight, Mirai," she whispered, as she closed her eyes, and not even a second later, a high pitched beeping sound reached his ears, followed by groaning metal._

…

Mirai's eyes shot open only to see Vegeta standing, the wreck of a chair lying next to him. His fists were clenched tightly, his eyes blazing with anger and something that Mirai would have never expected to see in his father's eyes.

Grief.

What the…

And then he felt it. Or better, didn't feel it. Jenny's ki. It was gone.

"No…" he croaked, realizing what this meant. Jenny hadn't made it. She was dead.

Vegeta turned his head and with a deadly calm slowly walked over to the bed Mirai was still lying in. Mirai knew what was coming for him, after all, he knew that Vegeta didn't make empty threats. And now, knowing that the girl he thought of as friend was dead and that it was his fault, he didn't want to defend himself.

Just let death come quickly.

Yet, before Vegeta could do him any harm, both their heads jerked around, both of them looking in the direction of where the operating rooms were. It was there, barely so, but they could both feel Jenny's ki again.

The doctor had managed to bring her back.

"You're lucky," Vegeta told him gruffly. "For now." He turned his back towards Mirai and walked over to the window, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Mirai watched him for a while, as he was standing as still as a statue, looking outside and yet his eyes were so far away that Mirai doubted that his father was seeing anything at all.

Using this chance, Mirai allowed darkness to claim him again. This time, he didn't dream.

* * *

The next time he opened his eyes, he was already feeling a lot stronger, though the light in the room hurt his eyes a bit. Wait… light?

No, his eyes didn't betray him. Outside, the sun had risen and it should be sometime in the morning. Maybe seven or eight o'clock. He must have been asleep for a few hours, but Vegeta was still standing in front of the window, having apparently not moved an inch since he had gone there sometime last night.

Immediately after, he reached out with his senses and almost breathed a sigh of relief, when he realized that Jenny's ki was not just still there, but stronger than it had been after the Big Scare from last night. And it seemed to have moved. Was the surgery over? If yes, why had no one informed them?

Just at this moment, the door was opened and the doctor that Mirai had met last night stepped inside. He looked tired, but didn't seem to be coming with really bad news. Vegeta turned around upon hearing the door open and feeling someone come inside, and looked at the newcomer with a look of vague interest.

"Mr. Briefs," the doctor said to Vegeta, only sparing Mirai a short glance. "My name is Doctor Menzel. The nurse informed me that you're the young woman's guardian."

"I am," Vegeta told him shortly. And then, after a moment of hesitation, he asked, "How is she?"

"Alive…" the doctor told him, believing that they were still worried about him coming to tell them that he had bad news. He didn't know that they were able to feel her ki, her life energy, and therewith could tell that she was still alive. "Her condition is critical but stable. It's been touch and go for a while and we lost her for a moment, but we managed to bring her back. I'm positive that she won't have any lasting brain damage. She's in the ICU for now, recovering from her injuries and the surgery. However, as I've already told the young man before your arrival, her shoulder blade was shattered by the impact of the bullet and her left lung was severely damaged. We've done our best to repair the damage, but there was only so much we could do. She might have to live with only one working lung and she will never regain the full use of her left arm. Otherwise, given a few weeks of bed rest, she should recover nicely."

Vegeta only nodded curtly in acknowledgement and Mirai felt his heart plummet. Sure, Jenny was still alive and she would recover… except for the fact that she would never again be able to fight. When she was told this… he couldn't even imagine how devastated she would be. To be told that you would never again be able to do what you were born to, that had to be terrible.

"Well, that's all I can tell you for now," the doctor continued, not at all affected by Vegeta's behavior. "The doctors and nurses in the ICU will now take care of her. If you wish to see her, you may. But only one at a time for now. Still, this shouldn't be a problem, as one of my colleagues will check the younger Mr. Briefs later this morning. So you will have her all to yourself until the young man is released and decides to visit her. I will see after Jenny, when I'm back at the hospital tonight. Goodbye."

Vegeta didn't offer any words in return and Mirai was feeling too uncomfortable to say anything. Too much had happened that night to just act normally again. As it was, Vegeta never once looked at Mirai, now that his anger had faded somewhat, and instead left the room just a short moment after the doctor and closed the door again.

Outside, away from the prying eyes from his son, he exhaled deeply, as the tension from the last night slowly began to ebb away. But only those who knew him really well could see the more relaxed stance, could see the relief in his eyes.

It was time to see the girl.

The ICU was easy to find and once there, he had to tell the nurses at the desk who he was, before he was allowed into the room, where the girl was lying at the moment. Thanks to her status as heir to Capsule Corporation, the girl had a room for herself, so Vegeta was glad for the privacy, once he had stepped inside and looked at the girl in the bed.

She had been pale before, but now her skin was waxy, the shadows under her eyes much darker than before. And she seemed so small, so thin under the blanket. At this moment, she looked much younger and much more vulnerable than she was. A machine was beeping quietly next to her bed, monitoring her heartbeat, and tubes were coming from and going to different parts of her body. In the background an IV was dripping.

Vegeta scowled deeply, clenching his fists tightly.

It was at this moment that he wished that she _had_ died last night. Everything would have been much easier then. Sure, he would have made good on his promise to kill the boy from the future, because it was his fault that she had been put into this situation, of being vulnerable in the middle of a war, in the first place. But neither of their deaths would have been final.

On his flight to the hospital, this plan had formed in his mind, in case the girl died. He would have finished her war on the Red Ribbon Army, because now it was his war, too. A wry grin appeared on his lips, as he remembered the girl's words the night her friends had died in the attack. '_It's personal now.'_ And then, once the spaceship was finished, he would have travelled to New Namek – which he somehow would have found without the Kaioushin's help, though he doubted that the high god would have kept the coordinates a secret with the Dragon Balls being his only chance to get his champion back - on his own and asked for the use of the Dragon Balls. There, he would have used the girl's wishes and at last he would have wished the girl – and maybe the boy, if he was feeling merciful – back to life.

Maybe it really would have been better this way. She would have died, sure, but she would have been healthy and not in pain. Maybe her family could have even helped her recover from her war against the Red Ribbon Army. Maybe she wouldn't have been broken.

Not as she was now.

Now she was injured and weak and broken. And not all of it was because of the cowardly action of the Red Ribbon Army last night.

The last year had truly left a mark on her. She had been wasting away and he had been unable to stop it. Unable to face her and confront her, because he was reminded too much of himself during his dark years. Because he had been too scared of watching her become like him.

And now everything had just gotten worse. And he hadn't been able to stop it.

The girl was injured and weak and broken, never to regain full use of her body again, if normal medicine had its way. Now the third wish on New Namek would have to be used to heal her injuries completely.

But until then it would still be months, months the girl would have to spend as an invalid, most-likely in pain.

Death would definitely have been better for her.

And then, just for a split second, Vegeta considered finishing what the Red Ribbon Army hadn't managed. Release the girl from her pain.

He decided against it. If the girl asked him to, he would do it, but not without her consent.

However, there was one thing he would do, even without her agreeing to it.

Vegeta would help her destroy the rest of the Red Ribbon Army. And he had already started with those, who had done this to her.

* * *

_Earlier the previous night_

It had been a long few days he had spent away from Capsule Corporation, training of course. Not avoiding. Never avoiding, Vegeta repeatedly tried to tell himself, even though he knew how empty his words were. Still, it had been a bit easier to stay away in the past few weeks, knowing that the brat from the future would look after her. That boy really seemed to think that he could get through to her.

Delusional. At least that's what he had thought before he had seen the very subtle improvement in Jenny.

His methods were certainly weird, but he had gotten her to show her feelings, apparently starting at her anger and now even some amusement. It wasn't much, but it was something.

A big part of Vegeta hoped that the boy would be able break down the walls she had built around herself.

It was already late, long dark, when Vegeta stepped through the front door to Capsule Corporation, only to find it completely empty. It wasn't that surprising really. The girl was barely at home at night, always out and looking for the Red Ribbon Army. And with the boy's puppy like devotion to her, it was natural that he had tagged along. But at least his senses told him that they were still in town, though he had to concentrate hard to feel her ki. She was most-likely suppressing it again, Vegeta realized with a frown, and he hated it. How could he keep taps of the girl, when he couldn't pinpoint her exact location?

Shaking his head, Vegeta closed the door behind him and when his gaze landed on the sideboard in the hallway, or more precisely on the phone that was standing on it.

It was really surprising to see the blinking red light on the answering machine, seeing as no one called them anymore.

Curious, Vegeta pushed the play button, being now forced to listen to Jenny's greeting recorded in a much happier time. "_Hi, this is Capsule Corporation," _Jenny's cheerful voice said to whoever was calling, "_home to Jenny and Vegeta. We're not at home right now, probably beating each other up somewhere in the wilderness, so you'll have to leave a message. We'll call you back, if we come back alive! Bye!"_ Hearing this greeting felt as if someone was clenching his heart, but the blood froze in his veins, while he was listening to the message the caller had left.

"_Jenny?" _Nikanor's voice whispered urgently. "_Please answer… we need your help. They're here, at school. They took hostages… please, be there…come…_" This was followed by a yell, a shot, a cry and then static, as someone obviously had smashed the phone.

"This message was recorded at nine twenty-two," the mechanical female voice said a few short seconds later. Vegeta looked at the time that was displayed on the answering machine. It was eleven forty-three. This cry for help had come two hours and twenty-one minutes ago. Reaching out with his senses, Vegeta made sure that the girl was really still in town, and was proven right. Her ki was low, so she was out as a human, but it was still positioned in the Western Capital. The message must have come after she had left, because the girl would never ignore a call like this from her friend. Not even now. Especially if the Red Ribbon Army was involved somehow, and Vegeta would bet his life that '_they'_ were soldiers form the Red Ribbon Army.

Now, what to do? Two hours and twenty-two minutes had passed by now. Already too much time. Finding the girl and then going to Li's school would take too much time, so he basically only had one choice.

He had to go and play hero.

…

Vegeta landed near the town, where he and the girl had lived a few years ago barely five minutes later. He had decided against flying directly to the school, because even in the darkness the flare of his ki could alert the soldiers to his arrival. The rest of the way he could travel just as quickly on foot. Running through the woods that led to Li's school, Vegeta hoped that he wasn't too late. He feared that it would break the girl completely, if the Red Ribbon Army managed to destroy this part of her life as well. He was sure that she would blame herself, as she was the only connection between Li's school and the Red Ribbon Army.

He was almost there, having now slowed to a slight jog, when he heard a rustling near him. Bracing himself, Vegeta was ready to take down any soldier, but it wasn't a soldier that broke through the trees, but a young woman the girl was friends with.

Anisah let out a startled shriek, as she saw the dark figure suddenly standing in front of her in the woods. She was out of breath, her arms and face full of bloody scratches from the bushes and branches she had met during her flight, but this didn't mean that she wouldn't take out as many soldiers as she could.

So, quickly getting over her surprise, she lunged at the dark figure, but before she could land a hit with her fist, her arm was stopped with a steel-like grip.

"Stupid girl," a deep voice muttered, before she was pushed away. Somehow, this voice seemed familiar. And now that she got a good look at the dark figure, she recognized him.

"Vegeta… I mean, Mr. Briefs…" she mumbled, feeling her knees going weak with relief. "Thank god you're here… Is Jenny with you?"

"What happened, girl?" Vegeta demanded to know, at the same time as he was shaking his head 'no'. The girl's face fell, as she understood that he was alone. "Your boy left a message on our machine."

"It's the Red Ribbon Army," Anisah explained quickly. "They suddenly appeared in Li's house, when Nik and I were having dinner with him. They took Li and Nik to the smithy, I think. They want Li to do something for him, and if he doesn't do it, they threatened to kill the kids. They left one soldier with me, but I managed to take him down and flee. I've been hiding in the woods since then." Always moving, and trying to get as far away from the school as possible, trying to find help.

"How are they threatening the brats?"

"They've positioned soldiers around the dorms. I saw them, while I was running to the woods. But I don't think they're inside."

Nodding thoughtfully, Vegeta asked, "Is there a way to get into the dorms unseen?"

Anisah appeared to be deep in thoughts for a moment, before she eventually nodded. "There's an old entrance to the basement. I think I can get in through it. But why?"

"You've got a whole army in that dorm, girl. Kids who can take on the soldiers with any kind of weapon they get their hands on, and according to what the brat told me, there is a room filled with old training weapons, isn't there?" Upon Anisah's nod, he continued, "So, you gather your army and take out the soldiers. It's easy and straightforward."

"I'll try," Anisah told him, now with determination shining in her eyes. This was something she could do. They wouldn't allow the Red Ribbon Army to win. "And what are you going to do?"

"I'll go to the smithy."

Without another word, Vegeta turned and disappeared again in the darkness. Now that he was at the school, he could feel several known kis where the smithy was. There were Li and Nik, of course, just as the girl had already told him, but he was surprised to feel Triclops, his woman and brat there as well. This wasn't good, Vegeta decided with a frown.

From his hiding place in the trees, Vegeta saw four soldiers stationed around the smithy, but then smirked. Taking them out would be no problem.

And it wasn't.

Before any of them had even noticed that someone was there, all four of them were dead with broken necks. Vegeta felt a small twinge of guilt upon having just killed four human beings, but he agreed with the girl's philosophy, even if the boy from the future didn't. As long as the enemy was alive, there was a chance that he could get you.

Ignoring the bodies, Vegeta inched closer to the window and chanced a look inside. A frown appeared on his face. This didn't look good, but if he was quick enough and if Triclops reacted correctly, the only people that died tonight should be the soldiers.

…

All of this went unnoticed by the people inside the smithy. Tenshinhan was standing at one wall, his hands tied behind his back with one soldier standing on each side of him. Breaking the bonds wouldn't be a problem, the soldiers themselves wouldn't be a problem, but still he couldn't break free. The reason for this was on the other side of the room. In one corner, a soldier was holding a gun to the head of this wife, in the other corner one was holding a gun to the head of his little daughter. Both his girls were crying.

If he got to one, the other would be killed. It was as easy as that. Not even he was that quick.

Clenching his fists tightly in anger and despair, Tenshinhan looked over to Li, who was slumped on his chair, looking defeated, and Nik, who was openly glaring at the leader of the soldiers. The middle-aged and graying General Green was looking smug, as he was casually leaning against the wall, waiting for news from the walkie-talkie hanging at his belt. It's been almost an hour since the sniper had left with the bullet that they had forced Li to make.

A bullet made from the same indestructible metal as Jenny's swords.

The only hope of the Red Ribbon Army to get rid of Jenny once and for all.

While the soldiers had been focused on Li, to watch him make the bullet, Nik had sneaked out his cell phone from his pocket and had called Capsule Corporation, hoping to reach Jenny. Only their answering machine had answered, but Nik had managed to leave a short message, before the soldiers had noticed what he was doing and wrestled the cell from his hands. One of them had even let loose a shot, but fortunately no one had been hurt.

Tenshinhan only hoped that Jenny would hear the message before it was too late, maybe that she could even come and help them. But by now he was slowly losing hope. It's been too long. If Jenny had heard the message, she would have been long here by now.

This night had started so nicely. Maya had already been fast asleep, and he and Suki had been curled up on the couch. It was one of the few nights, when they were alone in the cabin, as Chao-zu was on duty in the dorms, to make sure that none of the kids were stepping out of line during the night. Unfortunately, the night had turned out to become a nightmare the moment a stranger had stepped out of Maya's bedroom, the little girl clutched in his arms and the gun pointed at her. Before he had been able to react, more soldiers had stormed the cabin and quickly grabbed Suki. Tenshinhan had had no choice but to surrender.

Tenshinhan had wondered, why he hadn't felt any strange kis, but when they had all been brought together in the smithy, General Green, like a typical villain, had boasted about the newest invention of the Red Ribbon Army – ki shields. Tenshinhan immediately thought that Jenny needed to know this, but then Green had told them about Commander Black's great plan of killing Jenny once and for all. They had of course figured out Jenny's connection to this school, they had somehow found out that her sword was made of an indestructible alloy. And they had decided that a bullet made of this alloy would be enough to kill Jenny.

And now, here he was… His family was in danger, Jenny was in danger, and there was nothing he could do. He wasn't even sure, if the Red Ribbon Army would let them live, once their mission was complete.

They needed help.

Suddenly his heart began to beat faster, but the expression on his face didn't change, as he felt a low, but very familiar ki outside. Usually, when he felt this ki, he would try to avoid this person, but not today. Not this night. Tonight he was actually elated to feel it.

And then, when the door was thrown open and a ki-blast went right through the chest of the soldier holding Suki, chaos broke out. All attention was momentarily drawn to the door and both Vegeta and Tenshinhan used this split second. None of the soldiers had any chance, as Tenshinhan knocked the soldier who was holding his daughter out cold and Vegeta took care of the rest with the efficiency of a cold-blooded killer.

The last two surviving soldiers were the one Tenshinhan had knocked out and Major Green, whose name at this moment represented the color on his face, as Vegeta was stalking up to him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Y-you won't get away with this," Green stuttered, looking for a way to escape. "My soldiers have surrounded the dorms. The kids will all die on my order."

However, just at this moment, the walkie-talkie crackled with static and a female voice announced, "The dorm's back under our control. Let them go, Green." In the background loud cheering could be heard, and Green's already green face became even paler.

"You heard my girl, Green," Nik said coolly, though the relief that the kids and Anisah were safe was evident on his face. "Give up and we'll let you live."

"You think you've won?" Major Green announced with a superior look on his pale face. "You seem to forget that right now my sniper is on his way to kill the girl! We've followed her for days and know exactly, where she is right now. I'm sure he has already done it and is just waiting until he's at the safe house to tell me."

"What is he talking about?" Vegeta demanded to know, looking at Nik and Li. The latter was still sitting slumped in his chair, still looking utterly defeated.

Still, it was Li who answered, "They forced me to make a bullet out of the same metal as Jenny's swords. I'm sorry, but I had no choice. They were threatening the children and Tenshinhan's family. There was nothing I could have done…"

Before Vegeta could say anything, the walkie-talkie crackled again and a male, unknown voice announced, "Mission fulfilled. The girl is dead. I killed her thirty minutes ago. I'm at the safe house now."

Vegeta saw red and a second later, Major Green's neck was broken as well. His burning eyes wandered around the room, eventually landing on the only living soldier in the smithy. The soldier flinched under his gaze, trying to scramble away, but the wall was already at his back. There was no way to flee.

"It's not true," Tenshinhan whispered, breaking through the haze of fury that had settled over Vegeta. "It's low, very low, but her ki is still there…"

Vegeta concentrated again, and now realized that the girl hadn't been hiding her ki as he had suspected, but that she was injured… badly injured. Just how could he have missed that? How could he have missed that the girl had been attacked? He had felt the boy's ki rise suddenly about half an hour ago, but had thought nothing of it. But now he knew that it must be connected to the attack. Damn…

Frowning, Vegeta reached out with his senses again. Her ki was low, he had to concentrate harder than ever before to feel it, but feel it he did. The girl was still alive, if barely. Still… this revelation didn't save the soldier's life. He never saw his end coming and then Vegeta was gone from the smithy, having taken into the sky. On his way back to the Western Capital.

It was difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the girl's ki, but it was getting easier, as he was getting closer, especially as the boy's ki was there, too. And in the end he landed in front of the only logical place for her to be. A hospital.

With the fury still very close to the surface, Vegeta strode into the reception. "I'm here to see Jenny Son," he told the nurse at the desk. His voice was deathly calm, as he struggled to contain his anger, his need to blow something up.

"One moment please…" the elderly nurse said, but Vegeta wouldn't have any of it, as he slowly began to raise his voice.

"Where is she?"

"Excuse me, Sir," the nurse said, "if you'd just wait for moment. Right now I can't tell you anything."

"I'm here to see the girl! Where is she?"

"Are you family?"

"I'm her goddamn father! Now, where is she?" Vegeta now yelled. It spoke for the nurse that she didn't flinch under his stormy gaze and loud voice and instead immediately, but calmly, went to look into her computer.

"She's in surgery. It does not look good. Her condition is critical." By then, Vegeta had heard enough. Turning on his heel, he followed the boy's ki to a room close to the reception. The nurse jumped up from her chair and began to go after him. "Wait! You can't go in there!"

But he didn't listen. He strode into the room, glaring at the boy lying on the bed. He looked pale, but Vegeta didn't care for that. He only cared for one thing at this very moment. "What happened?" he demanded to know in a deadly quiet voice. When the boy didn't answer, his voice became sharper. "_What happened_?"

"Went out…" the boy mumbled weakly. "Had some drinks… some f—"

For the second time that night, a red haze settled over Vegeta's gaze, as the boy's voice sunk in. Only one thought was running through Vegeta's mind. It was the boy's fault. It was the boy's fault that Jenny had almost died.

Not even a split second after the boy had uttered those fateful words, Vegeta had wrapped his hands tightly around the boy's neck. The boy clawed at his wrists, trying to push the hands away, but in vain. He was too weak and already getting weaker. "You got her drunk!" Vegeta yelled at him. "Are you really this stupid?"

Vegeta didn't know, if he was glad or disappointed, as the orderlies entered the room along with the nurse, grabbing his arms and attempting to pull him away. They never would have managed to do this, but for some odd reason, Vegeta allowed it. However, before he was forced to take the first step back and to remove his hands, he hissed into the boy's ear, "If she dies, I'll kill you."

* * *

Hours must have passed again, the passing of time only documented by the quiet ticking of the clock at the wall and the journey of the sun across the horizon. Vegeta had once again opted to stand at the window, looking outside but not really seeing anything. But it was better than looking at the girl and to be reminded of his failure. His failure as guardian, mentor and most of all… father.

Maybe, if he hadn't been so cowardly and avoided her during this hard time, she wouldn't be lying here. Maybe, if he had helped her in her war against the Red Ribbon Army, she wouldn't be so broken, so dead inside. Maybe she and the boy from the future would have become friends and he could have helped her over the loss of her two best friends. Maybe, if he hadn't just thought that she was again hiding her ki, when it was so low, but instead had gone to investigate, the situation wouldn't be this bad…

Maybe… maybe… maybe…

But there was no turning back now. The damage was done. The only thing Vegeta could do now was to make amends to the girl.

But first, she had to wake up and become stronger again.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock…

And then a quiet groan. Vegeta immediately whirled around and stepped closer to the bed. Was she really waking up now? One of the nurses had said a couple of hours ago that it could take at least a day for her to regain consciousness. A small smile tugged at Vegeta's lips. Trust the girl to wake up earlier than expected.

Eyelids fluttered and were immediately squeezed shut again. Realizing that the light was too bright, Vegeta dimmed it so that it was almost completely dark. Her eyes slowly opened again and even in the dim light, Vegeta saw that her blue eyes were clouded by pain, grogginess and most-likely the painkillers the IV pumped into her.

"'Geta?" she asked drowsily.

"I'm here, brat," he told her gruffly. "I'm here…"


	69. Part III: Waking up

**A/N: Wow… this chapter has gotten longer than I had thought… At first I thought I'd be happy if I manage 5k words with what I had planned for this chapter, but now it's about 7.5k. Well, at least I'm fairly satisfied with the result. I hope you'll like it too, so please tell me if you do (also if there's something to criticize). **

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 68: Waking up**

Jenny didn't remember much of what happened after the sudden and incredibly sharp pain had shot through her chest. She remembered that Mirai had been bleeding. She remembered the shocked look spreading over his face. She remembered wondering why he was looking at her like that. She remembered looking down at the deep red stain on her T-shirt. After that the pain and then darkness, interrupted only now and then by fuzzy, urgent voices and, when she had managed to open her eyes, fuzzy faces.

And then again nothing.

Until now.

Jenny looked around, completely confused. Where the fucking hell was she? She was in front of a building, there were huge fluffy yellow clouds all around her and the sky seemed to be pink for Dende's sake! Out of instinct, Jenny powered up – better be safe than sorry, right? But somehow, the power didn't come as easily as she was used to, and, looking down at herself, Jenny thought she knew why. For whatever reason, her body was half transparent, almost see-through. Flickering between being almost invisible and being more visible.

Just what the fucking hell was going on here?

Hoping to get some answers inside the building in front of her, she ran inside, her senses alert for any danger she might have to face.

Still, nothing could have prepared her for who it was she was going to meet.

…

Son Goten was bored out of his mind. He couldn't believe he had let his mom talk him into this. A part-time job at Enma Daiou's check-in station for souls, so that he wouldn't hang around the house the whole time. Or better yet, so that he wouldn't have so much time to spend on his 'obsession', as his mom called it – girls. She had even threatened him with cutting off his allowance, if he didn't start working a few hours a week.

No one dared to cross Son ChiChi, so here he was, sitting at his own small desk on Enma Daiou's huge desk, usually watching him work, doing menial task like copying or filing files and filling in for him, whenever the judge needed a break. Alright, filling in for him meant sending the souls that arrived in that time to the waiting area, where they then had to draw a number to avoid chaos when Enma Daiou returned from his break.

Yawning loudly, Goten stretched his arms into the air and rocked back on the wooden chair, so that it was only standing on its two hind legs. A strand of his longer black hair fell into his face and he blew it away. Right now was one of those moments that Enma Daiou needed a break, so here he was, all alone on that gigantic desk. But fortunately, it was really calm. In the past ten minutes only two souls had entered the building. Must be because it was night on most planets right now. Even here in the Afterlife, but working the graveyard shift paid really well and Goten had had to switch shifts with one of the other employees, because there was this really big tournament in the Afterlife the coming weekend, in which he wanted to participate.

But still, he was tired and he wanted to go home and sleep. And he was hungry. Maybe he could take a break, when Enma Daiou was back. He had heard that there was some birthday cake from another employee in the small kitchen. And a nice hot cup of coffee sounded pretty good too.

"Hey!" An annoyed sounding voice tore Goten out of his thoughts, as it echoed through the hall. Startled, he lost the balance of the chair and toppled over backwards. "Is there anyone in this effing place who can give me some fucking answers?"

Groaning and rubbing the back of his head, which had hit the ground pretty hard, Goten slowly got up again and walked over to the edge of the desk, hoping to find out who had done this to him. Actually, he was quite curious, as he had never experienced a cloud in this place who had sworn like this. This could actually alleviate his boredom a bit.

"Yeah," he replied, as he reached the edge, "I'm…"

But whatever Goten wanted to say got stuck in his throat, as he took in the person who was standing in front of Enma Daiou's desk. It wasn't that the person had a body, or that said body seemed to be semi-transparent, almost flickering in and out of existence. The girl's black eyes were drawn upwards to the voice, clearly betraying her annoyance, as did her whole stance with her arms crossed in front of her chest and the scowl on her face.

A very familiar face. A face he had seen smiling into a camera just about two years ago.

No, it couldn't be. She couldn't be here. This wasn't right. She was supposed to be on Earth, living a long and happy life. She shouldn't be here.

"You're what?" she snarled at him, her eyes blazing. "I want some fucking answers!"

What the hell happened to her? Videl had described her as a cheerful and happy girl. The girl in front of him didn't look happy at all.

"Jenny…" he finally breathed, as he jumped down from the desk and landed in front of her, careful to keep a distance as he saw her body tense. Although he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her.

"How do you… What… How… Hell!" she rambled in confusion, but then she seemed to be really looking at him. Her eyes widened in recognition. The hair was longer, falling almost down to his shoulders, but the face and the eyes looked almost unchanged. "Goten…"

The moment the name fell from her lips, the moment she recognized him, something happened. The walls she had built around herself, the walls which had already cracks in it thanks to Mirai, began to crumble even more. Where before only anger had gotten through, now other feelings broke through as well. Seeing her brother in front of her caused so many feelings to slip through the cracks, opening them even more, that she didn't even know what it was exactly what she was feeling. Anger. Love. Sadness. Excitement. Confusion. Hope. Fear. Happiness.

And even relief.

Goten immediately saw her eyes soften, when she mumbled his name and now he knew that it was safe to approach her. Just a second later, they were hugging. He didn't know, if he had made the first move or if it had been her.

"You're here… Why are you here?" Goten mumbled into her dark hair. Tears appeared in his eyes. He couldn't deny that he was incredibly happy to see his sister, his twin, his other half again, but at the same time, he didn't want her to be dead.

Slowly, Jenny let go of Goten, and she answered, "I got shot… I think… So I'm dead? And why am I flickering?"

Looking down at her, Goten realized that it was a bit weird. He was a good few inches taller than her, something he had never been, when they were still kids. Back then, she had always been a bit taller, but now… It just showed how much time had passed since Buu. She looked different, almost scarily different. It wasn't just how much she had grown. It wasn't even how thin she was, or the faint scars on her arms, but her eyes. Tired, almost dead eyes.

"I don't know," he said to answer her questions. "I've never seen someone with your… symptoms… before. You either arrive here as a white fluffy cloud or with a solid body. But this hasn't happened before, as far as I know. At least not while I was here… But maybe… maybe you're not really dead yet. Maybe someone is trying to bring you back."

"Maybe…" Was Mirai trying to work a miracle and bring her back? The flickering suddenly worsened, her body growing more transparent with each time. Then she felt something like a shock run through her and a strong pull. "Actually, I think you're right…" Panic suddenly began to rush through her. Did she really want to go back? Back to the pain? Back to the war? Why couldn't she just stay with her brother? "Goten…"

"It's okay, Jenny," Goten said soothingly, hearing the fear and despair in her voice. He was hugging her again. "Whatever's going on at home, you're strong. You'll get through it. I believe in you. Go back. You're too young to die."

"You were too young to die…"

"I know… but you can't leave Vegeta alone. Someone needs to keep him in check. And you're just the right person to do that."

For the first time in more than a year, Jenny felt wet and salty tears run down her cheeks. Goten didn't know what she was going through, he didn't know what she was going back to. And he could never know. It would just worry him. And everyone else. "Please… bro… don't tell the others. Don't tell them that I was here… please… I don't want them to worry…"

Swallowing hard, Goten nodded, as he promised, "I won't tell a soul, sis." Jenny's body was slowly beginning to feel less solid and then it was gone completely. His arms were falling to his sides again, as a small, sad smile was tugging at his lips. His sister had gone back to where she belonged, but Goten couldn't help but worry about what had caused those strong changes within her. What was she going home to?

"Goodbye, sis," he mumbled, even though he knew that she wouldn't hear him anymore. "I hope I won't see you again for a long time."

* * *

Darkness. Blessed painless darkness. Nothing. Timeless. Weeks could have passed and she wouldn't have known.

But it was time to wake up.

Awareness crept up on her, the pain returned. Everything felt heavy. Foggy. Where was she? What happened?

She voiced these questions, but her throat hurt so much. She wasn't sure, if she had actually said what she wanted to say.

A steady beeping noise caused her head to throb with every _beep beep _beep. Something seemed to be stuck into her nose, making it itch. And the pain, oh fuck, the pain! It felt as if the whole left side of chest and back was on fire.

A quiet noise. Rustling of clothes. Too quiet and too loud at the same time. There was someone with her in the room. She needed to know who it was… Her eyes fluttered open, but a glaring light immediately caused her to squeeze them shut again. Too bright. Too much. Pain.

The light behind her eyelids dimmed. Grateful for the relief, she tried to open her eyes again. It was difficult, but the darkness was much more bearable than the light. Her head was still thrumming with pain, as was her left shoulder, and her throat was still so incredibly dry. Her gaze was slightly blurry, but she could still make out the figure standing next to her.

"'Geta?" she rasped, not able to pronounce the full name. Somehow, seeing him there, caused her tense body to relax somewhat. With him there, she was feeling safer than she had in a long time.

"I'm here, brat," his gruff voice said. "I'm here…"

He was moving closer to her, but was still just a blurry shape. Blinking was so difficult, her eyes wanted to stay shut every time she closed them, but still Jenny managed it a few more times until she could see him more clearly.

Where was she? What she could see of the room was unfamiliar… and why did everything hurt so much? What happened?

Fragments of what was going through her fuzzy mind must have escaped her lips, or maybe Vegeta just knew what was going through her head, as he answered her questions, "You're in a hospital. While you and the boy were on your way home, a sniper from the Red Ribbon Army shot you. The boy immediately brought you here and you were in surgery the whole night."

"…hurt… bad…?" Oh god, even speaking hurt. She tried to lick her cracked lips, but there was no fluid on her tongue. Fortunately, Vegeta realized her need and took a glass of water that was standing on the nightstand next to the bed. He carefully pushed the palm underneath her head and raised it. Even this small movement shot sharp waves of pain through her body, making her grit her teeth to keep from screaming, but the relief of feeling the cool and fresh water rush down her sore throat and wet her dry lips was worth it.

First after Vegeta had put the glass back onto the nightstand, he turned back to her. For a moment it seemed to Jenny as if he was hesitating, but then he repeated what the doctors and nurses had told him since he had arrived at the hospital in a detached voice, "The bullet barely missed your heart. But it tore a hole into your left lung and the impact of the bullet shattered your left shoulder blade. During the surgery you… your ki… it disappeared for a moment."

Wait… she… she had died?

Jenny wanted to know more about it, but the look that had appeared on Vegeta's face and the fact that he had stuttered, when he had told her the last part, kept her from asking. Maybe Mirai would tell her more… or maybe not… if Vegeta already had trouble talking about it...

Trying to shift on the bed, Jenny immediately realized her mistake, as a blinding pain almost knocked her out again.

Fuck! Her shoulder was hurting like hell! Every breath was burning. And the mother of all headaches had still not gotten better.

The annoying beeping noise sped up and as if alerted by this, a click echoed through the room and once again blinding light caused her to groan. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Too fucking bright!

"Mr. Briefs, what's going on?" a female voice asked and Jenny wanted to curse at her. Couldn't she whisper or something like that? She was in pain here! Jenny must have made another noise, as the woman suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, she's awake. Why didn't you call me? I'm sure the doctor told you to alert us the moment she wakes up."

"The girl had some questions that I had to answer first," Vegeta told her gruffly, though his voice was, thankfully, a lot quieter than the woman's.

The woman, most likely a nurse – Jenny didn't know, she still hadn't opened her eyes again because of the harsh light shining into the room through the gap of the open door – made a 'tsking' noise with her tongue. "What she needs is rest. As you can see those answers must have upset her. I'll now give her something for the pain and to go back to sleep."

Sleep? No… Jenny didn't want to go back to that darkness. She had almost died… she wanted to stay awake!

"No…"

"You need to rest, dear," the nurse told her. The voice was now a lot closer and since she was throwing a shadow over Jenny, she dared to open her eyes again. "You have lost a lot of blood and sleeping will help you to heal."

Heal! That's it! She couldn't go to sleep! She needed to do something about her injuries! She couldn't concentrate on her ki, when she was sleeping. And it already was so difficult to concentrate. She didn't want the drugs. "... heal…" Fuck, why couldn't she speak in whole sentences?

"Yes, sweetheart, this will help you get better. Now, go to sleep…" The nurse put something into the IV line with a syringe and just seconds later, the world around Jenny once again turned black. She wanted to glare at the nurse, tell her not to call her 'sweetheart', but it was too late and darkness claimed her again, before she could do anything.

…

The next time she opened her eyes, it seemed to be daytime. Jenny had no idea, how long she had been out of it this time, but after a brief moment of confusion she quickly decided that she wouldn't let another nurse put her to sleep. How she would achieve this, she didn't know yet, but she would stop them. Somehow.

Carefully opening her eyes, Jenny gave them a moment to adjust to the light in the room. Most of the room was cast in shadows, as it seemed to be cloudy outside. This was good, especially for her headache, which had gotten a bit better. Unfortunately, the pain in her shoulder and chest hadn't lessened at all.

"Are you awake?" a quiet voice asked.

Jenny's eyes wandered around the room as far as possible, but it wasn't until she heard some steps come closer that she spotted Mirai. A small smile was tugging at her lips, when she saw him. But then a memory flashed through her mind, him holding his arm, before his eyes widened. Mirai had been hurt, too.

"You… alright?" He seemed to be a bit pale, and he appeared to be a bit nervous, hiding his hands in the pockets of his jeans and biting his lower lip. However, after her question, a wry grin appeared on his lips and he shook his head in disbelief, as he sat down on a chair directly next to her bed.

"You're the one lying in a hospital bed after being shot through the chest, and you ask me if I'm okay?" Shaking his head again, Mirai told her, "I'm fine. I just had a scratch. And I was a bit weak after giving some of my blood to save you. But I'm okay now. Jenny… How are you feeling?"

"'m fine…" Jenny answered. Her throat was again too dry and every word hurt. "Just thirsty…"

"I'll get you something to drink."

Mirai got again up from the chair and disappeared for a moment, but he returned with a glass filled with water. Just as Vegeta had done earlier, Mirai carefully raised her head slightly and allowed her to sip at the water. The pain was once again barely bearable and Jenny was glad when she was again lying still. It was still hurting, but Jenny was no stranger to pain.

"You're lying, by the way. You can't be fine," Mirai said to her, when he had sat down again. "Not with your injuries… Damn it, Jenny! You almost died! You _did_ die for a moment!"

Jenny didn't know what to say, as he was running his hands through his hair. More strands loosened from the ponytail and the desperate expression on his face was absolutely heartbreaking. "Not your… fault… Red Ribbon Army…" Speaking had gotten slightly easier, but it was still a huge effort to get the words past her lips.

"If you say so…"

It was obvious even to Jenny's slightly clouded mind that he didn't really believe her, but she didn't have the strength to convince him now. She needed to save her strength to repair the damage the bullet had done to her. "Where's Vegeta?"

"I sent him home. He hasn't slept in more than two days and really needed a shower and a change of clothes. I don't think that he'll sleep, though. But as long as he washes off the stink from his training, I won't complain…"

A quiet chuckle escaped Jenny's lips, but unfortunately this small movement once again sent sparks of incredible pain through her chest and shoulder. So the chuckle quickly turned into an agonized groan. Jenny really needed to do something about her injuries.

"Do you need anything? Do you want me to call the nurse?" Mirai asked her worriedly.

"No…" Jenny replied immediately. Not the nurse, no more drugs. "Just gonna… close eyes…"

"Okay… get some more rest… I'll stay here…"

Reassured that she wouldn't be alone, Jenny allowed her eyes to close again, but instead of allowing sleep to claim her, Jenny turned her concentration inwards. It was still hard to concentrate, and even harder to find her weak ki, but once she had found it, she pushed the familiar warmth into the general area of the pain for as long as possible.

Jenny didn't know, how long she had managed to use her ki's healing powers, but when exhaustion finally claimed her, Jenny believed that the pain had lessened just a bit.

* * *

Mirai was watching the pale girl on the hospital bed. She had just fallen asleep again after having woken for the second time since the surgery. In a way, Mirai knew that she needed the rest to recover, but it was hard to see her so still, when before she had always been doing something. When he had first come into this room after he had been released, he hadn't wanted to believe that it was really her. So pale, so small, connected to all those tubes and machines. So vulnerable. This girl in the bed wasn't the Jenny he had gotten to know.

But she was alive and this was the most important thing at the moment. And she had woken up, earlier even than the doctor had expected after the long and strenuous surgery.

A shudder shook Mirai's body, as he remembered the one shocking moment, when Jenny's ki had disappeared, when she had died. They had brought her back, but when he thought back to what her doctor had told him and Vegeta the previous night he realized once again how close it had been. How close she had been to staying dead.

Doctor Menzel had told them that, when her heart had stopped beating, her body had started to fade. To disappear. She had become see-through, almost flickering in and out of existence. No one who had been witness to this had understood, what was happening. They had just tried their hardest to get her heart to beat again. And the moment it had, her body had become solid again.

Both Mirai and Vegeta had of course known what had happened, and even Mirai could see that his father had just been as relieved about it as he had been. The fact that her body had started to disappear could only mean that despite everything she had done in her war against the Red Ribbon Army, despite every man that she had killed, she had still earned her place as a warrior for the light side in the Afterlife. She would have been allowed to keep her body. Until that moment, none of them had wanted to realize that the chance that she might have gone to hell, if she had died, had been very real.

Still, having her back with them was still better, even though she was hurt so much that she would never again be able to fight. Or at least until they got to New Namek and used their Dragon Balls. This was the perfect way to use the third wish, Mirai had realized and Vegeta had only agreed. The Dragon Balls were now Jenny's only hope to recover completely. But until then…

Mirai sighed, watching the peaceful expression on the sleeping face. Only now and then he could see her face tense, whenever she was feeling the pain in her sleep. He couldn't even imagine how much pain she was in. He couldn't remember the few short seconds he had still lived after Cell had shot that ki-blast through his chest. It must be agonizing. And everyone who didn't have the high pain tolerance of a Saiyajin would probably be grateful for the pain medication the doctors and nurses offered. To sink into painless oblivion to escape the agony.

Not Jenny, of course. It seemed that she'd rather take the pain over forced sleep.

Stubborn girl, Mirai thought affectionately, brushing a strand of blond hair away from her forehead.

Stubborn, but alive…

And better, in a way. Mirai would need to ask his father, if he had noticed it as well, when Jenny had been awake the first time. How there had been none of the hate, none of the anger in her eyes. How her voice had been free of those emotions as well. She had talked to him, she had cared about whether he was hurt or not. She had tried to comfort him, told him that her injuries, her almost dying, weren't his fault.

The Jenny before the attack wouldn't have done that.

So maybe, maybe the attack had been good for something after all.

* * *

Vegeta returned to the hospital only a few hours after the boy had sent him home. He hadn't slept of course, having trained instead to clear his head, but he had taken a long and scalding shower to wash off the exhaustion that had slowly tried to claim him. But he couldn't sleep. He didn't want to let the girl alone for too long. Alright, so the boy was with her, but after what had happened, he couldn't trust the boy to keep her safe anymore.

And she needed to be protected, now more than ever. The girl had never been as vulnerable as she was now, and the Red Ribbon Army would be stupid if they didn't try to use this to their advantage. Vegeta was being realistic – the Red Ribbon Army just had to know by now that their plan to eliminate her with the help of the sniper had failed, that the girl was still alive. It would only be a matter of time, until they tried to kill her again.

The elderly nurse who had taken care of the boy was sitting behind the reception desk. She was smiling at him, when he entered the hospital, something which unnerved him a bit. She hadn't backed down the night of the attack, ordering him around as if he weren't the most powerful being on this planet at the moment. She didn't know that, of course, but his glare which usually turned most grown men into a quivering mess, hadn't impressed her at all.

Vegeta could just respect her a little for that, so he returned her greeting with a nod.

When Vegeta reached the ICU, the nurse just waved him through and he turned directly around the corner which led to the girl's room. A frown appeared on his face, when he realized that while the boy's ki was still on this floor, it wasn't in the room with the girl. Instead there was a ki in her room that he didn't recognize.

Quickening his steps, Vegeta walked to the room as fast as he could without alerting anyone to the fact that something seemed to be wrong. The door, which had always been completely closed to give the girl some privacy, was opened just a small bit, and he threw it open fully, when he reached it.

A man, dressed in a nurse's clothes, was standing next to the girl's bed, but after having spent so many hours here already, Vegeta was sure that he had never seen this man before. The man whirled around, obviously startled, and gasped when his eyes landed on the glowering Saiyajin.

Vegeta used that second to take a good look at this stranger, immediately noticing that the clothes were a bit too big and that the boots he was wearing were too heavy for someone who was working at a hospital. Army boots, which probably wouldn't have been noticed if one didn't look closer. So he had been right – the Red Ribbon Army had tried to use this chance.

Where was the damn boy? Vegeta cursed inwardly. They had agreed that the girl was never to be alone under any circumstances!

Vegeta's eyes wandered further, and then saw him holding a syringe in his right hand which was filled with some clear liquid – Vegeta noticed relieved that it was still full. This assassin apparently hadn't succeeded with his plan.

"Get away from the bed," Vegeta ordered forcefully, taking a step forward.

The man didn't move, but his eyes were darting around, obviously looking for a way to escape. They were on the eighth floor, so the window was out, and Vegeta was blocking the door. Another door from the room led to an adjoining bathroom, but where would he go from there. He was trapped and seemed to realize his predicament, as he gave Vegeta a long, hard look and then rushed at him.

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta let his hand lash out and wrap around the man's neck, lifting him a few inches from the ground. The syringe dropped to the floor, as the man began to claw at Vegeta's fingers.

"Now, who are you? Are you from the Red Ribbon Army? Just nod or shake your head." The man didn't do anything at all, except for desperately gasping for air. Scowling deeply, Vegeta tightened his grip just a bit. "Let's try it again. Nod or shake your head. Are you from the Red Ribbon Army?"

Finally the man nodded.

"I thought so… And I take it you were sent to kill the girl?"

Another tentative nod.

"Did you do anything to her?"

This time he shook his head, much to Vegeta's relief.

"Are there more of you in this hospital?"

Again, the assassin shook his head.

"Good for them…" A slow smirk crept on Vegeta's face. "But not for you."

With a twist of his hand, the man's neck was broken, just as Mirai stepped through the door. "Dad! What are you doing?"

"Where have you been?" Vegeta growled at him. "The Red Ribbon Army almost got her… again, because you weren't here to protect her."

Mirai's eyes widened, as the scene presented to him took a whole new meaning. "What…? Fuck! I'm sorry… It's just… I was starving and… that's no excuse at all…"

"No, it's not. Now, stay here and don't leave her alone again. I'll take care of this problem."

Mirai sighed, after his father had left the room through the window, taking the body with him, and slumped down on the chair next to Jenny's bed. Burying his face in his hands, he tried to bury the anger at himself and the hurt he was feeling with it. Once again, he had failed. Once again, he had disappointed his father. Once again, he had almost gotten Jenny killed.

"I'm sorry, Jenny," he mumbled, carefully taking her hand in his. She was still fast asleep, not having noticed anything that had transpired in her room. Not knowing that she had almost died, again. "I just seem to mess up everything. It's just…" Mirai took a deep breath, as the emotions he had suppressed over the past few weeks welled up in him again. "It's so much… too much… I want to do all the right things. I wanted to be your friend. I wanted to help you. I wanted dad to be proud of me. But no matter what I do, it isn't enough…. isn't right. You've almost died… Dad's so disappointed in me. And I've got only me to blame for this. Tell me… please… what can I do to make it up to you? What can I do to make dad proud of me?"

The sleeping Jenny couldn't give him the desired answer, of course.

* * *

Jenny was surprised at how much better she felt, when she woke up for the third time. Sure, the pain was still there, any other person would most likely black out again from it, but the fact that it had lessened after concentrating her ki on it, even if it was just a bit, made her hopeful that she could do more without the help of the doctors.

As she opened her eyes, she noticed that her room was cast in gentle orange light and Jenny guessed that the sun was setting. She hoped that it had just been a few hours that she had been out and not a day or more.

"Ah, good that you're finally awake when I'm here…" an unfamiliar voice said quietly.

Jenny turned her head slightly, relieved that she finally had the strength to do it, though it once again caused her immense pain, and saw a man in a white coat and kind brown eyes stand next to her bed, holding a chart in his hands. "Who're you…? Where're Vegeta… and Mirai?"

"My name is doctor Menzel," he introduced himself. "I'm the doctor who patched you up the night you were shot. I've got to admit, you gave us quite a scare, but now it looks good. Your father and friend are waiting outside until I've finished my examination. They told me that you've already been awake two times and that you're fine… except for the bullet wounds of course." He chuckled quietly, his eyes sparkling with humor. Jenny immediately liked him. "Though your friend says that you don't want to take any pain medication."

"No…" Jenny told him. "No drugs… I want… clear head. I… can take… pain."

"I'm sure you can," the doctor told her kindly. "But you don't have to. I don't want to force anything on you, Jenny… but if the pain gets too much, I want you to call a nurse and get something for the pain, okay?"

"Sure…" Jenny said, not meaning it. She hoped that the worst pain was already over, now that she had begun to heal her wounds with her ki. It was already a bit better, after all. And she already felt stronger now, so she guessed that she could hold out longer until she was too exhausted to concentrate on her ki. However, Jenny also knew that she couldn't heal it completely. The technique was meant for smaller injuries, not for something as life threatening as her wounds. "When… home?"

"Not yet… in a few weeks, if you're injuries heal well. Let's just concentrate on getting you strong enough to leave the ICU, okay?"

"Okay," Jenny agreed, again not meaning it. She needed to go home. And the sooner the better.

"Good…" The doctor smiled at her, flipping through her chart one last time before hanging it on the railing of her bed. "We've changed the bandages while you were asleep and the entry and exit wounds of the bullet look good. In two days, I'm going to take an x-ray to check on your lung and your shoulder blade. If they look good, too, we can think about moving you to a regular room in one week. Now, do you have any questions?"

Jenny thought for a moment. Vegeta had already told her about her injuries, and if the doctor thought that there was going to be any lasting damage, he would be wrong. She was going to be healed completely, Jenny was very determined about it. "No… not right now…"

"Okay… but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me, when you see me. And remember our agreement about the pain medication." Doctor Menzel looked at her sternly for a moment, and Jenny tried to look innocent. She didn't know, if she had succeeded, but her doctor didn't press the matter. "Alright, I'll send your father and your friend back in now. Don't let them exhaust you too much. You need your strength to get better. I'll see you tomorrow, Jenny."

"See ya…" Jenny mumbled and then watched her doctor leave.

About a minute later, Vegeta and Mirai came back inside. Vegeta looked serious, scowling at Mirai, who avidly tried to avoid his father's glare. The air between them was tense and so thick that you could cut it with a knife. And again the look on Mirai's face betrayed so much guilt that Jenny immediately sensed that something was very, very wrong. Suddenly, she had a strange déjà-vu of hearing his voice apologizing and pleading in her sleep, but that memory was very fuzzy. Could it have been real?

But when Mirai's eyes landed on her, he forced a smile on his face. "Hey Jenny… how are you?"

"Cut it…" Jenny hissed, trying not to get too worked up. That would only aggravate her wounds. "What happened?"

Mirai flinched under her question and again, when Vegeta answered, "That boy almost got you killed again."

"What do… do you mean?"

"An assassin sent by the Red Ribbon Army got into your room, when I left you alone to get something to eat…" Mirai admitted quietly, hanging his head.

"Fuck…" Jenny cursed quietly, clenching her fist. She ignored the pain this movement caused.

This only proved that she had to get better very soon. She needed to be strong enough to defend herself. She hated being so helpless. She saw Mirai wince again, when she cursed, and felt bad for it. It wasn't his fault, none of it was. Jenny shouldn't have gotten drunk and therewith defenseless in the middle of a war in the first place. If it was anyone's fault, it was hers… and the Red Ribbon Army's of course.

"You," she said as forcefully as possible, looking directly at Mirai, "stop blaming… yourself this… very moment. None… of… this is… your fault." Then her eyes found Vegeta and she pierced him with the same glare that he was still directing at Mirai, whenever he looked at him. "And you… stop… blaming him. Blame me. I…got drunk… I got… shot."

The expression on Mirai's face was one of amazement, while Vegeta only harrumphed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. But at least the glare was gone.

"Good…" Jenny breathed, allowing her body to relax again. "As soon as… I'm outta… here… the Red Ribbon Army's… gonna pay."

"It will…" Vegeta agreed. "And we'll help…"

Jenny felt the small smile on her face, as she said, "Thanks…" After having put both of them –hopefully – in their place, Jenny began to feel tired again. But she couldn't sleep, yet. "'m gonna close… my eyes… just for a moment…" Again, she concentrated on her ki, and found it much quicker this time, before directing it to her injuries. Just as Jenny had hoped, she lasted longer this time, before the darkness overwhelmed her again.

…

"You notice it, too, don't you?" Mirai asked his father quietly, when he was sure that Jenny was really asleep. "She's different… not as angry anymore… she shows that she cares about us."

Vegeta didn't deign him with an answer, but the look on his face told Mirai everything.

* * *

Over the course of two weeks after the attack, Mirai noticed obvious improvements in Jenny's conditions. And he wasn't the only one. Vegeta did too, and doctor Menzel of course. He was surprised by how quickly she was getting stronger again and also at how quickly her wounds were healing. They were still far from being healed completely and after having asked him, the doctor had told Mirai that even with her improvements, a complete recovery was still impossible. Still, already directly after doctor Menzel had looked at the x-rays, Jenny had been transferred out of the ICU and into a regular single room.

No one was happier about this than Jenny, and just a day later she had begun to pester the doctor and nurses with the question, when she could go home. Mirai couldn't help but grin at that, because now that Jenny was getting steadily stronger, she spent more and more time being awake. And the longer she was awake, the more time she had to pester and annoy everyone around her. The nurses and doctors weren't very amused by that, but Mirai could never suppress the grin. And the pout whenever they refused her was simply too adorable.

However, the fact that she was annoying everyone so much _and_ her reactions to their refusals showed two things.

First, she was no longer in so much pain and was really physically getting better, so that the doctor had been able to remove the IV after only a few days, which meant that Jenny could begin to eat more or less solid food again. For the past few days, she had even been able sit up in her bed for some time without much help and had even gone to the bathroom a couple of times with the help of two nurses.

And two, Mirai had been right with his observations and assumptions. The anger and hatred that had been ever present since the Red Ribbon Army had killed her friends had lessened a lot. Now she was showing many other emotions, emotions he had never seen her show before. Good emotions. Normal emotions. It was obvious that a part of the wall she had built around herself had crumbled.

And Mirai had gotten the biggest surprise yesterday, when he had been alone with Jenny. (Oh, he made sure to never leave her alone again.) He had thought that she had been sleeping, so he had been reading a bit, only to find her look at him directly, when he had glanced at her upon having heard her take a deep breath. Mirai had, of course, been immediately worried. "Are you alright?" he had asked.

Jenny hadn't answered him for a long moment, just looking at him and chewing on her lower lip. Then, when he had almost expected her not to answer, she had just said, "I'm sorry."

Confused, Mirai had put the book away. "What?"

"I… I haven't really been treating you well… and I'm sorry about that. Actually… I haven't been treating anyone well… since Mailin and Damian died."

"Hey…" Mirai had tried to comfort her. "No need to apologize… You were hurt, and angry. You've just been… off… for a while. But I think you're slowly getting back on track… Jenny… you've changed… you're still changing… but for the better this time."

A wry grin had appeared on her face, as she had mumbled, "I guess almost dying does that to you."

"Maybe…" he had agreed. "But if that's the case, I can't be angry with you almost dying."

Jenny had chuckled lightly, but the humor had quickly disappeared again. "I guess I've got a lot of groveling to do."

"I don't think so…" Mirai told her. "I think your friends will just be happy to see that you're slowly growing to be your old self again."

"Will I? Ever be my old self again?"

Mirai had shaken his head lightly. "No, I don't think so. You'll be a new Jenny, hopefully improved."

"It isn't over, yet…" she had mumbled, and Mirai thought back to the note he had given Jenny two days ago. A note from Weasel, which Mirai had found at Capsule Corporation, telling her that he knew where Commander Black was hiding.

"No it isn't. But you'll get through this, if you let us help you."

"Thanks…" Jenny had given him a grateful smile, before she had closed her eyes again.

And now here he was a day later, in some dingy alley where Weasel had wanted to meet Jenny. Just with Jenny being at the hospital, Mirai had gone to meet him instead. There was only the problem that Weasel was twenty-three minutes late and Mirai had half a mind to leave again. However, just as he wanted to go, he heard something, and really, a person was coming from the darkness. According to the low ki, it was Weasel.

"Finally," Mirai mumbled, but then, when Weasel stepped into the dim light, his eyes widened. The man was limping, holding his side, and the moment Weasel saw him, he collapsed to the ground. Mirai was next to him in an instant. "Weasel?"

"Where's… she?" he gasped weakly.

"She couldn't come. She's injured," Mirai told him. The man's ki was incredibly low, even for a human, he noticed, and when Weasel removed his hand from his side, Mirai saw that it was covered in blood. "What happened to you?"

"Was on my way… heard some guys talk… work for Red Ribbon… information… it's true… but… trap… they saw me… knew that I overheard… attacked… Tell her… it's a trap!"

"Trap? What is a trap?" Weasel was slowly losing consciousness, but Mirai shook him gently.

"Last base… Commander Black… they're waiting for Jenny… they're ready for her… kill her… Must protect her…"

Mirai swallowed hard. He knew that Jenny wouldn't stay at home, even if it was a trap. "I will protect Jenny," he promised. He would never again leave her unprotected. "Where is the last base?"

With shaking hands, Weasel pulled another note from his pocket. It was smeared with Weasel's blood, but the information was still readable. "Destroy them…"

At the next moment, Weasel's ki was gone.

Mirai hadn't known him at all, but this man, no matter how filthy or slimy he was, had helped Jenny. And because of this, he felt a bit of grief for him and couldn't leave him here for the rats. Taking out his cell phone, Mirai dialed the emergency number. "Hello? I've found a dying man… his last words were that he was killed by the Red Ribbon Army…" Then he rattled off the address and hung up.

After having given Weasel one last look, Mirai left the alley. But first when he was a safe distance away, he unfolded the note.

_Southwest Forest_

_Underground_ _base_


	70. Part III: The last Act of Vengeance

**A/N: This chapter marks the ending of what I call "The Red Ribbon Arc" in my head… Well, okay, there'll still be a small part of it in chapter 70, but the main part is over now. So, go ahead and read and tell me what you think :)**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 69: The last Act of Vengeance**

Jenny was slowly growing anxious. Mirai had been supposed to meet with Weasel one hour ago and he still wasn't back. A meeting with the informant shouldn't take so long, so something must have happened. But what? She tried to focus on Mirai's ki, but it was too low for her to feel. Damn! If she only were fully healed again. She hated being so weak, so helpless.

Clenching her right fist, Jenny once again looked at the clock at the wall. Another five minutes had passed. Where the hell was he?

Her head whirled around, as the door to her room was opened. Vegeta also turned towards the door, as Mirai entered the room. His shoulders were slumped and the expression on his face immediately told them that something was wrong. He was also wearing different clothes than before.

"Mirai," Jenny whispered as her friend closed the door again to give them some privacy. "What's happened? What took you so long?"

Mirai looked up at her from under the lilac bangs that were falling into his eyes. "Weasel is dead."

"What? How?" Jenny couldn't believe this. Even though she didn't like Weasel and had often had trouble to get him to give her new information about the Red Ribbon Army, she would have never wanted him to die. He had actually grown on her in the past months.

After he had slumped down in the chair next to her bed, Mirai told them about how he had found Weasel, what their informant had told him and how the man had died. "Before he succumbed to his wounds, he gave me this note and said that you have to destroy them."

Jenny took the bloodied note from Mirai and unfolded it. But as she read the words her face paled, her voice trembling slightly, as she whispered, "Vegeta..." She handed the note to Vegeta, who quickly took in the written words with a stoic expression on his face. "Is this..."

"I fear so," Vegeta replied, eyeing the girl with a hint of worry in his eyes. This place didn't hold good memories for either of them. Folding the note again, Vegeta then burned it with the heat of his ki in his hands to destroy all evidence.

"What are you talking about?" Mirai asked confused. "Does this place mean anything to you?"

Jenny and Vegeta exchanged a look before Jenny told him, "You remember what I told you about Buu, right? Babidi's spaceship was hidden in the Southwest Forest. In the underground."

Mirai understood immediately. "So you're saying that..."

"Commander Black has chosen Babidi's old spaceship as her headquarters?" Jenny completed Mirai's sentence. "Yes, that's exactly what we think."

Mirai looked back and forth between Jenny and Vegeta. While Jenny hadn't been very forthcoming about the fight against Buu, which had cost the lives of her whole family, having only told him the main facts, he had gotten most of it out of his father during one long night in this hospital. Now, thinking back to what he had been told, Mirai realized that it certainly wouldn't be easy for either of them to return to this place.

But they would return, he was sure of that. Neither Jenny nor his father would let their bad memories of this place win. They were both way too stubborn for that.

Still, he had to ask, "What are we gonna do now?"

His eyes met Jenny's and he was surprised by the strength and determination he saw in them, as she replied, "First, I'll talk the doc into releasing me. And then we'll go to the Southwest Forest and kick Commander Black's ass."

She really was going to do this, Mirai could see this. Jenny, who could barely move without excruciating pain, thanks to her shattered shoulder blade, was going to face the last force the Red Ribbon Army had to offer. In a place that held nothing but bad memories for her, the place where she had lost almost everyone. "Are you sure, Jenny? You're still in pain… and what about the trap Weasel talked about?"

"Let me deal with the pain," Jenny said harshly, but immediately looked a bit guilty. "Don't worry about me, Mirai. Just let me get outta here and everything's gonna be fine. I promise. And about the trap... We don't know what kind of trap it is, so I guess we'll just have to walk right into it and then just go with it."

Mirai was still doubtful, and just wanted to voice his doubts, risking a row with Jenny, when Vegeta suddenly said, "If you're really sure that you can do this, brat, I'll get the doctor."

"I've never been more sure of anything. I need to finish it now. Until the Red Ribbon Army is gone…" Jenny let the sentence fade, but Mirai could guess what she wasn't saying. Until the Red Ribbon Army was gone, there was no chance that Jenny could go back to living her life.

Vegeta left the room after she had said this, leaving Mirai to watch over Jenny. However, the two of them didn't exchange a word in the meantime while Vegeta was gone, both of them apparently lost in their thoughts.

Mirai was frowning, still brooding about Jenny's decision to get herself released so early and clearly against the doctor's orders. If anyone had asked him, he would say that it wasn't such a good idea to confront the last remains of the Red Ribbon Army now, with Jenny still being so weak and vulnerable. Especially since she most likely would want to do the final confrontation on her own.

Mirai suspected that this was exactly what Commander Black was hoping for, that this was a part of her trap. Getting Jenny to face her alone and then kill her, when she couldn't fight back. This would be the perfect circumstances. But for this to work, they would have to separate Vegeta and him from Jenny, which would prove to be difficult. After all, Mirai had sworn that he would never leave her alone again, at least until she was strong enough to defend herself.

And Vegeta? Mirai would be surprised, if he let her go into this by herself. Over the course of the past few weeks, ever since the attack, Mirai had figured out that his father was quite overprotective, when it concerned Jenny. A side which he had never expected to see in his father, and yet, here it was. Unbelievable as it may sound. For a moment Mirai wondered, what his mother would say, when he told her about the obvious changes in his father.

Shaking his head, Mirai pushed the thought back and concentrated again on the situation at hand. Jenny's stand against Commander Black in what appeared to be Babidi's old spaceship, and how he and Vegeta would be able to help her.

Still, Jenny could be pretty stubborn, as she was just proving again, and if Commander Black challenged her to a fight, just the two of them, Mirai just knew that Jenny wouldn't back down, even if the threat to lose and die was a lot higher than the chance to win.

Basically, Mirai could just hope that Jenny would listen to the doctor and stay at the hospital a bit longer, until her pain had considerably lessened and she had become a lot stronger.

Yeah, there was a really big chance of that happening…

...

Vegeta returned with Doctor Menzel a few minutes later, the doctor having a rather confused look on his face, as he stepped up to Jenny's bed. "Hey," he greeted her, curiosity and also a bit of worry evident in his voice. "Your father said that you wanted to talk to me. How can I help you? Is everything alright with the arm sling?"

"Yeah," Jenny told him, glancing down at the black sling her left arm was lying in. It was a special sling that she had gotten a few days ago, when it had become obvious that she would move around more. The cushioned fabric was wrapped tightly around her arm and the sling was tightened over her shoulder and around her waist, so that the arm was lying firmly against her body, no matter how she was moving. "Actually, I wanted to tell you that I want to go home today and that you better get the release forms ready."

Curiosity was replaced by a mixture of amusement and mild exasperation, as Doctor Menzel sighed. "Jenny… You know very well that I can't release you yet, and I've told you the reasons for this every time you asked me." There was a challenging look on Jenny's face, forcing the doctor to once again list the reasons. Mirai pitied him. "You're still too weak, and while the scars have healed extraordinarily well, the damage to your shoulder is still too extensive. You can barely move, much less walk around, without being in incredible pain. And until your shoulder blade's healed more, there's still the danger of wandering bone shards, which could do even more damage than the bullet has done. I'm sorry, Jenny. I know you want to go home, but I can't release you yet. Ask me again in a couple of weeks, and maybe I can give you another answer."

The doctor looked honestly sorry, and Mirai really felt bad for him, because he knew that this time, unlike all the other times, Jenny wouldn't relent. And this time, Vegeta would back her up, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten the doctor in the first place.

"I'm not asking, doc," Jenny said to him firmly, but still gently. She really liked this doctor, this much had become obvious during her stay here at the hospital, and was grateful that he had patched her up again. "I'm telling. I'm gonna get outta here today, so get the release forms ready and tell me where to sign."

Shaking his head, Doctor Menzel informed her, "You're still a minor, Jenny. You can't sign the release forms to release yourself."

"But I can," Vegeta stepped in. "You heard the girl. We've wasted enough time here in this place. It's time to go home."

"Mr. Briefs, please listen to me," the doctor said imploringly to Vegeta. "Until Jenny's injuries have healed more, I just can't release her in good conscience. The damage could worsen, destroying vital organs or nerves, and she could even die. I'm sure you don't want her to end up like this. As you are her legal guardian, of course, I can't keep you  
from signing the forms, but I can advise you to think about it. It really would be better for her, if she stayed for a few more weeks."

Vegeta and Jenny exchanged a quick look. Jenny was shaking her head slightly and when Vegeta then looked at him again, doctor Menzel knew that he had lost. "Get the forms ready. We want to be out of here before dinner."

Doctor Menzel gave Mirai one last, hopeful look, looking for help in the girl's friend, but Mirai just shrugged. "I'm on your side, doc, but if these two have made up their minds, there's no stopping them. I'm sorry."

"No…" the doctor said, before he left the room. "I'm sorry…"

...

While doctor Menzel had been getting the release forms, Mirai had helped her get out of the hospital clothes and into comfortable jazz pants and a T-shirt. It took a lot longer than Jenny liked and at times she started to feel dizzy from the pain. She had to insist of course that her left arm went through the sleeve of the T-shirt instead of keeping it in the sling under it. But once she was wearing clean and not-wrinkled clothes that could be worn out there on the streets without getting a second glance, Jenny felt much better, almost human again. The only thing missing was a long and hot shower, but until she got that she would have to wait. Hopefully not that long anymore.

Then, when the doctor was finally back, signing the forms took longer than Jenny would have liked, as Doctor Menzel explained every single ramification a discharge against the advice of the doctor and at own risk could have, even going so far to ask them to reconsider one last time, but without success.

So once Vegeta had signed the forms at all the necessary places, Doctor Menzel gave them a copy of the forms and said, "Well then… I hope you won't regret your decision, Jenny. However, if you realize that you need to come back, I don't want you to hesitate. We won't kick you out, I promise."

"That's nice, thanks," Jenny said with a small grin, hoping that the doctor would forgive her someday for being so reckless. But she just had to do this. "But I don't think I'm gonna be back. Everything's gonna be fine, I promise. But doc… thanks, for everything… for patching me up and saving my life."

"All in a day's work," Doctor Menzel replied smiling, gently taking Jenny's right hand in his own and squeezing in lightly. "Take care."

Jenny only smiled at him, knowing that she couldn't promise him that, not with what she was planning. Because if her plan worked out, by this time tomorrow everything would be over. One way or another.

After the doctor was gone, a nurse arrived, helping Jenny into a wheelchair. Gritting her teeth, Jenny lowered herself and exhaled deeply, when she was sitting again. Her shoulder was still hurting like hell, but she had to pull herself together, at least until tomorrow. Mirai already seemed to be set against her going home and then attacking Commander Black in her current state, and if he saw how much pain she was still in, despite all her reassurances that she was fine, he might be able to convince Vegeta to stop her.

No, just until tomorrow. She had to bear the pain for less than one more day. That should be doable.

To keep up appearances Mirai had called a cab, and inwardly Jenny was glad for this. She would have hated to be carried by one of them, though at least tomorrow it couldn't be avoided, and being pushed around in that wheelchair was even worse.

_Tomorrow…_ That was her inner mantra that allowed her to not show her frustrations with this whole situation. _Tomorrow…_

The ride in the cab was bumpy, the driver not really careful, and Jenny was glad when Mirai helped her from the cab back into the wheelchair and then pushed her into the house and straight to her room. Even though it was under these circumstances, Jenny couldn't have been happier to be home again. It still smelled the same and thanks to the cleaning bots there wasn't even any dust anywhere.

A smile appeared on her lips, as she took in her walls, the different shades of green and purple on the white wallpapers, her furniture and her good old four poster bed. Finally, her very own bed! She had missed it so much! She had had to sleep on that lumpy and too small hospital bed for too long. For too long had she been confined to an impersonal and sterile room, filled with the smells of antiseptics and sickness.

Jenny truly hated hospitals, now more than ever before, and she would never return if she had her way.

But as Jenny once more looked around her room, she felt tears prickle in her eyes, which she quickly blinked away. Mailin and Damian had helped her turning the old room made for small kids into this. She remembered the fun they had had shopping for the furniture and painting the room. And for some reason, this was the first time since their deaths that a fond memory of them had resurfaced.

"Are you okay, Jenny?" Mirai asked worriedly. "Are you in pain?"

"I'm fine," Jenny replied still slightly absentmindedly, noticing all the empty spots on her walls and desk, where until one year ago she had had pictures of all her friends. They had all been put into the furthest corner of her closet after the Red Ribbon Army had destroyed the cinema, all except for one. There was still one picture of Mailin and Damian in the drawer of her night desk, a motivation whenever she needed to be reminded of her anger, along with…

"Are you sure? You don't look okay…" Mirai now pulled her completely out of her thoughts.

Jenny looked up at him, a small smile on her lips, as she promised, "I'm fine, Mirai. Really. I'm just happy to be home."

"If you say so…" Mirai still sounded doubtful, but let the case rest.

"Mirai, could you get Vegeta, please? We need to talk about tomorrow."

Mirai nodded and left her in her room. Jenny took a deep breath. She needed to get out of this wheelchair and she needed to do this alone to show them that she was ready for tomorrow. Gritting her teeth to prepare herself for the pain she was surely going to feel when she moved, Jenny put her feet on the ground and pushed herself up into a standing position with her right arm. Her legs still felt weak whenever she put her full weight on them, but after having spent the last few weeks in a hospital bed she shouldn't be surprised.

The first few steps were shaky, but at least as long as she kept her left arm still, which the arm sling was really helping with, the pain in her shoulder was bearable. Yes, she could convince them. They needed to let her do this tomorrow, without her telling them the full plan she had. She had to trust that they trusted her.

When Mirai returned with Vegeta in tow, Jenny was standing at her window, looking outside and enjoying the view of Capsule Corporation's backyard. She didn't remember the last time when she had really looked outside. Ever since Mailin and Damian had died, Jenny had suffered from tunnel vision, only seeing and wanting to see things that concerned the Red Ribbon Army. Everything else had been unimportant. Jenny might have survived that night, but she certainly hadn't been living. At all.

Maybe, when this was over, and if she got out of it, Jenny could learn to live again. If the pain and the guilt didn't consume her first.

"You wanted to talk to us, brat?"

"Yes," Jenny replied, now again back to business. The time of memories, of hopes and dreams was over for now. Now she had to concentrate again on her war. She walked over to her couch and carefully sat down. Mirai joined her, but Vegeta remained standing with an unreadable look on his face. "Tomorrow we're going to take down the last headquarters of the Red Ribbon Army. And this is how we're going to do it."

* * *

Vegeta didn't like the brat's plan. No, that was an understatement. He _loathed_ it. And he had voiced his opinion, when the girl had told him and the boy how she imagined their last fight against the Red Ribbon Army. However, the girl hadn't wanted to hear any of it. Stubborn as she was, she insisted that it would work out. The boy had tried to talk to her about it as well, trying to convince her to change her plan, if she didn't want to wait any longer until she was stronger. But he had come to the quick realization that talking to Jenny about this was like talking to a wall.

She wouldn't change her plan. She would go through with it, and damn it, there was nothing he could do to help her.

Vegeta's scowl deepened, as he thought about his role in the girl's plan. She had put him on the sidelines! She wanted him to stay outside Babidi's spaceship, to take care of any soldiers that managed to escape.

Because, apparently, he was the only one who wouldn't hesitate killing fleeing men.

Stupid boy… if the boy didn't have such a high standard of morals it would be him waiting outside to kill the soldiers and not Vegeta. But no, the girl had only said the truth when she had said that the boy wouldn't be able to kill any men who had given up. The boy hadn't even tried to deny it.

Instead it was him, Vegeta, who was forced to do this.

However, no matter how much he didn't like being put on the sidelines like this, he had to admit that the girl was right. The boy didn't have the balls to do this; he was sill regarding every human life as sacred. He still didn't understand. Vegeta thought back to the boy's confrontation with the girl about it that had made it more than clear.

"You… you still want to kill them?" the boy had asked her, completely dumbfounded. "But I thought… I thought you'd changed… you're not that angry anymore…"

"You're right", the girl had replied quietly, but firmly. "I have changed… but this still doesn't change the fact that the soldiers have to die."

"No, you wrong…" Mirai had been shaking his head vehemently, not wanting to believe this. "It has to be different now. But if you still want to kill them, it isn't different at all. You aren't different at all."

"It is different," Jenny contradicted him. "I'm different. Before… before I enjoyed killing them. But now… now I only see it as a necessity. I don't _want_ to kill them, Mirai, but I _have _to. As long as they are alive and know who we are, we're all in danger. Look at me, Mirai, and tell me that I'm wrong. Tell me that we're not in danger as long as the Red Ribbon Army exists."

The boy hadn't been able to say anything about that. Looking at her, the arm in her sling, the pain that was always slightly clouding her eyes nowadays, and feeling her weak ki stopped him from disagreeing. They were in danger. The girl was the living proof of that.

So now the boy was going into the spaceship with her and Vegeta was taking care of all the soldiers that somehow managed to escape. And then, seeing as they had no idea what would await them underground and what kind of trap Commander Black had planned, she and the boy were going to play it by ear. They were going to walk straight into the trap and then decide how to deal with it.

Somehow, Vegeta had a feeling that there was more to the girl's plan – if one could even call this a plan. But if it was really true, then the girl wasn't telling. Vegeta was sure that not even the boy knew more than what the girl had told them a few hours ago. In just a few hours they were going to fly to the Southwest Forest. In just a few hours the girl would enter the lion's den, weakened and injured, and face Commander Black.

But at the moment she was still lying peacefully in her bed, fast asleep, though she was still bothered by the pain in her shoulder. The light lines on her face betrayed her, no matter how well she hid it while she was awake. Vegeta still didn't know, how she would fight in her condition. But the girl had seemed so sure that she would defeat Commander Black.

Yes, there had to be more to her plan, but Vegeta had no idea what it could be.

Was she so sure of her victory because of the boy, who was currently sleeping fitfully on the couch in her room, refusing to leave her side even now that they were back at Capsule Corporation? The boy who still refused to kill the soldiers? How could he be a help to her? How could he be the reason that she was so confident?

No, that couldn't be it. But what? What was it?

* * *

When Jenny woke up the next morning she was feeling strangely calm. Mirai, who was already awake and sitting on the couch, watching her, was the complete opposite. His right knee was nervously bouncing, and the way he was looking at her, pleading with his eyes that she might reconsider her plan, showed how much he didn't want this. But the fact that he was still here, not saying anything, also showed that he was going to do it, no matter how much he disliked it.

He got up, when he saw that she was awake, and walked over to her. "Good morning," Jenny said quietly. Mirai looked tired with the dark rings under his eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

Shaking his head, Mirai said, his voice rough, "Jenny…" But then he seemed to change his mind, as a forced smile appeared on his face. "You need my help?"

"Yes…" Jenny replied, relieved that he wasn't trying to convince her not to do this again. They had already fought too much about it and their friendship was still so new and fragile. Jenny didn't want to lose it so quickly. "I'm starving. Go and get me something to eat? I'm gonna go to the bathroom in the meantime."

"Can you…" Jenny's warning glare stopped him before he could finish his sentence, smiling sheepishly. "Alright… breakfast for the lady, coming right up."

Jenny waited until Mirai was gone before she slowly and carefully climbed out of the bed. Her arm was still in the sling – she didn't feel comfortable without it at night, when she didn't know how much she'd move during sleep – so moving around didn't hurt as much as it would without it. As she was in the bathroom, Jenny once again cursed at how restricted she was in everyday stuff because of her injury.

_Not long anymore_, she told herself, again and again.

Mirai was already waiting for her with her breakfast consisting of a few slices of toast and some orange juice, as she came out of the bathroom, feeling a lot more refreshed. She still wished to take her shower, but this had to wait until…

"This looks great," Jenny told Mirai smiling, sitting down on the couch next to him and digging into the food. She was really starving and it was so good to no longer be forced to eat the food from the hospital. Everything was better at home – the bed, the food… everything.

Her plate was empty a few minutes later, but now it was time for the hardest part. Getting dressed. Mirai assisted her getting out of her pajamas, ever being the gentlemen and not looking, not even when he was helping her into a fresh black bra. Thankfully she had already changed into new panties in the bathroom. The black jeans were not that difficult, but Jenny had to grit her teeth, when she had to lift her arm slightly to get into the black top.

Then it was time for her swords. Carefully, Mirai helped Jenny slip her arms through the traps and then tightened them so that the two sheaths were resting against her back. Mirai had no idea, why she wanted to take the swords along – they must be uncomfortable resting against her injured shoulder – seeing as she wouldn't be able to use them. But maybe she was taking comfort from her favorite weapons. Maybe having them with her would give her some additional strength. So once again Mirai kept his mouth shut.

At last there was just the leather coat. Mirai was holding it in his hands, looking at Jenny doubtfully. "Are you sure you want to wear this? It's warm enough outside that you don't need it. Or you could wear it over the arm and we could fasten it somehow."

"No," Jenny shook her head. "It has to be the complete outfit. I'm just the Lost Warrior when I'm wearing the coat. Please…"

"Alright."

Pushing her arm through the long sleeve of the coat was even more agonizing that through the top or the straps of her sheaths, and Jenny had tears in her eyes, when her arm was once again secured in the sling. Mirai was holding her upright, allowing her to catch her breath and making soothing noises until she had a grip on herself again.

"Better?" he asked quietly, as she gently pushed him away.

"Yeah… and now…" Jenny took a deep breath and concentrated deeply on her ki, calling it forward. It responded slowly, as if knowing that she wasn't strong enough, but Jenny wouldn't give up until the power surrounded her and filled her with the welcoming warmth of the Saiyajin. She didn't even need to hear Mirai's startled gasp to realize that she had managed to transform.

"Jenny! What… what are you doing?"

"Did you… really… really think that… I was gonna… face… the Red Ribbon Army… as a human?" she panted, already worn out from powering up, but she wouldn't let the power go again.

Shaking his head, Mirai just said, "You're crazy…"

"Maybe I am…" Jenny replied with a grin. "Now… go ahead and tell Vegeta that I'll be down in a moment. Then we can go. I just need…" She left the sentence unfinished, instead avoiding Mirai's eyes.

"Okay… I'll see you in a few minutes…" Mirai squeezed her right hand, realizing that Jenny might need a moment for herself, to get ready for what they were going to do in a few moments, before leaving the room.

The moment Mirai was gone, Jenny walked over to her nightstand and opened the drawer. There it was, the picture of Mailin and Damian, both of them grinning widely into the camera. Jenny gently traced their features, swearing that she would end the Red Ribbon Army today, fulfilling her vengeance for them, before putting it back. But Jenny didn't close the drawer again, instead she took the small pouch that was lying right next to the picture and opened it. "Okay…" she mumbled. "Let's see if you've got an expiration date."

* * *

While Mirai and Vegeta were waiting for Jenny downstairs in the kitchen, Mirai thought for a moment that something had changed. Just… the thing was that he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Mirai just wanted to shake this feeling off, as it strengthened, when Jenny came to meet them in the kitchen. There was something different about her, the way she held herself, the deliberately slow but strong steps, the way her eyes were no longer clouded. But before he could say anything, Jenny spoke.

"I'm ready. Mirai, are you gonna carry me?"

"Brat," Vegeta suddenly said. "You can still back out. We can still wait."

"No," Jenny said strongly. "It has to end. Now or never."

"Alright," Vegeta agreed, as Mirai took her hand and together they walked out through the backdoor into the backyard. There, Mirai lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. He was careful not to touch her wounded shoulder or the area around it too much. He didn't want to cause her any more pain, but if he did something to hurt her, she didn't show it.

For a moment Mirai looked at his father, hoping that he would call the whole thing off, but instead Vegeta just took off into the sky, forcing Mirai to follow him before Jenny started to complain. The whole flight was spent in tense silence, none of them saying a word. Each of them was lost in their thoughts, though their faces didn't betray anything.

First when they landed on the same rocky cliff they had already hidden on once, ten years ago, did Jenny, still cradled in Mirai's arms, say something. "So… this is it…"

"Jenny…" Mirai whispered. "We can still go back. We won't think badly of you, if we return now."

"No… it's okay… it's just…"

The last time she had been here, she had made a horrible mistake. The last time she had been here, she had saved Vegeta, but condemned everyone else to death. The last time she had been here… she had still been a small girl, innocent… And now…

Her gaze hardened, as she ordered, "Let's go, Mirai… Vegeta, you know what you have to do. I'll trust you not to miss from up here."

"Don't worry, brat. I won't miss." For a short moment, Jenny thought that Vegeta wanted to say more, but then the moment was over and she and Mirai flew down to the spot where the entrance of the spaceship was still clearly visible.

It still looked the same as ten years ago, Jenny realized, as Mirai gently set her down again. The Red Ribbon Army must have done some repairs to the entrance, because if Jenny remembered correctly, there must have been some damage from Vegeta's fight against Buu.

"There're no soldiers," Mirai noticed. "No guards."

"No…" Jenny told him. "They knew that we were coming. They want us inside. That's where they'll spring the trap on us."

"Jenny…"

"Listen Mirai… I believe that they will want to separate us. They'll want me alone, so that they can take advantage of my injuries without your interference. So… if they do separate us, allow it."

"What? You can't be serious!"

"Trust me, Mirai. I can manage them on my own. But… if something happens to me and I can't get to Commander Black, promise me something."

"Anything," Mirai said at once.

"Kill her. Kill her for me. And for Mailin and Damian. Whatever happens, Commander Black can't survive. Only with her death will the Red Ribbon Army be destroyed completely. Promise me this!"

Hesitating for a second, Mirai looked at Jenny. But then he finally nodded. "I said anything, even if it means killing her."

"Thanks… now… let's get the party started." The moment she had uttered these words, the door slid open. "See… they're already expecting us."

Without another word, Jenny went inside, summoning her ki to gently float down the long tunnel until she landed on the first level. Immediately, Jenny went into a fighting stance, fully expecting the first attack, but there was no one there. Mirai seemed just as confused, as he landed next to her.

"What the hell is this?" Above them the entrance had closed, and the one leading to the next level was closed as well.

Suddenly, one of the panels on the wall flickered to life, a screen that was showing a smirking Commander Black. With her nearly black skin, her teeth seemed even whiter. "Welcome, welcome… I'm glad to finally see the infamous Lost Warrior - or should I better say Jenny Son? – in person. I've been expecting you."

Rolling her eyes, Jenny crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I wouldn't call seeing another person on a screen 'seeing them in person', but let's just say that I'm glad to finally be here. I can't wait kicking your ass."

"If you can get to me," Commander Black laughed. "Because I've prepared a nice welcoming committee for you. Have fun."

The screen disappeared again, leaving Jenny tense for whatever might happen. She couldn't feel any kis getting closer, but this didn't mean anything. Commander Black could just as well employ Jinzoningen. "Be ready, Mirai… and remember your promise."

"Don't worry, Jenny. I'll do what you told me to do. I trust you."

The very moment that Mirai had said this, an electric hum suddenly began sound in the chamber and Jenny thought that she could almost feel the electricity flit over her skin. It grew stronger and stronger, until Mirai suddenly cried out.

"Jenny, move!" Jenny was too slow to react, but Mirai was faster and pushed her out of the way, just as a force field appeared where she had been a split second ago, and where Mirai was crouching now.

"Mirai!" Jenny yelled, hurrying towards the force field, but stopped before she could touch it. Sparks were running over the surface and she guessed that touching it wouldn't be such a good idea. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…" His voice was muffled through the force field. He got up and reached out with his hand towards the field, but pulled back the moment he touched it, as he was shocked. He sighed, looking at Jenny, and they both had the same thought. This was it. This was how they had wanted to separate them. Only had this force field been meant for Jenny, and not for him. "Jenny…"

"Don't worry, Mirai… Remember our plan," she said calmly. "We'll get through this."

Mirai only nodded, just as the hum was getting louder again. To be safe, Jenny took a step back, her senses reaching out for another potential trap, for another force field, but there was no other. Instead the ground under Mirai's suddenly began to glow and then Mirai was gone, along with the force field.

Jenny only stared at the spot, where her friend had been a second ago, until she heard a hissing sound. Whirling around, she saw that the gate in the floor to the next level had opened. Without another look back, Jenny dropped through the hole, only to be surrounded by a large group of soldiers, all of them pointing their guns at her. Great… ki-shields… She should've remembered them.

"Oh… fuck…" Jenny managed to curse, before they started firing at her. Quickly raising her ki, Jenny was protected against the onslaught and she quickly retaliated by shooting quite efficient ki-blasts from her right hand.

At the end of the attack, not one bullet had harmed Jenny, but every single soldier was lying on the ground – dead. And for the first time since she had started her war, Jenny felt nothing but regret and guilt for the taken lives.

Pushing those feelings back – there was no time for them now – Jenny walked back to the gate in the middle, which had opened after the dust had cleared, and dropped down. She had no doubt that Mirai had somehow been transported to Commander Black and this was where she was headed now.

A sense of foreboding filled Jenny, when the third level was devoid of any danger. Her senses were still reaching out all around her, but there was nothing. The fact that the gate to level four was open was even weirder. Either Commander Black was sure that whoever or whatever was waiting for her in the next level would be enough to kill her, or the soldiers were all the resistance she had had to offer. Though Jenny didn't think that the latter was the case.

So, bracing herself against whatever might be awaiting her in the next level, she jumped down and immediately whirled around, when she heard a noise behind her. There was a tall man with sharp features on his face, wearing his hair in a long, black braided ponytail and holding his arms behind his back, as he was regarding her calmly. "Who are you?" Jenny asked, but at the same time she thought that she knew him. Only how?

"My name is Tao Pai Pai," the man introduced himself, and now Jenny also knew where she had seen him before. He had been at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, fighting and losing against Tenshinhan. If she remembered correctly, Tao Pai Pai had once been her friend's teacher. Just… he had changed. Instead of the robotic face from the Budokai, he now looked human again. The lack of his ki, however, betrayed that he still seemed to be a Jinzoningen.

Smirking, Jenny said, "I've seen you once, on a video. You're not as ugly anymore as back then. Plastic surgery?"

"How dare you?!" Tao Pai Pai hissed, getting into a fighting stance. "Don't you dare insult my new face! It was your father, who's almost killed me! He forced me to become what I am now. I still have a score to settle with your family!"

"As does almost every other tyrant or bad guy that daddy dearest has defeated," Jenny replied, rolling her eyes. "And how do you think to beat me? You couldn't beat Son Goku, when he was still a kid. You couldn't beat Tenshinhan a few years later. And I'm much stronger than both of them."

"Maybe… But I've improved, too. Technology is a great thing… and I've heard that you're injured."

"Yeah," Jenny answered nonchalantly, touching her left arm in the sling. "Stupid accident. Let my guard down. Won't happen again. So… are you just stalling, or do you wanna fight?"

"I'll kill you, little girl," Tao Pai Pai promised coldly, but Jenny just grinned at him.

"We'll see."

Tao Pai Pai rushed forwards without hesitating a second and managed to struck Jenny straight in the jaw. She flew backwards and landed on her back. She winced, as she got up again. She hadn't expected him to attack this quickly and she had underestimated him. Well that certainly wouldn't happen again, she thought as she once again faced her opponent who was now having a self-satisfied smile on his face. He obviously thought that he had her, but oh boy was he gonna get his ass kicked.

The mercenary turned Jinzoningen attacked her again the moment she had righted herself, but this time Jenny was ready and dodged his blow and brought up her knee to his groin.

An inhuman yelp echoed through the room, as Tao Pai Pai dropped to his knees, clutching his sensitive parts. "Huh," Jenny mumbled smirking. "So you've still got your manly parts. Didn't expect that."

"You're… going to… pay…" Tao Pai Pai croaked, as he got back to his feet and then lunged at Jenny again.

Jenny thought that she was prepared for another attack, but didn't expect the feint. Damn, he was good! As she couldn't feel his ki, Jenny had to rely on the other signals one might give while attacking, but he didn't betray anything. So she was surprised, when he suddenly sidestepped her and whirled around. With a swift movement, he grabbed her left arm and pulled it around to her back. The sling tore under the pressure and an agonized scream escaped Jenny's throat as she dropped to one knee.

Tao Pai Pai began to laugh, as he twisted her arm further. "How does that feel, huh? Usually I'm one to deliver quick deaths, but your family and your friends have humiliated me again and again, so I'll enjoy inflicting some pain on you before you die."

"Bastard…" Jenny hissed breathlessly. His grip on her arm tightened even more, as he pulled her arm up, pressing against her shoulder blade. Jenny now also dropped to her other knee, her head bowed, seeming to be completely at his mercy.

"Come, little girl," Tao Pai Pai taunted her. "Scream more. For me. Let your friend hear your pain. Let him know that you're suffering and that there's nothing he can do to help you. Scream!"

Another strong pull on her arm caused Jenny to give in, to scream again. But then, much to Tao Pai Pai's surprise, Jenny stopped mid-scream, turning her head so that she could look at him from the corner of her eyes. Her eyes were sparkling in amusement, as she said with a smirk, "Just kiddin'." A split second later, Tao Pai Pai was flying, colliding hard with the wall on the other side of the room.

In the meantime Jenny got up again from her kneeling position and tore the remains of her sling away. She sighed. She had hoped that she could return the sling to Doctor Menzel for someone else to use, but now it was completely useless. Throwing the sling away, Jenny coolly swaggered up to where Tao Pai Pai was trying to get up again with difficulties.

His eyes widened, as he saw her walking up to him. "B-but… I… I thought… Commander Black said…" he stuttered in disbelief.

"What?" Jenny raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "That I'm injured? That I'm an invalid? In too much pain to fight? Well, I was… until this morning. And now… you're dead. For good."

Almost in slow motion, Jenny raised her left hand, the palm already glowing. Tao Pai Pai tried to crawl back, but it was too late. Jenny released the ki-ball and Tao Pai Pai was history.

The gate to the fifth and last floor slid open with a hiss.

"Commander Black, here I come," Jenny whispered, before she jumped through the hole.

The tall black woman was already waiting for Jenny, sitting on her desk with a somewhat impressed expression on her face. It was obvious that she hadn't expected Jenny to get to this stage. In another corner Mirai was standing in the force field, looking at her with wide and surprised eyes. Jenny winked at him, before turning her full attention to Commander Black.

"Your soldiers and Tao Pai Pai are dead, but I'm sure you've seen this already."

"Indeed I have," Commander Black admitted grudgingly. "As a soldier I have to say that you did a good job. But as your enemy I have to know how your injuries can be healed already."

Jenny grinned widely, as she told her, "I had an emergency senzu. Tenshinhan gave it to me before you destroyed my life. It's been lying in my drawer the whole time, just waiting to be used. And I had guessed that you would try to use my injuries against me, so I waited until shortly before the fight to eat it. Not even Mirai or Vegeta knew that my injuries were gone, when we came here."

"Not bad… not bad at all. And unfortunately I know when I'm defeated. I don't stand a chance against a Saiyajin," Commander Black announced, too nonchalantly for Jenny's taste.

Commander Black slid from the desk and unfolded her arms. Jenny saw the pistol too late, as Commander Black directed it at her and shot with lightning fast reflexes. Only Mirai was faster – he broke through the force field as easily as through a wall made of paper and threw Jenny to the ground. The bullet hit the wall behind Jenny instead, going deep through the metal and stone.

"Nooo!" Commander Black cried and lunged at Jenny. Jenny dodged her without problems, but the woman was once again coming at her. Jenny grabbed her wrists and pushed her to the ground. "This bullet would have killed you! It almost did before!"

"It was the same bullet?" Jenny realized with a start, and inwardly sighed in relief, knowing how lucky she was that Mirai had pushed her out of the way. Again.

"Yes, it was! It's been a pain to find it again," the black woman spat. "And I've been dreaming of killing you for so long! Ever since I realized who you were! Who your father was!"

Great… Jenny rolled her eyes. Daddy dearest again… of course. "Why is it so important, who my father was? Haven't I caused you enough trouble without your knowing that?"

"Yes! But when I found out who you were, I knew that I could finally get my revenge! Your father killed my father, the last time the Red Ribbon Army was on the rise! He was Commander Red's assistant, but when he realized how stupid Red was, he took control. And your father stopped him. He killed him! And I was still a child! I've sworn revenge, when I found out. I swore that I would revive the Red Ribbon Army and fulfill my father's dream of world domination. And then you came and you revealed yourself and I knew that I would finally get my true revenge. So I thought… daughter against daughter… it would be poetic justice, if I killed you."

So angry… this woman was so angry. And there was so much hatred in her eyes. Hatred meant for Jenny, even though she hadn't had a hand in the death of the woman's father. Was this the same look Jenny had had in her eyes this past year? It was almost scary how much alike they were… Both had lost someone important, both had wanted revenge. And both of them had killed for it. Jenny knew exactly how this woman felt.

"I'm sorry…" Jenny whispered, releasing the woman's wrists and pulling her swords out of their sheaths. Commander Black was at her mercy, and she should end it now, but for some reason Jenny hesitated. It was her last kill, and then the Red Ribbon Army would be destroyed. But… if this woman deserved death for what she had done… How could Jenny continue to live? Didn't they both deserve another chance at life?

Jenny lowered her swords, much to Commander Black's surprise, who had already expected her death with her head held high. The woman's eyes were wide, looking at Jenny questioningly. "What? Why?"

"I'm like you… We both feel the same. We both only wanted revenge. And that's why I won't kill you. Instead I will deliver you to the authorities. I will let them decide over your fate. You will pay for what you've done, but not by dying."

"Thank you…" Commander Black whispered, lowering her head, but then suddenly her back arched. Jenny looked up startled, as she saw the tip of a sword emerge from Commander Black's chest, meeting Mirai's dark eyes. He had killed her, he had killed Commander Black, even though Jenny had spared her.

"Mirai…"

"She would have betrayed you," Mirai told her, his voice hoarse. He pulled out his sword and Commander Black's body fell to the side, her eyes staring up unseeing. "She knows who you are. She would have betrayed you to the authorities. I couldn't let that happen. I promised you that I wouldn't let her live. I promised that I would kill her, if you couldn't."

Commander Black's blood was slowly dripping to the ground from the tip of Mirai's sword, while he and Jenny were just looking at each other, none of them saying a word.

* * *

**A/N2: Okay, be honest… Who still remembered the emergency senzu Jenny had gotten from Tenshinhan ten chapters ago? I was wondering the whole time, ever since the RRA attacked Jenny, if someone would mention the senzu and ask, why she hadn't taken it yet… ;)**


	71. Part III: After the Fall

**A/N: So, here it is, after a long time and struggling to get certain scenes done. My reasons are once again work, real life and my cute kitten Luna, who I've gotten in the beginning of October. It's been a bit difficult to type with her lying in my lap :D **

**Anyway, as an apology this chapter is extra long and I hope you'll like it… Things will get better now, at least for a while ;)**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 70: After the Fall**

_Confessions_

Just seconds had passed since he had killed Commander Black, but to Mirai it seemed as if it had been a lot longer. The silence between Jenny and himself seemed to stretch on and on – neither of them had said a word after his confession. Commander Black was lying between them on the floor, in a puddle of her own blood, her lifeless eyes seeming to stare at him accusingly. Mirai felt as if he was going to be sick.

He couldn't believe that he had actually killed a human being – even after he had promised Jenny that he would do it, he hadn't really thought he would follow through with it. Actually, he hadn't believed that he would have to go through with it, although he had still thought that Jenny was in incredible pain. Deep down he had thought that not even a severe injury would stop Jenny from destroying the last remnants of the Red Ribbon Army.

Mirai had almost broken through the barrier, ready to go down and rescue her, when he had been forced to watch her apparently losing fight against Tao Pai Pai, when he had been forced to watch her suffer, but then, boy had he been surprised, when she had revealed that everything had just been an act.

An emergency senzu… really… He never would have thought that she would keep something like this from him and Vegeta. But at least he now knew one reason why she wanted to get out of the hospital so desperately.

Still, she should have told them. Then they wouldn't have been so worried about her.

But at least all of them got out of this unscathed…

"It's over now…" Mirai heard himself mumble, and was startled, when Jenny replied in a quiet, yet strong voice,

"Not, it isn't. Not yet. There're two more things I've gotta do before it's over."

"What is it?"

Mirai didn't really expect her to answer, but then she looked at him, her eyes shining with determination. "I'll have to take care of the body and of the spaceship."

"I see… You want my help?"

Shaking her head, Jenny told him, "No… I can do this alone. But you can do me a favor. Go outside to Vegeta and then you two go home. Tell him everything that's happened. But please, don't wait for me here. I'll come home when I'm done."

"Are you sure? I could help you, really." Somehow, Mirai had a bad feeling leaving Jenny here.

"I'm sure. Really, Mirai. Tell Vegeta what's happened and I'll see you later." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly, but still something was bothering Mirai. He couldn't put a finger on it however, so in the end he simply sighed.

"Alright. But don't let us wait too long, okay?"

"I'll try," Jenny promised.

Mirai looked at her one more time, trying to figure out what she was thinking, but then finally turned around and flew upwards through the gates to the different levels until he was again outside. The warm wind hit his face and he hadn't realized until now just how cool it had been inside. The tension of the upcoming confrontation – really, Mirai couldn't call it a fight – had made him block everything else but what was important.

Looking around, Mirai saw some bodies of soldiers lying around. It looked like Vegeta hadn't been too bored since they had entered the spaceship, but Mirai was surprised that there were actually some soldiers who had escaped Jenny. He hadn't thought it possible.

His gaze wandered to the rock cliff where they had left his father, and Vegeta was still there. Mirai looked over his shoulder, back into the spaceship, hesitating for a moment, but then he took off into the sky and landed in front of his father on the rock cliff.

"It's done," Mirai told him. "Jenny said that we should go ahead and that she'll be home later. She said that she still has to take care of Commander Black's body and the spaceship."

"So Jenny killed the woman?" Vegeta asked, looking at him as if he knew exactly what his answer would be.

"No…" Mirai swallowed hard, feeling the bile rise in his throat as he remembered how easily his sword had slid into her back and through her rips. It was first now that he noticed that he was still holding his bloodied sword in his right hand – how could he have forgotten that? Huh… so that's how his father knew the truth. "Jenny… she wanted to spare her. I think… I think Jenny recognized herself in that woman. So I had to do it. I couldn't risk Commander Black telling the government about Jenny."

"You did the right thing, boy. The woman's death had been necessary. It's good that you realized that."

Usually, Mirai would have done anything to hear his father praise him, but this left him a bad taste in his mouth. Mirai didn't know if he wanted to be praised, if he wanted his father to be proud of him because he had killed another human being. Even if it had been necessary. So instead of saying anything, he just nodded, trying not to look at his sword. He would need to find the closest lake or stream to clean it.

Suddenly, he felt his father's hand on his shoulder. "Let's go home, son."

Staring after Vegeta in disbelief, not really sure if he had heard right, he watched for a moment as his father took off into the sky and flew away. Had Vegeta really just called him… 'son'? Shaking his head, Mirai made to follow his father, but turned back one more time, when he suddenly heard a loud explosion and saw the spaceship go up in a cloud of dust and flames. The ground around it crumbled and fell into a crater. When the dust had settled down, Mirai saw that, above the crater, Jenny was floating, carrying Commander Black's body over her shoulders. Their eyes met for a moment and then she had flown away in the opposite direction.

Forcing himself to let Jenny do whatever she wanted to do, Mirai finally turned around and shot off. But even as he was flying back to the Western Capital, he suddenly realized that he couldn't feel Jenny's ki at all. Looking over his shoulder, Mirai actually wasn't surprised that he couldn't see her anymore. Wondering why Jenny had apparently donned one of the soldiers' ki-shields, Mirai had no other choice but to fly back to the Western Capital, hoping against hope that what Jenny was going to do with Commander Black's body wasn't going to be anything incredibly stupid.

* * *

Jenny waited until she could feel Mirai's ki outside on the surface, before she bent down and turned Commander Black's body around. The dark eyes were staring up, unseeing, and her uniform was drenched in her own blood. "Mirai shouldn't have killed you," Jenny mumbled, as she closed the woman's eyes. "But he didn't know… He didn't know…"

Jenny let the sentence unfinished, as she picked Commander Black's body up and threw it over her shoulder. Without another look around, Jenny began to ascend through the gates to the upper levels, only making a short stop to take a few ki-shields from the dead soldiers' wrists, putting one of them around her own wrist. Neither Mirai nor Vegeta needed to know where she was going.

With an added burst of speed, Jenny broke through the entrance and quickly sent a barrage of ki-blasts down into the spaceship. The explosion was deafening, but Jenny didn't even flinch as dust and smoke was whirled up around her. When the smoke started to clear, she saw Mirai still on the rock cliff. Her eyes met his and then she turned around and flew away, praying that he wouldn't follow her.

If he knew where she was going and what she was going to do, she didn't doubt for one second that he'd do anything in his power to stop her.

While she was flying, Jenny didn't realize how quickly time was passing, and soon she saw her destination ahead though it was halfway around the world. The Central Capital was lying in front of her, none of its inhabitants knowing what had just transpired not even half an hour ago. None of them knew that there would be no more terrorist attacks initiated by the Red Ribbon Army. But soon they would. Very soon.

The high tower seemed to be waiting for her, as it drew closer. Too fast for the normal human's eye to see, she zipped around the tower, looking for the right room. Fortunately exactly the needed window was standing wide open to allow the rare cool summer breeze inside. Slipping through the open window, Jenny kept her eyes open for potential threats, but the person she was here for was completely alone, sitting at his desk, obviously working.

However, he didn't seem to be too engrossed in his work, as he immediately looked up, when Jenny softly landed on the carpeted floor. Jumping up from the chair, causing it to topple backwards, he immediately demanded to know, "Who are you? How did you get inside? I warn you, one word from me and my guards will swarm this place. You'll stand no chance." However, the answer to the first question came from himself just a short breath later, at the same moment as he realized that it would be his guards who would not stand a chance. But he was a brave man, so he stood his ground. "The Lost Warrior."

"King Koku," Jenny then said, sounding calm, but inwardly she was struggling.

Here she was, standing in front of the King of Earth with Commander Black's body slung over her shoulder, after she had tried to keep her identity a secret for so long. But she wasn't afraid of the King himself. No… Deep down, fear that she had so successfully suppressed since she had decided to do this, began to resurface. Fear of what the King of Earth was going to do with her, fear of his judgment, fear of her fate. But no matter what would happen to her, coming here had been the right thing to do.

"Believe me, if I'd wanted to harm you, I would have done so already without anyone noticing, not even you until it was too late. But… if it makes you feel better…" Jenny allowed her ki to drop so that her hair turned blond and her eyes blue again. Then she carefully put the body to the ground before she slowly pulled her swords out of their sheaths and put them on the floor in front of her. Jenny looked at them longingly, as she took a few steps away from them. It felt weird, being so vulnerable in a potentially dangerous situation like this. "This is my weakest form and without my swords your soldiers should have no problems to subdue me, should you feel that it's necessary."

Jenny could feel the King's eyes on her, as they widened in surprise at her transformation. But he quickly got over it, as he asked, "Why are you here?"

"I've come to deliver the body of Commander Black. With her death, the Red Ribbon Army is history."

Saying this, Jenny motioned to the body lying on the ground in front of her. The blood had stopped flowing, but it was obvious that the woman was dead. Her dark skin was pale, lifeless. With careful but deliberate steps, the King of Earth walked around the desk and to Jenny. She took a few steps away from the body, so that the king could look at it without feeling threatened.

Bending down next to the body, he checked the pulse, but already as he felt the too cold skin he knew that the Lost Warrior was telling the truth. This woman was obviously Commander Black – he had seen pictures of her – and she was certainly dead. "When did you kill her?"

"Not even one hour ago," Jenny told him. "I attacked their last base in the Southwest Forest, successfully as you see. Now there's nothing left of the Red Ribbon Army and I believe that there will be no more terrorist attacks, at least not organized by them."

Closing his eyes, the king let out a quiet sigh of relief. He knew of course that he shouldn't feel this, but he was glad that the threat of the Red Ribbon Army was finally over. However, this didn't mean that he agreed with the methods of the elimination of the threat.

Getting to his feet again, King Koku looked Jenny straight in the eyes and asked one seemingly simple question, "Why?"

"Why?" Jenny repeated, immediately ready to defend herself, but she tried to squash this urge, more or less successfully. Every instinct was screaming at her to get the hell out of there, but she couldn't do this. If she wanted to make amends, she had to stay. So, without hesitating, she answered his question. "Because I had no other choice."

"No other choice?" the king asked, as he went back to pick up his comfortable chair before sitting down behind his desk. However, just as he had done this and before Jenny answered, the telephone on his desk beeped. Sighing, he pressed a button. "Yes?"

"Your majesty," a slightly distorted voice replied through the speakerphone. Upon hearing this, Jenny immediately tensed, waiting for guards to storm the office. "There's an unidentified person in your office."

"Really?" King Koku asked, his voice dripping in irony, as he looked at Jenny with slightly sparkling eyes. "I hadn't noticed."

"S-sorry… your majesty," the voice now began to stutter in embarrassment. "Are you… I mean… is she… Should we—"

"She's not a threat," the king interrupted him, his voice now sounding colder towards the poor soul who had called. "She's just come to deliver something and to answer some of my questions. I'll call you, if I need you. Now I don't wish to be disturbed. Oh, and switch off the cameras and microphones."

"Are… are you sure?" the voice asked. "Your majesty…"

"Of course I'm sure." Without another word, he pressed the button again. "I apologize for this interruption. It seems that I need to speak with the head of the guards once this is over," he said to Jenny and then he motioned for the girl to take a seat in front of the desk, which she did slowly and carefully. First when she was sitting, he repeated, "Now… you still need to answer my question. Why did you think that you had no other choice?"

Jenny clenched her fists in her lap, as she replied as calmly as possible, "Because you didn't do anything about the attacks and I could. Because your own army was too stupid to even figure out who the terrorists were in the first place, when I did. Because your government had no fucking idea how to find and fight them, when I knew how!"

Jenny had gotten louder towards the end, gritting her teeth to keep her composure, to control the anger that once again tried to overwhelm her as she thought about how incompetent earth's government had been when dealing with the Red Ribbon Army. So many lives could have been spared, if they had figured out that the Red Ribbon Army had been behind the attacks sooner. The King, however, was still calmly looking at her. "While I have to admit that I'm not satisfied with my government's and army's performances, I'm curious as to why you started, when you did… Why didn't you start _hunting_ the Red Ribbon Army before, when the first attacks happened?"

"Oh believe me, I wanted to do something right after it became clear that terrorists had been behind the first attack," Jenny told him with a wry smile. "But my stepfather didn't allow it. I listened to him at first, no matter how much I hated it… but I… I respect him too much to go against his orders about something important as this. But then… then the attack on the cinema happened and my two best friends died. I just snapped. The more… primal… part of me took control. It wanted to see blood. It wanted to see them dead. And knowing that it was the Red Ribbon Army just sweetened the deal for me. So I went after them and destroyed them."

"You shouldn't have killed them," King Koku admonished her quietly. "You should have turned them over to the authorities. What you did… it was nothing short of murder."

"I know…" Jenny admitted, "And maybe I would've turned them over to you, if I had been allowed to fight them sooner. But as I said… I snapped. I wasn't really me anymore. And then, when the Red Ribbon Army figured out who I was… there was really no going back. They wouldn't have stopped until I was dead. You see… they've got some history with my family. With my… father… actually."

"Your father?" the king asked surprised.

"Yeah… he stopped them the first time, killing their last Commander, who was this Commander Black's father by the way," Jenny told him, somewhat enjoying the king's bafflement. "They hated it so much that they made it their goal to kill my father. The result of this wish for revenge was Cell."

The king paled under his fur, when he heard that name, obviously clearly remembering the terror the Jinzoningen had inflicted. While it hadn't left as many scars as Buu's reign of terror, Cell was still a sore subject. "Did… did your father fight Cell?"

"My whole family did. Ya know that delivery boy? That was my big brother." Okay, Jenny had to admit that she was enjoying this just a tiny bit more than she probably should in this situation. Sure, it hadn't been her original plan to tell the king everything about her family, but in a way she thought that he had to know.

If the king wasn't sitting already, he probably would have had to sit down, as he realized, swallowing hard, "Your brother killed Cell."

Now it was Jenny's turn to be surprised. "You knew that it wasn't Satan?"

"Of course I did. Satan told me about it himself. He said that he needed someone to know the truth, that he was feeling somewhat guilty for taking the credit like that… but since the boy – your brother – never said anything about it, Satan and I decided that it would be better to stick to his story."

"And Buu?"

"Satan admitted that he didn't have anything to do with Buu's demise either, but that he knew who it was and that this person didn't want any credit for it and gave Satan permission to say it was him. Was it your brother as well?"

"No," Jenny replied through gritted teeth, still not agreeing with Satan and now the king for lying about Cell and Buu, even though she knew from Videl that her father had had the permission to take the credit. "This time it was my father again."

King Koku looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, before he asked, "May I know your father's name?"

Biting her lower lip, Jenny wasn't sure how to react. This was it. If she divulged daddy dearest's name, the king would know who she was. If she told him, there would be no going back. Now she could still flee and the government would never find her, she could return to Capsule Corporation.

No, she couldn't back out now. She wasn't a coward.

"My father's name was… Son Goku. He's dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that," King Koku told her sincerely. "Son Goku… I've heard that name before…"

"He placed second in the twenty-first and twenty-second Tenkaichi Budokai and won the twenty-third against Piccolo. He also defeated the older Piccolo when he had returned three years earlier."

"The boy? Your father was the boy who killed Piccolo?" Much to her surprise, the king began to chuckle. "I knew that he had been familiar! I've seen him at the tournaments before! Of course! So, your father has saved this world not just once or twice, but counting Buu even three times. Adding Cell, your family has saved us four times."

"That you know of," Jenny informed him coolly, though there was a small smile tugging at her lips. She couldn't wait to see his face, when she had told him. "Don't forget the first rise of the Red Ribbon Army. So, including these five occasions, my family has saved Earth and even the whole universe, at least ten times."

"Ten times?" The king's voice rose at the end, as if he couldn't quite grasp the number of times that Earth had been in danger without his knowing.

"At least," Jenny corrected him, now with a small grin. "I'm sure I could remember a few more enemies that they've defeated if I had more time."

"I see…" the king mumbled and then, much to her surprise, asked, "Would you mind… telling me about the most important threats this planet had been exposed to?"

"You're gonna need a whole lot of background information for that," Jenny warned him, inwardly preparing herself for divulging her family's secrets.

Leaning back in his chair, the king pressed his fingertips against each other, as he answered, "I've got time."

"Alright…" Jenny nodded and then began her family's story with the day that an old man found a little baby boy in the mountains and took him in to raise him. It certainly wasn't possible to tell him truly _everything_ so Jenny stuck to the most important facts, but even that took several hours. When she was done, the sun had travelled far across the sky, already beginning to set again.

She had to give it to the king, he was a good listener. He had barely interrupted, only asking a question when something had remained unclear, and he had been very patient. He had even been a gracious host, offering her something to drink and eat, when he had realized that her tale really would take longer. Jenny had accepted the water, but had had no appetite. Now, though, that Jenny was finished with her family's story, the king was just looking at her in silence, almost scrutinizing, evaluating.

At first, Jenny was glad for not having to talk anymore. But then, the more minutes passed, the more uncomfortable she became under his gaze, especially as it never seemed to waver. Fidgeting slightly, she waited for this silence to end, so she almost sighed in relief, when the king spoke again. However, she was surprised when he didn't say anything about her story, but returned to the beginning of their meeting.

"You said that you've come here to deliver Commander Black's body, and yet here you're still sitting, answering all my questions, telling me your family's story. Tell me, why are you really here?"

And this was the crux of the matter. This was what she had been avoiding the whole time. And still, she had sworn to herself that she wouldn't be a coward, that she would pull this through. Her hands were beginning to sweat, though they were icy cold, and she actually started to squirm slightly under his penetrating and assessing gaze.

"I…" she whispered, not believing that she was actually going to do this. Glancing over to the still open window, Jenny knew that she could escape before anyone could do anything, but on the other hand, it was too late anyway. The king knew who she was and if he really wanted to arrest her, he could now easily do it. "I've come to turn myself in."

"I see…" the king said thoughtfully. "Why now? You've been wanted for questioning for the past year and now that the Red Ribbon Army is history you suddenly decide that it's time?"

"I just… I just want it to be really over…" Jenny said so quietly that she wasn't sure if the king had heard her. So, gathering all her courage, she continued louder and with a steadier voice, "I know that I'm guilty of murder. I've killed hundreds of people, but I didn't care about that until the Red Ribbon Army almost killed me. I enjoyed the killing, the feeling of revenge. It was giving me the strength to go on. But almost dying, or better, being dead for a short moment, changed something in me. The feelings I had buried had returned, but I managed to push them back until it was time to face Commander Black. I won't lie. I've killed again this morning, but by then it had become a necessity to ensure my family's safety. I didn't enjoy it. I tried not to feel anything. But now I can't ignore these feelings any longer." A shudder went through her and Jenny had to force herself to not wrap her arms around herself, to not show any weakness. "I know that what I have done is against the law and that I need to pay for it. So here I am, ready for my fate."

If Jenny had expected the king's face to betray what he was feeling about her confession, she would have been wrong. He was still looking at her calmly, and his voice was just as calm as he asked, "What would you have me do?"

"What you think is right. Turn me over to the army or the police or carry out the sentence yourself. I know that I won't escape death after what I did, so you could spare yourself the long and tedious trial and kill me here and now." Looking over to her swords still lying on the floor near the body – the king really should take care of it soon, it was starting to stink – Jenny whispered, "You could say it was self defense."

"For some this offer might certainly be… tempting," the king told Jenny, after having remained quiet for a moment. "But I won't kill you. But neither will I turn you over to the authorities."

Jenny looked at him, clearly shocked. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, as she breathlessly asked, "You won't?"

"No," the king explained patiently, though his eyes had hardened. "After what you told me I know that death won't be a punishment for you. As a matter of fact, I would be doing you a favor. You would be with your parents, your brothers and your friends. You don't deserve this. You deserve to live with the guilt, to see the faces of those you have killed every night in your dreams. I could put you in prison for the rest of your life, of course, but considering your stepfather, I'm sure that he would break you out very soon. No… you will go home. And you will live with what you have done. Every single day of your life. But you can start to make amends by finishing that spaceship you've been talking about and resurrecting Buu's victims."

"Don't worry," Jenny whispered, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. "I'll bring them back. I'll bring all of them back. I swear."

"I know you will…" he said with a light smile on his face. "Thank you, for telling me about your family… about all the threats this planet had faced. This certainly puts things into a new perspective and I pray that earth will always have protectors like your family. But now, I have to ask you to leave. I need to make a public statement about the Red Ribbon Army." King Koku looked towards the body, wrinkling his nose. "And my guards should probably bring Commander Black's body to forensics. It would be better if they didn't find you here."

"Okay," she replied, still slightly shell-shocked. Jenny really didn't know what to think about this new development. When she had arrived here, she hadn't expected to leave again, to ever go home again. And now… now… she would have to. Should she be happy? Scared? She didn't know. At the moment she just felt numb. Still almost as if in trance, she got up from the chair, picked up her swords and put them back into their sheaths, while she was powering up. Before she left through the window again, however, Jenny turned around and asked, almost fearfully, "My family will be safe? You won't betray them?"

To her surprise, the king put his hand over his heart and swore solemnly, "Their identities will be safe with me. No one will find out who they are. Or who you are."

"Thank you…" Jenny mumbled and then climbed out of the window. The king tried to look after her, but she was already gone.

With a sigh, King Koku rose from his own chair and pressed a button on his phone. "You can switch on the cameras and microphones again. Oh, and send in forensics. They need to collect a body. Thank you."

Immediately, guards swarmed his office, and the king realized that they must have been waiting in front of his office doors the whole day, waiting for him to call for help. Fortunately the doors were soundproofed. After making sure that he was alright, they took care of the body, but the king didn't watch this. Instead he had walked to the window the girl had used both as entrance and exit and looked outside at the setting sun.

King Koku hadn't been lying, when he had told her that she would have to live with what she had done, that he wouldn't help her to escape from the pain and the guilt. But at the same time he hoped that she would heal. Satan had told him about the delivery boy at the Cell games, the girl's brother, how, when he had been provoked by Cell, he had suddenly snapped, turning from a boy who was reluctant to fight into a cold-blooded killer. The same must have happened to her, when her friends had died, because during their conversation he had not gotten the impression that she had been born as a killer or that she was evil. From her stories, he could even imagine that she had once been a happy and carefree girl, and he hoped that one day she would once again be able to be that girl, or someone close to it at least.

"Your majesty," the head of his guard pulled him out of his thoughts. "Who was this girl?"

"It was the Lost Warrior."

The guard's eyes bulged. "And you just let her go?"

The king looked at him with hard, unyielding eyes, "Yes, I did. And now please call Z-TV. I need to make a statement. The Red Ribbon Army is history."

* * *

_Guilt_

To say that Mirai was worried was the understatement of the century. It had been hours since he had last seen Jenny, and she still wasn't home. The sun had just set not even half an hour ago and he still couldn't feel her. He feared that Jenny had really done something incredibly stupid, so he had even switched on the TV in his desperation. He knew what it felt like, when the enemy you had fought against for so long suddenly was no more. He knew the emptiness of not knowing what to do next, the depression that threatened to overwhelm you.

Jenny had been driven by the feeling for revenge this past year, so what would she do, once that feeling was gone?

Mirai's thoughts were interrupted, when the breaking news sign appeared on the TV screen. His heart almost stopped beating, when the next thing the TV showed was the king sitting behind his desk in his office, looking gravely, but at the same time with a victorious air around him at the camera.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the king began calmly, "this morning I had an unexpected visitor. This morning, the young woman you know as the Lost Warrior was suddenly standing in my office."

"Oh sweet Kami," Mirai muttered, having to sit down on the couch, his gazed fixed on the TV. If he had known… if he had known that she would do something as stupid as this, he would have stopped her.

"She's come to bring me the body of Commander Black, the leader of the Red Ribbon Army, and to tell me that with Commander Black's death, the threat of the Red Ribbon Army has been eliminated. She also came to me to turn herself in."

Here, the king paused for a moment and Mirai buried his face in his hands. So that was the reason why she hadn't come home. She wouldn't come home. They had arrested her. Oh Jenny…

He would need to tell Vegeta, but he had disappeared again, claiming that he needed to train, after having spent so much time at the hospital in the past few weeks. Mirai would need to find him, and then they would need to figure out how they could get Jenny out of there. If she even wanted to leave…

So lost was he in his plans, that Mirai almost didn't listen to what the king said next. "However, in our long conversation over the day, during which she told me confidential facts about herself and her family, and her reasons for fighting against the Red Ribbon Army, I've realized that I would do her a favor by imprisoning her. I've come to realize that being forced to return home and to live with what she has done will be the biggest punishment. But also a chance for her to heal, when she's surrounded by the people she loves. Ladies and gentlemen, I know that many of you wanted me to judge her harshly, to sentence her for a lifetime in prison or even death, but after hearing her story, I know that circumstances had turned her into the person who has killed so many soldiers. She isn't evil, and she's aware that what she has done was wrong. So I've sent her home."

"Wait…" Mirai looked up startled and stared at the king on the screen, not really believing what he had just said. "You let her go?"

Ignoring what else the king had to say, Mirai jumped up from the couch and nearly flew to Jenny's room. He threw the door to her room open without knocking, and heaved a huge sigh of relief, when he heard the shower running in her bathroom.

"Jenny? Can I come in?" he asked, putting his hand on the doorknob. When there wasn't an answer, Mirai at first wasn't sure what to do, but eventually his worry won and he opened the door. "Oh Jenny…" he sighed, as he spotted her sitting on the floor of the shower, the still hot water raining down on her. The air in the bathroom was humid with steam, which meant that Jenny had been in here for quite some time already.

Ignoring the fact that she was naked except for the ki-shield around her wrist, Mirai opened the glass door to the shower and switched off the water before he took a large towel and wrapped it around her. Jenny didn't seem to be aware of most of it, only looking up, when he touched her to wrap the towel around her and gather her in his arms. "Mirai?"

"It's okay, Jenny… Everything's gonna be okay…" he mumbled comfortingly, while carrying her into her room. There he sat her on the edge of her bed and began to dry her long hair with an extra towel. Once her hair wasn't dripping anymore, Mirai handed Jenny her pajamas and asked, "Can you get changed? You'll be more comfortable."

Nodding numbly, Jenny began to unwrap the towel, causing Mirai to turn around to give her some privacy. She didn't speak, but Mirai heard when she pulled the pants up her legs and pulled the top over her head, before she sat down on the bed again. Chancing a glance over his shoulder, Mirai saw that she was really done and turned around fully. Her eyes were bloodshot, it was obvious that she had cried in the shower, but her eyes were dry now.

"I don't think you need this now," Mirai said softly and took the ki-shield off her wrist. Even though it was ridiculous, Mirai was relieved to feel her ki, because here she was, right in front of him, breathing and her heart beating. Still, just to be sure, he gently clasped his hands around hers, looking into her dull blue eyes. "Do you want me to brush your hair? Otherwise it will be all tangled when it's dry."

Just the slightest of nods, but Mirai still quickly got her brush from the bathroom and began to gently run it through her hair. It took some time with her long hair, but eventually all the knots and tangles were brushed out and the damp hair was hanging softly down her back.

"So, here you are. All done," he told her with a smile, putting the brush on her nightstand. "And now, let's lie down, Jenny. You need to sleep."

She didn't protest and crawled under her cover. Once she was lying, Mirai pulled the cover a bit higher and just wanted to go to the couch, when her hand grabbed his. "Please… stay…"

"Of course," Mirai replied without hesitating. "Just a moment."

He took off his jeans and socks, and then got another blanket out of Jenny's closet. It would already be weird, sleeping in one bed with his friend, so he would at least lie on her blankets, covered by his own blanket. Right now, he would truly do anything for Jenny, so he hoped that this would be slightly less awkward.

"Okay," he said, after he had switched off the light, lay down on her bed and pulled his blanket up to his shoulders. "Just tell me, if it gets uncomfortable."

Jenny just nodded before moving closer to Mirai and closing her eyes. After a while, Mirai thought that she had fallen asleep, as his eyelids were becoming heavy as well, but when she suddenly began to mumble, he was once again wide awake.

"What did you say?" he asked her quietly.

"He wouldn't kill me," Jenny repeated, her voice shaking. "I asked him to and he wouldn't do it."

"Hush… it's okay, Jenny… It's okay," Mirai murmured soothingly, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, so that her face was resting against his shoulder. Quickly he noticed that his T-shirt was becoming damp, as her tears began to soak it. "It's gonna be okay…"

"No… no… it hurts… so much. It's ripping me apart… can't breathe… can't breathe… wanna die…"

It broke Mirai's heart to hear her sobs, so he just held her tighter and let her cry until exhaustion overwhelmed her and she fell into a troubled and fitful sleep. Mirai barely slept a wink that night, always ready to soothe her, when she woke from yet another nightmare.

It was a hard night for both of them, one of many that were still to come.

* * *

Contrary to what he had told the boy, Vegeta had not gone training. Instead he had hidden his ki and then gone into hiding himself in the tree in front of the window to the girl's room. But just like the boy, he had impatiently awaited her return, almost fearing that she had done something stupid and wouldn't come back, so when he had finally seen her land on her balcony hours after she had left them and go into her room he had been incredibly relieved.

Still he  
stayed there and watched. Watched as the boy stormed into her room and came out of the bathroom, carrying her. Watched as the boy helped her into her bed and comforted her as she broke down. Watched as the boy soothed her every time she woke up during the night. First when morning dawned did he return into the house and saw that the TV was still running. The news was on and they were once again showing the king's statement about the Lost Warrior and the Red Ribbon Army.

Cursing, Vegeta resisted the urge to storm into the girl's room and shake her until she told him why she thought turning herself in would be such a good idea. But he didn't do anything except for switching off the TV and leaving to train, this time for real.

* * *

The days passed like this. Jenny barely left her bed, so Mirai hardly left her side, except when he prepared some food, hoping against hope that she would touch it. She barely spoke and she didn't cry anymore. At least not when she was awake. The nights, however, were a completely different story. She woke up often, screaming and crying and it would always take Mirai a while to calm her enough to go back to sleep.

Vegeta on the other hand had once again begun to avoid Capsule Corporation. He returned at night and watched the girl's nightmares for a while before he left again, but he just couldn't find the courage to face her. He knew that he was acting like a coward, but he had no idea what to do or what to say to the girl. The boy seemed to be handling this much better, so he left him at it.

Until, about two weeks after Jenny had destroyed the last base of the Red Ribbon Army, Mirai finally managed to corner Vegeta in the kitchen, when the latter had tried to get something to eat without being noticed.

"So," Mirai said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "look who's finally decided to show his face."

"Boy," Vegeta acknowledged him, already leaving the kitchen again. "This is my home, so why shouldn't I be here?"

"You've got a funny way of showing that this is your home. Right now, it looks like you're a coward," Mirai said, as Vegeta passed him. His father didn't stop, so Mirai decided to say what he had wanted to say all along, hoping that it wouldn't be enough. "Jenny needs you."

"No, she doesn't," Vegeta told him, but at least he had stopped. "You're doing a good job, helping her."

"No, I'm not. I'm there for her, but I'm not helping her. I can't help her." Mirai looked at his father with a challenging look in his eyes. "But you can. And you will. Even if I have to force you."

An amused smirk began to tug at Vegeta's lips. "Well, well… look who has finally grown a backbone. But pray tell me, how do you expect me to help her?"

"I want you to talk to her! You know what it's like… to kill someone."

"So do you."

Shaking his head, Mirai told him, "It's not the same. I've killed one person, one lousy person and I already have some nightmares about it. But you… you killed countless people, destroyed whole planets… You will understand her better than I can ever do. So talk to her… please…"

Vegeta didn't say anything, but instead of leaving the house as Mirai had feared, he turned into the other direction and went to Jenny's room. Mirai sighed in relief, hoping that Vegeta would be able to help her.

…

Vegeta didn't like it, but the boy was right. He had been acting like a coward, and now it was time to stop. Not knowing what to say to the girl wasn't an excuse to stay away. He had already made that mistake once, and he couldn't believe that he had been about to make it again. What would his woman think of him, if she knew how he was acting?

Shaking his head, Vegeta put his hand on the doorknob to the girl's room, hesitating slightly. He still didn't know what to do or to say, but the girl needed him, so he would go to her.

She didn't move or look up, when he entered the room and sat down on the chair next to her bed. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't sleeping. Her breathing wasn't deep enough for it, but she showed no sign of knowing that he was there. She was just lying there, her too thin body small under the blankets, her face pale with dark rings under her eyes. Gone was the Lost Warrior, left was only a girl, a broken girl.

No one said a word at first. Vegeta didn't know how to start, what to say… He didn't even know if she wanted him to say something. Minutes passed, until Jenny's eyes suddenly opened and she whispered, "You lied to me."

"When?" Vegeta asked, although he already guessed what she was talking about.

"You promised that you'd stop me, if I lost control… if the Saiyajin took over…"

Vegeta was startled. He had expected her to talk about his promise to never leave her, but this… He hadn't expected this. "No, I didn't promise you this… I said that I couldn't promise this, that I would be forced to stop you… But I never promised that I'd be able to do this. I only promised you that I would never leave you… And I admit that I broke this promise."

For the first time in weeks, there was a light smile tugging at Jenny's lips. "No… you're wrong. You didn't break that promise either. I… I told you to leave. I told you to get out of my life… So… I can't blame you for this."

Vegeta chuckled quietly, but then quickly became serious again. "Still… I need to… apologize. Even though I apparently didn't break any promises, I should have stayed with you and stopped you. I…"

"It's okay," Jenny whispered. "It wasn't your fault."

"Let's agree to disagree about this, alright?"

Jenny only nodded and once again closed her eyes. Silence once again settled over them, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as before. Vegeta couldn't help but feel relieved that the girl obviously wasn't angry with him. But on the other hand, he still didn't know how to help her. Talk maybe, but how to start? He had never liked talking about emotions, even apologizing moments before had been incredibly hard, so he had no idea what to say to her about killing people.

Fortunately for him, Jenny once again beat him to it, as she asked, "How do you do it?"

"How do I do what?"

"Live with it," she mumbled, her eyes open again. Vegeta could see something glistening in them and suddenly had to fight against looking away. He hated dealing with crying women. But this situation was completely different – the girl actually had a very good reason to cry. "Bear the pain… the… the guilt."

Vegeta thought for a moment, wondering how he could put it into words. However, the girl deserved an answer, so he decided to be as honest as possible. It would be a struggle to find the right words, but she deserved no less than the truth. "I didn't, at first. I ignored it, pushed it away, just like you did in the past year. While you were fuelled by the wish for vengeance against the Red Ribbon Army, I was driven by my wish to destroy Frieza. And I did everything I had to do to survive long enough, to become strong enough… so I became a killer."

"When did it change? When you came to earth?"

"No…" he shook his head. "When I came to earth the first time, Frieza was still alive. And when I came to earth the second time, I had two new goals. I was driven to defeat Kakarotto and to become a Super Saiyajin. First… first when the woman managed to get close to me… to break through the walls that had surrounded me… I began to feel it. The guilt."

"So… what did you do?"

"I had help," Vegeta told her quietly. "It wasn't easy. I didn't want to tell anyone about those feelings. I didn't understand them. But Bulma helped me to understand. She helped me through this. One day, one night at a time. She managed to convince me of one thing – that it was the past. That I had been different. That I had had no other choice. That the life I had lived with Frieza was over. That I was on my way to becoming a better man. I'm not saying that I'm not haunted by nightmares anymore, that I don't see the faces of my victims anymore, but it doesn't happen often nowadays. Having something… someone to live for… it helps. This… all of this… goes for you, too. The war against the Red Ribbon Army is in the past now and you've changed again. But contrary to me, you have always been a good person… you just haven't been yourself for a while. But this is over now."

"Mirai told me almost the same," Jenny said with a light, sad smile, remembering their conversation at the hospital. "Though he said that I'd never be the old Jenny again. But new… and improved."

"That boy might be downright stupid sometimes, but this time he was right."

"So it will never stop? The pain?"

"Never completely," Vegeta said gravely, however, he also promised her, "But it will get better. It will take some time, but eventually you will be able to live a normal live again, without nightmares and without thinking every second of your life of what you've done. Eventually, days will pass without your thinking about it. But until then…"

"I understand," Jenny mumbled. She was looking at Vegeta, chewing on her lower lip, obviously thinking. Once or twice it seemed, as if she wanted to say something, but then seemed to change her mind. Vegeta was curious of course, but he wouldn't pressure her. If she wanted to ask him something, she would do it when she was ready.

* * *

_Letting go of the past_

"How is she?" Vegeta, who was standing at the stove, stirring something in a pot, asked Mirai, when he came down for breakfast the following Saturday.

It had once again been a tough couple of days. Mirai was slowly beginning to feel that he hadn't slept a full night in almost three weeks. Coffee had become his favorite beverage, just so he wouldn't fall asleep during the day. So his first stop in the morning was the coffee maker, which was always ready to supply him with caffeine. "Better," Mirai told him, as he filled his mug. "Just slightly, but better. She's always sleeping just a bit more."

"That's good." Vegeta turned back to the pot, which caused Mirai to look at him curiously.

After having taken his first sip of the black elixir of life, Mirai stepped closer and looked at the contents of the pot. "Hot chocolate? Why are you making hot chocolate?"

"Finish your coffee quickly and then bring her a cup," Vegeta told him without answering the question, turning down the stove so that the hot chocolate would still be warm but not boiling until Mirai was done with his coffee. "When she has finished, drag her out of her bed, get her to shower and then take her to  
Li's school. She's been hiding from them long enough."

Mirai nodded grimly, and quickly drained his mug. His father was right. If Jenny wanted to move forward, she needed to get out. "Don't worry… Even if I have to go Super, I'll get her out." He poured the steaming chocolate into a mug and went up to Jenny's room.

She was sitting up, staring out of the window, which was an improvement over her lying in her bed with closed eyes. But her head turned, when he entered the room and a very small smile appeared on her lips, when she saw him. Still, the smile turned into a confused frown, when she noticed the mug in his hands. "I'm not thirsty…"

"I don't care," Mirai replied stubbornly, as he sat down on the bed and held the mug out to her. "Drink this. Dad made this for you and it will give you some energy. And besides… I've never seen you turn down chocolate."

"Stupid Mirai," Jenny mumbled, but took the mug anyway. It was warm in the palms of her hands, a good feeling she decided. Then, she lifted it tentatively to her lips, taking a small sip. Over the past three weeks, Jenny had only drunk water and tea and barely eaten anything. She knew that she had once again lost weight and that she couldn't lose anymore without having problems with her health. But she just hadn't had any appetite.

However, now that she was smelling this delicious hot chocolate and tasting it, she couldn't resist any longer. Her stomach began to rumble and she downed the rest of the hot chocolate, not caring that it was so hot that it almost burned her mouth.

Mirai grinned, when he saw her quickly drink the chocolate, and said, "There's more downstairs. But to get this, you need to get out of bed and take a shower."

Staring at the empty mug in her hands, Jenny swallowed hard. She was suddenly really hungry. And she wanted more of this hot chocolate. "Okay… Give me fifteen minutes."

Still grinning, Mirai grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her bed. "I'll wait."

…

Jenny took longer than fifteen minutes, almost half an hour actually, but he couldn't blame her. She hadn't had a real shower since she had returned from the Central Capital, after all. At least now he had enough time to prepare some pancakes to go with the rest of the hot chocolate. He had heard her stomach rumble, so he hoped that she would eat.

And eat she did, when she finally came downstairs, her still damp hair tied into a braid. Mirai even had to remind her to chew now and then. But inwardly he couldn't be happier. Jenny was eating again, and this was a huge success. It really showed that she was getting better.

However, as she hadn't had any solid food in weeks, her stomach quickly began to complain. Leaning back, she rested her hands on her stomach. "Oh sweet Dende," she groaned, looking longingly and in disbelief at the stack still standing in front of her. "I'm full… After just a few pancakes…"

"It's a start," Mirai told her with a soft smile. "After all… You haven't eaten much even before we attacked Commander Black. So it's only natural that it will take some time until you get used again to eating like a Saiyajin. Just be patient. As long as you begin to gain weight again, it's gonna be okay."

With a sigh, Jenny looked at her hands and arms, pale skin taut over the bones. She had already regarded herself in her mirror after she had left the shower and had been startled by what she had seen. While she had known that she had lost some weight, she hadn't realized or even imagined that it was so bad. "I look terrible, don't I?"

At first Mirai wanted to sugarcoat it, saying that it wasn't that bad, but he doubted that this would help her. "Yes, you do. But you won't look like that for long, if you continue to eat."

"I hope so…" Jenny whispered thoughtfully, her gaze lowering for a moment but then she shook her head. "So… you've got me out of bed and I've eaten something. What do you want to do with me now?"

* * *

"I can't go there," Jenny protested quietly for about the hundredth time, since Mirai had told her where they would be going. Right now they were sitting in Mirai's car, on the last stretch of the road to Li's school. Mirai had had to promise her that they would wear the ki-shields she had taken from the Red Ribbon Army's soldiers, so that they could turn around without Li or Tenshinhan knowing that they had been on their way. But no matter how often she said this, Mirai wouldn't relent.

And just a minute later, they arrived. Mirai parked the car and got out of it. When Jenny remained sitting, he opened her door and held out his hand to her with an encouraging smile. "Come on… you can do this. I've already told you that they will forgive you. And I'll be with you the whole way, if you want me to."

Nodding hesitantly, Jenny took Mirai's hand and he pulled her out. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he was holding her ki-shield in his hand before Jenny could do anything about it. The only thing she could do was protest, but in vain. Immediately, on the other side of the parking lot, in the school's kitchen, two heads jerked up upon feeling a familiar ki and just a moment later, Tenshinhan and Chao-zu were standing just fifty yards away from her.

"Jenny," Tenshinhan breathed and then a huge smile lit up his face, as he quickly walked up to her, followed by Chao-zu, who was smiling just as brightly. His fingers were itching to hug her, but he resisted that urge, as he saw her suppress a flinch. Instead he just said, "It's really good to see you. How are you?"

"Not good," she whispered, not really daring to meet his gaze. She knew that it was irrational to be afraid of Tenshinhan's reaction to what she had done, after all, the smile on his face told her that he was happy to see her. "Better… just a bit… but better…" She once again began to chew on her lower lip and to fidget with her hands. "I'm sorry… for everything."

This time, Tenshinhan didn't hesitate and engulfed Jenny in a tight hug. "It's okay… everything is okay. You don't need to apologize to us. We've forgiven you the moment you decided to hunt those bastards."

Jenny squeezed her eyes tightly shut, fighting against the tears. But Tenshinhan's embrace felt so good, so safe… He was her friend and he would stand by her side. She should have never doubted that. "Thanks…" she mumbled, as she let go of Tenshinhan and in the next moment, Chao-zu was clinging to her neck, giving her a bright encouraging smile before letting go as well.

"No need to thank us," Tenshinhan told her, still smiling. Jenny looked like hell, dark circles under her eyes, her skin pale and it was stretched too tightly over her bones, but she had come back to them. Looking over her head, Tenshinhan suddenly noticed another person standing in the door to his house. "Li is here… I'm sure he wants to welcome you back, too."

Jenny turned around and indeed, there he was. Li, her old teacher, the grandfather of her two best friends, the man who she had pushed away so cruelly one year ago. But he was smiling at her and waving, so gathering her courage, Jenny prepared to go over to him. However, before she did, she once again looked at Tenshinhan and Chao-zu and asked in a small voice, "Today is Saturday… so…"

"We'll see you tonight," Tenshinhan told her. "I'm sure that Suki and Maya will be really happy to see you again."

"And I'll make your favorite pizza and dessert," Chao-zu added, grinning happily.

"Thanks…" Jenny mumbled again and then went over to Li, who hugged her tightly, when she reached him, and then they went inside together.

Tenshinhan put a hand on Mirai's shoulder, as they watched the door close. "Thanks for bringing her here."

"She would have come on her own, eventually," Mirai told him. "Dad and I just wanted to speed up the process a little bit. So… I better go now. Jenny is in good hands and I know that she will come home tonight."

"You won't join us for dinner?"

"No," Mirai shook his head. "That's something between you and Jenny. Especially today. Maybe some other time."

* * *

Mirai was fast asleep on Jenny's couch, catching up on some much needed rest, when she returned home much later that night, and he didn't wake up until she started to shake him lightly. "Whazzup?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm back…" Jenny whispered, while Mirai was sitting up and running his hand through the hair that had fallen out of the elastic.

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah… it was… good…" she told him with a light smile, and when he looked at her closely, he realized that she already looked happier. Her eyes had regained some of their sparks. "I'm glad you've forced me to do this."

"You're welcome," Mirai said with a cheeky grin. "So, are you ready for bed? Or did Chao-zu feed you so much pizza that you can't even think about food?"

"Oh, please stop… I think I'm ready to burst… and besides… there's one more thing I wanted to do before I go to sleep."

"What is it?" he asked, as he got up from the couch and followed Jenny to her closet.

She took out a large flat box and put it on the floor, before returning to the clothes and then took out her Lost Warrior outfit – black jeans, black top, black leather coat and the black boots. Fingering the coat and the boots gently, she sighed quietly, as she remembered how she had gotten them, especially the coat. A gift from her friends, but now she would never be able to wear it again.

"I need to let go of the past year. I need to let go of the Lost Warrior. And for this, I need to get rid of this," Jenny told Mirai, as she began to put the clothes into the box.

"Wait," Mirai suddenly stopped her. "Don't throw them away. Just… put them away, far away. You might need this, if you ever have to remember this past year, for whatever reason."

Jenny nodded, as she put the lid on the box. Taking the box again, she put it back into her closet, in the furthest corner that she could reach. Burning the clothes might have been more symbolic, but Mirai was right. There might be a time when she had to be reminded of what she had done.

"Let's go to bed," she mumbled.

This was the first night that she wasn't woken by a nightmare.


	72. Part III: A Journey to the Past

**A/N: A happy new year to all of you! I hope you all had a good start into this year and are now ready for new chapters! I for one can't wait to see how far I'll get with this fanfic in this year! I hope I'll get done a lot, especially as we're slowly nearing the ending of Part III. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 71: A Journey to the Past**

Things started to slowly but steadily improve at Capsule Corporation. After Mirai had forced Jenny to visit Li's school, she had begun to go out more. She returned to Li's school every couple of days, and she even went to Capsule Corporation's lab on her own, to apologize to Tico and his team and begin to rebuild her friendship with them while they were working together on the spaceship.

While things had been strained between Jenny and the three scientists over the past year, Mirai had had no doubt that they would forgive her just as easily as every other friend of her had done. And he hadn't been wrong, as Jenny had returned from their first meeting with a small smile on her face and told him that everything would be okay with them.

However, while Jenny was physically getting better, once again gaining weight slowly but surely, and meeting her friends again, there were still some things that worried both Mirai and Vegeta. For one, while Jenny was going to Li's school and to the lab to work on the spaceship, she didn't leave her room otherwise, except maybe if Mirai got her so that they could eat together. This included training. Jenny simply didn't want to fight anymore. Whenever Vegeta dragged her somewhere to spar, even if it was still on the grounds of Capsule Corporation, Jenny didn't even defend herself, not even powering up, which forced Vegeta to stop the training before he could even start. There was simply no way to hit her while she was still in her human form.

And then, the last thing was actually what worried Mirai the most – there were times, when she disappeared for hours at a time, but every time she was wearing one of those blasted ki-shields, so that he had no idea where she was going. Seeing as Jenny was still very fragile, Mirai always feared the worst, when her ki once again disappeared. He was afraid that she might not come back, that she might do something incredibly stupid. It wouldn't be the first time, after all.

However, for the moment, he and Vegeta had agreed that they would wait and trust Jenny not to leave them. So instead of trying to follow her and confront her about her disappearances, Mirai went out to buy something that would help Jenny to have fun again once in a while in a fight against her still ever present depression.

When Mirai returned with his purchase, Jenny was, as usual, sitting on her couch, wrapped in a blanket and staring with empty eyes at the wall across from her. But when he came inside, carrying a big box, she blinked once and looked at him in surprise. "Mirai? What's this?"

"You're brooding too much," Mirai simply told her, as he put the box down in front of her TV and began to unpack, revealing a gaming console. "And this will hopefully keep you busy and cheer you up."

Intrigued, Jenny got up from the couch and watched, as Mirai put the different parts of the console on the ground. Raising her eyebrows, she asked, her voice sounding incredulous, "You want me to play _games_?"

"I want you to relax and take your mind of all the things you're brooding about the whole time," Mirai contradicted her, while he was setting up the gaming console. "And I thought playing videogames would do the part."

"You're crazy…" Jenny muttered, shaking her head.

Mirai smirked at her, at this very moment looking so much like his father that it was scary. "We'll see who's the crazy one, once I've beaten you." He plugged in the controllers and handed her one, before he put the game _Martial Arts Masters XII_ into the console and started it.

For a moment, Jenny stared at the controller in her hand in disbelief, before shaking her head, once again mumbling something about 'crazy Mirais', but then she sat down next to Mirai on the floor and waited for the game to load.

"Mum bought the same thing for me, after the whole thing with the Jinzoningen was over," Mirai told her, while he was selecting his own avatar – a tall dark haired guy with lean muscles, called Akio. "It helped me a lot, even though I was playing alone. There were times, when I was so immersed in the games that I forgot everything."

Once he had his own avatar, Mirai helped Jenny to select hers. He was a bit surprised, when instead of looking through the whole list of avatars, Jenny quickly settled on a young, red-haired woman with the name Kamiko. After that, Mirai took over choosing the setting for the fight and quickly went over the most important attack and defense moves of the avatars. Jenny just nodded, biting her lower lip while staring at the controller in her own hand.

Mirai smirked, just knowing that Jenny would soooo lose against him. And maybe this would bring out her competitive streak, the part of a Saiyajin that would never back down from a challenge. Maybe, in the end, this would even get her to start training again. He would just need to taunt her some more.

As soon as everything was done, Mirai's finger hovered over the button on the controller that would start the game. He turned towards Jenny, still smirking, "So, are you ready?"

"Yeah," she answered slowly, doubtfully. "I think we can start."

"Alright… get ready to get your ass kicked!"

With these words, he pressed the button and the game began. In the beginning, Mirai tried to hold back, only using the basic moves against Jenny so that she could get used to the game. Still, he was impressed with how quickly she seemed to get the hang of it, but in the end, her avatar was lying on the ground with a circle of stars dancing above her head, and his avatar was standing over hers with his fist raised into the air.

"Not bad for the beginning," Mirai complimented her. "You wanna go again?"

"Yeah…" Jenny replied quietly, and there was suddenly a strange glint in his eyes. Not really knowing why, Mirai got a bad feeling in his stomach, as he restarted the fight. And was lying on the ground just ten seconds later. Staring in shock and disbelief at his knocked-out avatar, Mirai had no idea what to say, except, "How…? What…? _How…_?" He had barely been able to react or defend himself, as Jenny's avatar Kamiko had basically destroyed his own Akio. This hadn't happened to him in _years_!

The mischievous glint was still in Jenny's eyes and a small smirk was tugging at her lips, as she told him dryly, "Did I never tell you that Damian was a videogame nerd? Especially when it was about Martial Arts games? He had the two previous games of this series and I'd often been his opponent, voluntarily or not."

"You… you… you played me!" Mirai sputtered incredulously. Why hadn't he noticed that Jenny was more familiar with the game than he had thought?!

"Hey," Jenny told him, "you wanna blame someone, blame Vegeta. He raised me to play dirty, if I have to."

Grumbling to himself, Mirai was sure that he would never talk to his father about this. "Alright, I want a rematch."

"Suit yourself," Jenny said to him coolly, ready to hand him his ass again and did so, again and again and again.

Still, even though Mirai kept losing against her in that one game, it made him happy to realize that Jenny actually seemed to have fun. Not just with this game, but also with other games which she, surprisingly enough, after everything she had told him about Damian during their matches, hadn't known before he had introduced her to them. They were mostly harmless Jump 'n' Run games, but also some shooter games. They tried out everything and decided, which they liked and didn't like, though sometimes this decision took a bit longer, as they each argued their case as to why the game was good or not.

All in all, it seemed as if Jenny was brooding less and less, having more fun and laughing, really laughing more. But all the same, Mirai was still thinking about another thing that could help his friend, if for some reason she had a setback or he realized that her state of mind needed more drastic measures than playing videogames. But for now, everything was going just fine.

Until the day that Vegeta decided he had given her enough time and once again dragged her out to Capsule Corporation's backyard for another training session. Mirai followed along, ready to pick up the pieces should this attempt go wrong again.

"Okay, girl," Vegeta told her, as usual with his arms in front of his chest, ignoring the rebellious look on her face. "It's time for you to start training again. So, transform."

"No," Jenny simply said, not moving at all. She was just staring at Vegeta, challenging him with her eyes to do anything to force her, well remembering that he had always abandoned his attempts to get her to fight before.

However, this time it was apparently going to be different, as Vegeta just nodded and then said, "As you wish…"

He turned to go, but then whirled around and jumped at her. Just as she had already done the very first time, so many years ago in the face of danger, Jenny transformed, powering up on instinct alone. Still, Vegeta didn't pull back, hitting her instead straight in the jaw, causing her to fly a few feet backwards and hitting the ground. Staring up at Vegeta in disbelief, Jenny wiped some blood from her nose, and cursed. "You fucking hit me!"

"And it was about time. You need to snap out of this, brat!" Vegeta snarled at her and before she could say anything, he went on, "Yes, I know it's hard. I know you think you need more time, but time might be something you don't have! Or have you forgotten the prophecy already! You need to train, you need to get ready for it!"

"Fuck you, Vegeta," Jenny yelled at him, as she jumped up at him. "And fuck this stupid prophecy!" Before either Mirai or Vegeta could react, Jenny took a ki-shield out of the pocket of her jeans and put it around her wrist. Immediately, her ki vanished. "I'm outta here!"

For a second, Mirai watched as Jenny took off into the sky, but one glance behind him told him everything he needed to know. Vegeta nodded at him and he took off, too, following the trail of her ki. It wasn't hard to stay behind her, almost as if she was allowing him to know where she was going.

They weren't going far, just to a cliff overlooking the vast expanse that was the Western Capital. She was standing almost directly at the edge of it, powered down to her human form, obviously waiting for him and Mirai landed a few yards behind her. "Do you know…" she began, once he was there, "… how often I've been here since…. since it's over… How often… I've been standing here… thinking… wondering… how it would be… if I just took that last step?"

"Jenny…" Mirai mumbled, shocked. He had thought that she had gotten better, her disappearances had become less and less, but could she have just been suppressing everything?

"If I just… let myself fall…" Jenny continued, as if she hadn't heard him, taking a step closer to the abyss. "Would I hit the ground? Or would I be a coward and transform just in time?"

"Jenny, please," Mirai said gently, taking a step forward, and another. "Don't do this."

"Or… would someone catch me?" she murmured, looking over her shoulder at Mirai. "Will you catch me, Mirai?"

As she spoke the last word, Jenny took the last step over the edge. And fell.

"NO!" Mirai cried, immediately jumping after her. He went at full speed, but somehow Jenny was still falling faster. Down and down they went and then, finally, after an eternity, Mirai finally caught up with her. His arms closed around her and he broke her fall just a few yards before she would have hit the ground.

She hadn't transformed – if he hadn't caught her, she would be dead.

This went through his head again and again, as he softly set down on the ground and fell to his knees, Jenny still cradled in his arms. "I've got you. I've got you. I will catch you, Jenny, again and again. Whatever happens. I'm your friend. I will always catch you, when you fall."

As he was mumbling these words again and again into her hair, holding her tightly, he felt her tears though his T-shirt and heard her quiet sobs, as her body was trembling against his. She had cried before, cried hard, sobbed loud and shed silent tears. But right now it felt as if she was finally letting go of the last vestiges that had haunted her for the past few weeks. As if this breakdown, this drastic action on Jenny's side, had been necessary to really start healing. To know that no matter what she did, no matter what happened, someone would always be there for her.

Mirai had no idea, how long they had been sitting there until Jenny had calmed down. And even then, no one spoke for a long time, until Mirai suddenly said, "We're going on vacation. It will take some days to prepare, but we will go away for a few days."

"Where are we gonna go?" Jenny mumbled against him, her voice betraying mild curiosity.

"That, dear Jenny," Mirai said teasingly, "is the wrong question." And that was all the said to her about it.

* * *

It might sound strange, if Jenny told someone about it later, but her averted suicide attempt had finally pulled her out of her depression. There was no logical explanation for it, but knowing how close it had been, that she really would have gone through with it if Mirai hadn't caught her, had made her realize just how much she wanted to live, how much she wanted to stay in this world. The death wish she had harbored for so long, ever since she had taken on the role as Lost Warrior, had lessened. It wasn't completely gone, no, it probably would never be, but her wish to live was so much stronger now that the death wish truly paled in comparison.

And all of it thanks to Mirai, for showing her that no matter what she did, he would be her friend. No, that all her true friends – Tenshinhan, Chao-zu, Li, Nik, and everyone else – would never abandon her when she needed them. Mirai was just the example, because Jenny was sure that all the others would have jumped after her, too. Or, she admitted with a wry grin, at least all her friends who could fly.

However, while it was true that on the surface she had gotten better, even before the incident at the cliff, it was just that – on the surface. With his attempts to cheer her up, Mirai had managed to take her mind of everything that was bothering her - for a while. The videogames had been a lot of help to get her to think about something else, and they were surely a lot of fun, but afterwards, when she was alone, everything had once again crashed down upon her. Even making it worse in a way.

So, when Vegeta had reminded her of the prophecy, something she had tried very hard not to think about in her current state of mind, reminding her that she would have to train, to fight, something she had tried to avoid, she had snapped. Jenny had known that it was time and had allowed Mirai to follow her. She had needed to know.

And she had jumped. And Mirai had caught her.

And now Jenny was feeling lighter than she had in months, as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. The guilt, the fear, the depression was no longer smothering her. Jenny felt as if she could finally breathe again. For the first time since Mailin and Damian had died, Jenny really believed that she could live again. This feeling… hope… was something that had been missing the whole time.

Vegeta had looked at them strangely when they had returned, hours after she had flown off, but Jenny hadn't had the courage to tell him what had happened. Not yet. She was glad when Mirai didn't say anything either. She had still been a bit confused about everything and wanted to have a clear head when she admitted to Vegeta what she had done.

But now, a few days and many hours of meditation later, it was finally time to come clean.

Vegeta had had a bad day. Not just had the boy been pestering him again about this vacation he wanted to take the girl on, but said girl still wouldn't train with him. As if it wasn't bad enough that he hadn't felt like he had gotten a real workout every since he had blown up the gravity room. No, his sparring partner was on strike as well. Still, at least she had told him 'Soon', when he had asked her this morning.

Vegeta couldn't deny that she had gotten a lot better since that day they had disappeared, even though he had no idea about what had happened back then. Well, whatever it was, it had helped. And it was because of this that he saw no reason to agree to this stupid idea of the boy. In his opinion, now that she was finally starting to move forwards, the girl didn't need a vacation. No, she needed to get out of her room and start living again, and this included training.

_"Would be good for her," _Vegeta mumbled what the boy had told him mockingly, while he was walking across the backyard, coming home from training. _"Will give her the possibility to work on some old issues…" _Grumbling, Vegeta refused to admit that the boy might not be that wrong, that his idea might have some merit. He was still muttering, when he arrived in the kitchen and filled a glass with some water from the tap. "Stupid boy and his stupid ideas…"

"What are you grumbling about?" a slightly amused voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Vegeta turned around to see a grinning Jenny stand behind him. Seeing this expression on her face was a welcome sight, though something he would again have to get used to. "Brat… what do you want?"

Her grin immediately vanished and she sat down on a chair at the table, motioning to Vegeta to do the same. "I'm here… I'm here to tell you… what happened a few days ago."

"What happened?" he asked, as he took his usual seat.

The girl took a deep breath, which already told Vegeta that whatever she wanted to say wasn't going to be easy. "I went… I went to a cliff… and when Mirai arrived… I jumped... without transforming."

Vegeta thought for a moment that there was something wrong with his ears, because the girl couldn't have said what she had just said. And then, it finally hit him. "You did what?" he roared, clenching his fists and causing Jenny to flinch in her chair. Then, in a much quieter voice, Vegeta ordered, "Tell me that you didn't try to kill yourself."

"I'm sorry," Jenny whispered, knowing that she couldn't tell him what he wanted to hear. "I… I don't know why I did it… but… but after Mirai had saved me… I realized that I wanted to live… that I didn't want to die."

"Would have been a bit late, if the boy hadn't been there," Vegeta growled at her.

"I know," she mumbled, looking down at her hands. She was chewing on her lower lip, as she waited for Vegeta to say something, anything, but he remained silent. It was unnerving and Jenny couldn't help but feel that she had really disappointed him this time. But didn't he understand? Didn't he know what had been going through her head? "Vegeta? Have you ever wanted to die?"

She chanced a glance at him and was surprised by the emotions showing in his eyes, when she asked him this unexpected question. He closed them for a moment and then sighed, "Yes… While I was working for Frieza, I had often wished for it all to just end. And I admit, when Frieza killed me, a big part of me was relieved that the torture was finally over. But then… I was resurrected… and I realized that wanting to die was a cowardly act and that I wanted to use this second chance at life."

"So you know how I felt…"

"Yes," Vegeta told her quietly, "I know how you felt."

Suddenly, he jumped up and opened one of the cabinets, taking out two glasses and a bottle filled with brown liquid, which he put on the table – one of the glasses in front of Jenny – and filled them both with about one inch of liquid.

"What are you doing?" Jenny asked, eyeing the glass in front of her incredulously. "What is this?"

"A bottle of the best _stuff_ - as you would say - that you can find in all four galaxies. I've brought this with me from a planet in the Eastern Galaxy after I'd become a Super Saiyajin, to celebrate," Vegeta informed her before downing the liquid in his glass. He didn't even flinch, but when Jenny did the same afterwards, she began to cough violently.

"Fuck!" she cursed, once she could finally breathe again, but Vegeta just chuckled and refilled his glass. But not Jenny's. She looked a bit disappointed, but on the other hand she was glad that she wouldn't have to feel this fire in her throat again. This drink was just too strong. And besides, she was already feeling the effects. "I didn't know that you liked to drink."

"I don't usually do… I only drink alcohol on rare occasions… Besides… what the humans call _strong stuff_ does hardly have any effect on a Saiyajin. I'd have to travel far to get something that might get me drunk. This bottle is just for special occasions, and I believe your committing suicide and surviving might be one."

Once again, Jenny flinched at the cool tone of his voice, when he uttered the last sentence. "I'm sorry," she only repeated, her own voice quiet and small.

"Promise me, girl… promise me that, whenever any thoughts about ending your own life once again enter your mind, you tell me."

"I promise," she swore and meant it. Jenny just hoped that she would never again be so messed up.

Vegeta looked at her for a long moment, his gaze so intense that Jenny had to resist the urge to look away, before he eventually nodded. She noticed that his shoulders were slightly less tense, the grip around the glass less tight. It was a good sign.

"So…" Jenny said slowly, allowing a slight teasing grin on his face. "Are there any drunk-Vegeta stories you'd like to share?"

Raising his eyebrow at her, he asked, "Do you really want to know? As you can imagine, I've never been a _happy drunk_. Whenever I got drunk, which really didn't happen often, usually a lot of destruction followed. Nappa, however, he tended to become horny and your dear uncle Radditz… he became as silly as… his brother."

For a split second, Jenny froze when she heard this, but then shook her head, "Daddy dearest would surely be happy to hear that he and Radditz had something in common. Even if it was just when his brother was drunk. Anyway, if you don't want to tell me any embarrassing stories about yourself or offer me another drink, I think I should leave you so that you can take a shower. You stink, Vegeta."

Vegeta chuckled, shaking his head. "Just wait until you're training again. I'll work you so hard to get you back into shape that you'll wish for a shower the moment we start."

Grimacing, Jenny replied, "Gross. Then I'll enjoy the few days of cleanliness that I'll still have."

"You better do that," Vegeta told her smirking, as she got up from her chair and turned to leave the room. "Brat," he called her back. "When you talk to the boy… tell him that I'm okay with his plans for your vacation. Tell him that you can leave as soon as he's prepared everything."

"Great! Thanks!" Jenny said smiling, already running to look for Mirai.

Vegeta looked after her, shaking his head. Maybe, maybe after this shocking revelation, this vacation might not be such a bad idea after all. The boy would take her away from Buu's destruction, away from the prophecy and all the Saiyajin craziness. He would take her to a place where she wouldn't have to worry about the safety of this planet. And maybe, in the end, this vacation would help her to work out some older issues as well, Vegeta thought, as he remembered her reaction, whenever someone mentioned her father.

* * *

"Come on, Mirai!" Jenny giggled, reaching up to tug at the blindfold that was covering her eyes. However, her hands were once again slapped away, just as all the previous times when she had tried to get rid of it. Mirai had put it on in her bedroom and had then led her through the whole house until they were outside. She could hear the sounds of the passing cars and the rustling of the leaves and she guessed that they were somewhere in the backyard.

Mirai had packed all her clothes for their vacation, never telling her where they were going or what she needed. He just kept smirking at her, always telling her that she was asking the wrong question, when she once again tried to weasel their destination out of him. Well, since he had put out a pair of jeans and a dark blue T-shirt for her to wear for their journey this morning, she guessed that wherever their destination was, it wasn't going to be cold there. Then again, he might just keep a sweater and jacket for her in a capsule.

Argh, it was just too frustrating!

"Okay, Jenny," he told her and she could clearly hear the amusement in his voice. "I'm gonna have to carry your for a few seconds. Just hold still."

Jenny wrapped her arms around Mirai's neck and he picked her up, only to put her down again a few seconds later in a seat, where he strapped her in. Were they now in a jet? Damn it! She wanted to know where they were going! "Mi-ra-iiiiii!" she whined, but this time not even trying to remove the blindfold.

"Patience, Jenny," Mirai told her chuckling. She heard, as he sat down himself and then pressed a few buttons. "Now, hold on tight. The ride might be a bit bumpy."

Immediately after he said that, Jenny recognized the feeling of rising up into the sky. This all still reminded her very much of a jet, but what followed after was so unlike any feeling she knew that for a moment she feared that she might have to throw up. It felt as if her body was pressed tightly into her seat at one moment and lurched into a completely different direction at the next. One time all the G-forces seemed to compress her body and then she was suddenly torn apart.

And the weird thing was, this all happened within a few seconds until it was all over.

"What the… fuck… was this?" she gasped, when her body finally felt normal again, except for her stomach, which was still complaining about being tortured so.

"Sorry… Bumpy ride might have been a bit of an understatement," Mirai told her, as he helped her out of her seat and a moment later she once again felt the hard ground under her feet. Raindrops started to hit her at once, but fortunately Mirai seemed to have been prepared, as she heard a click and then no longer felt the rain fall down on her. Then a hissing sound reached her ears, which told Jenny that the jet was once again in its capsule. "It seems I've just gotten used to all these feelings by now."

Jenny raised her eyebrows questioningly, confused by his comment. But then shook it off, as she asked, "Can I take the blindfold off now?"

Taking her hand into his, Mirai said, "Sorry, you have to wait just a few more minutes. I'll take it off, when it's time."

Grumbling, Jenny allowed him to lead her for a few minutes, and then the blindfold was finally off. She had to blink a few times to get used to the light again, though it was dimmed by the dark clouds and heavy rain. Mirai was holding a dark umbrella over them and was just grinning down at her.

"Mirai, where the hell are we?" she asked, looking around. This place seemed slightly familiar, but she couldn't place it. Despite the rain, there were a lot of people around, and instinctively Jenny reached out with her senses and gasped, as she could feel several known kis which just couldn't be here – and at the same time couldn't find one very important one. Suddenly, a lot of things made sense. "_When_ the hell are we?"

Shaking his head slightly, Mirai mumbled amused, "Finally she's asking the right question."

"Mirai!"

Grinning, Mirai announced, "Welcome to the year 756, May 6th to be precise…"

"The registration date of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai," Jenny breathed at the same moment, as her eyes wandered along the long wall and eventually rested on a table at the entrance, where two monks were sitting. Right as she looked, a young man dressed in yellow and blue clothes and wearing a ridiculous looking turban on his head had finished putting down his name. She knew exactly who that young man was. "What are we doing here, Mirai?"

Mirai noticed the slight shaking in her voice. Of course he had also felt all the kis and he knew who it was that Jenny had just spotted. And exactly this was the reason why he thought that coming here was a good idea. "That's completely up to you. We can just watch or you can enter the tournament. Whatever you do, don't feel pressured."

Jenny watched as the young man walked over to a group of trees, where a few other well-known people were standing, currently trying to save the balloon of a young girl. As tall as he was, he pulled it down without any problems, and gave his friends almost a heart attack, when he revealed to them who he was. The turban dropped, revealing spiky black hair, just at the same moment as it stopped raining.

Closing their own umbrella, Mirai asked, "You still have some time to decide Jenny, but think about it, okay?"

Nodding, Jenny looked as the friends were talking and then settled down to wait for the rest of their group. Jenny's senses told her that they were on their way but that it would still take some time until they got here, but apparently they didn't seem to be able to feel that. Weren't they able to feel ki, yet? Or were their senses simply not strong enough this early in their training? It was a bit weird that they were all so… weak, especially daddy dearest.

Forcing herself to look away, so that she wouldn't be caught staring at them, Jenny's eyes returned to the registration desk. A tournament. None of the fighters who entered would stand a chance against her, not even… _he_… would. If she participated, it was truly to have fun. No strings attached. Not like the last time, when she had to win to get the money for the spaceship. Not like the first time, when she was disqualified – and then later that day had lost almost everything.

Just for fun…

And to spend some time with some of her friends – though they weren't her friends yet and wouldn't be for another twenty-two years or so.

Oh yeah, she almost forgot… This was also the tournament where Piccolo participated. Ah well, when she entered, she could at least keep an eye on him, in case daddy dearest failed for some reason.

"Okay…" she murmured to herself, as she took Mirai's hand and pulled him over so that he was standing right in front of her.

"Jenny?" he asked confused, but then a smirk appeared on his face, as she used his body to hide herself so that she could transform without anybody noticing. Nobody except for one person, who was suddenly looking at them with a confused and at the same time suspicious look on his face. However, neither Jenny nor Mirai noticed him staring at them. "So you've decided…"

"Yeah…" she told him, grinning slightly nervously. "You wanna enter, too?"

Laughing, Mirai shook his head. "No way! I think one of us is enough. It's already bad enough that one of the original finalists will be replaced. But I'm going to watch and cheer you on."

Jenny pouted for a moment, but then sighed. Mirai was right, but she already had an idea whom she would kick out of the tournament in the preliminaries. Though she might need some help with that. "Alright… I'm gonna go sign up. You wanna come with me?"

"Sure… we also need to look for a place to stay tonight… and maybe the night after."

"I'm sure the nice monks can give us some advice," Jenny told him, as she stopped behind a young, also black haired woman who was just entering her name into the tournament. "I just hope that not all the places are booked yet. I really don't wanna sleep on a park bench."

"Neither do I, but I'm sure there'll still be some beds available. And besides, it isn't as if we aren't used to sharing a bed."

"You're right," Jenny laughed, just as the young woman turned around and looked at them through narrowed eyes. She was about as tall as Jenny, but the look she was giving them clearly showed that she wasn't approving of what they were talking about. Old fashioned much? "Do you have a problem?"

Jenny hadn't really gotten a good look at the young woman before, but now that she was staring with so much disdain at them, they both recognized her. Mirai immediately gave Jenny's hand a comforting squeeze, which also got that woman's attention and her eyes narrowed even further. Instead of answering, however, the woman just huffed and left them.

"Calm down, Jenny," Mirai whispered into her ear, as she watched the woman leave. Jenny first now noticed how tightly she was squeezing Mirai's hand and that she was gritting her teeth. "Your… ChiChi… her views have always been very old fashioned. I guess she didn't agree with me staying in your bed, when she can't see a wedding ring on our fingers."

Forcing herself to calm down, Jenny sighed. "You're right…" She smiled at him gratefully and then turned towards the monk who was patiently waiting for her. Fortunately there were no other contestants behind her in line. "Sorry… I wanna sign up for the tournament."

"Of course… please give me your name and age."

"Uhm… I'd like to fight under an alias, if that's possible."

The monk just smiled at her instead of looking confused. "Of course. It may not seem like it, but it is quite common. Just give me your name and the alias you want to use and everything is fine. We just need your real name for the check, in case you win. No one will know what your real name is, if you don't want that."

"Great," Jenny announced smiling. "My real name is Jenny Son and I'm seventeen years old. And I want to compete under the alias Saiya."

"Okay, I've got it. Please be here tomorrow morning at half past eight and go straight to the gym. You just need to tell my brothers your alias and you'll be allowed into the gym. There everything else will be explained to you. I wish you good luck in your fights."

"Thanks…" Just as Jenny turned to go, she remembered just what she and Mirai had been talking about before their encounter with ChiChi. "Oh, I almost forgot… You see… Entering the tournament had been a pretty spontaneous idea and my friend and I have no place to stay tonight. Do you know a hotel around here that might still take us in?"

"You're lucky." The monk opened a folder lying on his desk and took out a card with an address, on which back he wrote down Jenny's name and entry number before he gave it to her. "That's a hotel especially for the participants of the Tenkaichi Budokai and their families and friends. They'll have a room for you and your friend."

"Thanks again," she told him with a big smile. "See ya tomorrow, maybe!"

Turning back to Mirai, she handed him the card. "That's our hotel for tonight, just for participants and their families and friends."

"Great, now we won't have to sleep on a park bench after all," Mirai teased her, as he looked at the address. He had never been to Papaya Island before and actually had no idea where the hotel was located. "But first we have to find this hotel…"

"Men…" Jenny rolled her eyes and asked the person, an elderly man, walking closest to them. After the man had patiently given them the easiest directions, Jenny and Mirai found the hotel without any problems. Once there, Jenny checked both of them in using the card the monk had given her and was lucky to hear that there were still some double rooms available, even though this meant that they would have to share a bed. But as Mirai had already said, it certainly wouldn't be the first time.

Their room was on the sixth floor overlooking a square at which other end there was a clock tower. On their way across the square, Jenny had heard some people talk about the famous carillon which always played at eight o'clock in the evening. With dinner starting at half past six Jenny guessed that she would get the chance to see it. She just hoped that it wouldn't start raining again until then, but as she looked at the dark clouds that were once again covering the sky, she thought that it was unlikely.

"So, what do you wanna do now?" Mirai asked her, as he flopped down on their queen size bed. They had decided against unpacking, since they were just going to stay at the hotel for two nights. "We've still got one hour to kill until dinner."

Turning from the window, Jenny looked at him. "I don't know. Watch some TV? Might be interesting to see what the program twenty-five years in the past looked like." Shaking her head, Jenny moved away from the window. "I still can't believe you brought us into the freaking past."

Grinning, Mirai reached for the remote, as Jenny came over to him and sat down next to him on the bed. "Well, what can I say? I'm always good for a surprise. But now, watching TV is a brilliant idea. Let's see, what they've got."

They spent the next few minutes fighting over the remote, whenever one of them wanted to change the channel, both of them laughing a lot, until they settled on a show which they could watch and make fun of. Even the ancient commercials were incredibly funny, so Mirai was confused about the frown on Jenny's face, when he returned from the bathroom.

"Why the long face?"

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Jenny replied, "It's nothing… Just… I've been feeling so good lately… so light. But sometimes, I'm afraid that it's just too good to be true… that it'll all come crashing down again and that it'll be worse than before."

"Alright," Mirai announced, sitting down again and wrapping his arm around her shoulder so that he could pull her against his chest. "Enough with the brooding already. Yes, you're feeling better and that's because you _are_ better. I won't promise that there won't be any setbacks, that there won't be times when you feel down. But there will be more good times than bad times now, that I can promise. So, cheer up and smile." Jenny looked up at him and allowed a small smile to tug at her lips. "Now, that's my girl."

"You're right, Mirai," Jenny told him. "I really need to stop brooding. It's just… you know…"

"I know…" he whispered, pressing a kiss to her head. "Just remember what I said: you _are_ better. But please, promise me something. Whenever you feel down, don't hide it or bottle it up, but talk about it. You know you can talk to me… or Vegeta… or any other of your friends."

"I promise…" Jenny mumbled, the smile growing larger as she was again reminded of how much she meant to her friends – and how much they meant to her. She really needed to believe that what she was feeling now was real. That she was happy again and that she would work through the bad times with the help of her friends.

Taking her hand into his, Mirai got up and pulled Jenny to her feet. "Good… and now you better transform again. We've kinda lost track of time."

Jenny looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table and cursed. "What? Fuck! Dinner's started already! I hope there's still some food left!"

"We're only fifteen minutes late," Mirai reminded her, while she was already powering up again and putting on her sneakers at the same time.

Raising her eyebrows, Jenny straightened and then explained, almost as if talking to a child, "There's one thing you seem to forget, Mirai. Son Goku is down there."

His eyes widened comically and Jenny grinned - her friend really seemed to have forgotten this tiny fact. "Then what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

He quickly pulled on his sneakers as well and Jenny grabbed the key to the room and then they were running, down the corridors and the stairs, as the elevator was taking too long. People were looking at them strangely, some disapprovingly, but they didn't care. Jenny was laughing so hard, as they neared the restaurant, that she was holding her sides. But at least they had slowed down to a walk.

"Good evening, sir," Jenny greeted the waiter standing at the entrance politely, once she had regained her composure. "We're in room 627 and we'd like a table, please."

The waiter raised his nose and looked down at Jenny, as he said, "I'm afraid you are too late, Miss. There are no free tables left. We usually have breakfast and dinner in shifts, but with the tournament everything is different and you had to be on time or else we would give your table to other people who aren't participating in the tournament."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she mumbled, "Now, that's stupid."

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Mirai asked the waiter, "Excuse me, but there seem to be two empty chairs at the large table over there. Isn't it possible to join this group?"

Jenny followed Mirai's and the waiter's gaze and almost groaned. This was really the last table she wanted to sit at. "It's okay, Mirai. Let's just go somewhere else."

"No, we won't. We've paid for two nights, including dinner and breakfast, so we're going to eat here. Aren't we?"

Mirai gave the waiter a cold look, one that would make Vegeta proud. Shuddering, the waiter bowed, mumbling something like 'of course' and then led them over to the table. Jenny rolled her eyes, still reluctant to have dinner at this table, while Mirai couldn't stop smirking, as the waiter asked the group at the table, if two more guests could join them. Some of them seemed reluctant for a moment before they eventually agreed.

"Thanks," Mirai told them, as he and Jenny were sitting down after the waiter had left. "We lost track of time in our room and are a bit late. Unfortunately there are no more free tables."

"Naah, it's okay," the young bald man next to him replied. "I'm Krillin. Are you going to participate tomorrow?"

"I'm Mirai… and no, I'm just going to watch. But my friend Saiya has entered the tournament."

All heads at the table immediately turned to the thin girl sitting next to him. She waved at them with a small grin, which suddenly turned into a snarl as the hand she had been waving with snapped back and hit the old man, who was sitting on her other side, over the back of his head. "Touch me like that one more time and you'll wish that you'll never even see another woman again."

At first, everyone at the table was looking at her in shock, before one of the two women at the table suddenly began to snicker. "He's had that coming for a veeery long time! I'm Bulma by the way, that old perv is Muten Roshi and this is Lunch," Bulma introduced the old turtle master and the dark-blue haired woman next to her. Jenny was glad that Lunch wasn't blond at the moment.

"I'm Yamcha!" the one with the long wild hair next to Muten Roshi said, holding out his hand to her. "And I've gotta say, you've definitely got the spirit of a fighter. I can't wait to see what you can do tomorrow."

"Nice to meet you," Jenny told him with a smile, as she squeezed his hand. According to the slight wince he was trying to hide, she might have squeezed a bit too hard, but she hoped that he wouldn't underestimate her. Now, one by one, everyone was either introduced or introduced himself, but Jenny knew all of them, of course. Next to Yamcha, Puar and Olong were sitting, and then there was Chao-zu and Tenshinhan of course. Lunch and Bulma were next and then, between Bulma and Krillin, was none other but daddy dearest, who was currently giving her very curious and suspicious looks, which Jenny tried to ignore. "Nice to meet all of you. I just hope that I won't have to fight any of you until the finals. I'd hate to kick you out of the tournament before that."

This caused most of them to laugh quietly, everyone except for Goku. His eyes just narrowed further – Jenny was sure that now that she was so close to him, he could feel her power. Because even though she tried to keep her ki as low as possible, she was still in her Saiyajinform. Even sitting still in her Saiyajinform, not doing anything, Jenny knew that her ki was higher than her father's would be now, when he was fully powered up. Mirai on the other hand kept his ki as low as a normal human, but then again, he didn't have to worry about transforming back into a human form.

For a second, Jenny wondered if she had done the right thing by entering the tournament, but then she reminded herself that she would just play around. It was just for fun. And she swore she wouldn't do anything to hinder the final outcome of the fight – daddy dearest would meet Piccolo in the final and he would defeat him.

Before Jenny joined the animated conversations around her, she finally returned Goku's gaze and, much to his surprise, winked at him.

It was amazing how easy it was to talk to these people, especially or maybe because they had no idea who she and Mirai really were. Luckily, there was still food left, despite Jenny and Mirai's worries, and they got only a few weird glances for their appetites before the others shrugged and returned their attention to their plates and conversations.

Time was passing quickly and before Jenny realized it, it was five minutes to eight. "Shit," she cursed, jumping up. "I'm sorry… But I've gotta go now. Ya know, there's this clock tower and I've heard that the carillon should be great. And it plays every day at eight o'clock. I really wanna hear it play."

"It's okay," Bulma told her with an understanding smile on her face. "You're right, it's really beautiful. So go and enjoy. We'll keep your friend some company until you're back."

"Great! Thanks and if I don't see you later, I'm just gonna say good night now and I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!"

Mirai watched with an amused smile, as Jenny left the table. "Sorry…" he said, when she was gone. "But I didn't want to stop her. She's had some big problems this past year and I'm just happy to see her smile and get this excited about something again."

"Soooo," Krillin waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "are you and Saiya…?"

Shaking his head, Mirai immediately said, "No, we're just really good friends. My dad's her stepfather and I've just come to live with them a couple of months ago. It's all a bit complicated."

"What isn't?" Krillin agreed with a small laugh, though everyone was looking at Mirai curiously. "But it's really not our place to know all your deepest and darkest secrets. But I can't wait to see, how good she really is… in the ring, I mean."

"Oh, you'll be surprised," Mirai told him mysteriously.

* * *

It was once again pouring outside, but fortunately Jenny could borrow an umbrella at the reception. She still had two minutes until the carillon would start, so she hurriedly walked across the square, just making it in time. At exactly eight o'clock it began to play a pretty melody and she could see different animal figurines play their instruments. Grinning, Jenny could only agree with the awed exclamations around her.

There was a small boy just stopping next to her, laughing in delight, when it suddenly happened. A thunderbolt flashed through the air, hitting the clock tower. People were screaming and running away around them, as debris fell down. The boy's mother jumped to cover her son, but Jenny knew that it wouldn't be enough. However, before she could do anything, someone else intervened.

Jenny felt the power, as a ki-blast whizzed past her and destroyed the largest rock that had threatened to crush the mother and child. Whirling around, Jenny immediately recognized the person who had saved the woman and the boy. Everyone else was staring at the newcomer, but as the mother wanted to thank him for saving their lives, he glared at her, before turning around and walking away.

Smirking, Jenny just wanted to follow him, when a creaking sound reached her ears. Looking up, she saw just in time, as one of the clock's hands broke off. "Fuck!" she swore, jumping up and shooting a small ki-blast to obliterate the hand before it could hit the ground and the people still lingering there. People were once again staring, when she landed, but Jenny just turned to the mother and the boy, who were still sitting on the ground behind her. "You better get out of here. It's too dangerous to stay."

"You're right," the woman whispered with a shaky voice, as she and her son slowly got up again. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome," Jenny replied with a smile.

She turned around to go back to the hotel, when she spotted him hiding half behind the corner of a building, watching her. Jenny returned Piccolo's stare evenly until he eventually disappeared in the shadows. Shaking her head, Jenny left as well.

* * *

Goku was worried. Of course, if anyone else knew that Piccolo was going to participate in this tournament they would surely be worried, too. But it wasn't Piccolo Goku was worried about. He was actually looking forward to that fight. He felt excited about meeting him again. No, Goku was worried about something else, someone else.

This girl… Saiya.

Her power. This incredibly high ki. He had felt it the first time this afternoon, right before she had signed up for the tournament. Then, after a while, it had disappeared, just to flare up again before she and her friend had joined them for dinner. And then, just a few minutes ago, he had felt it again, only much stronger and more concentrated than before. But still, even when she wasn't doing anything, her ki was higher that anyone else's. Even his own.

And this worried him. He knew nothing about her, but he could only hope that she was on his side.

Because, if she was with Piccolo, this planet would be doomed. There was no way that he, strong as he was, could win against her.

* * *

**A/N2: As you can probably see, I'm using the background of the anime in the second part of this chapter. Actually, I don't possess these manga volumes, so I'll also be using the anime in the next chapter. Though there will now be some changes of course ;)**


	73. Part III: The 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai I

**A/N: Ha! I'm good, aren't I? But this chapter has only been finished for one reason. Starting last week, I had a really bad cold with a nasty cough. Thanks to this cough, I lost my voice and now I can only whisper. So my doctor decided to give me a sick note for the whole week. And since I'm feeling good otherwise, I use the time to write. **

**Anyway, here is the next chapter. Time for the preliminaries :)**

**Please see further notes at the bottom and be so nice and leave a review :)**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 72: The 23****rd**** Tenkaichi Budokai Reloaded – Part I**

When Jenny returned to the hotel, she was surprised to notice that Mirai was already back in their room. Apparently the others had decided to have an early night, since it was going to be a long day tomorrow at the tournament. She and Mirai also decided to get comfortable, so they got dressed in their nightclothes, settled down on the bed and switched on the TV.

"I met Piccolo outside," Jenny suddenly mumbled, her head resting on Mirai's chest, while he had his left arm wrapped around her. "He was so different, so cold. But not completely evil. He saved a kid's and his mother's life out there, so there has to be something good in him already. But still… it was so weird." Jenny frowned and turned her head, so that she as now looking at Mirai. "Actually, seeing them all again, so young… so weak… _that_'s weird. Ya know what I mean?"

Mirai's chest was vibrating lightly, as he began to chuckle. "Oh, believe me. I _know_. Just… at least you knew most of them personally before they died. Before I came to the past, I've only ever heard _of_ them. But… when I met my father… I was disappointed. My mom would tell me so many things about him, and while she had never hidden the fact that he could be very… difficult… I hadn't imagined it to be so bad. I guess I just hadn't wanted to believe that my father could be so cold… so callous. And then, when I saw Goku and remembered what Gohan told me about his father, how great and loving he was, I wondered why my father couldn't be more like him."

"Vegeta's not like that, anymore," Jenny told him firmly, completely ignoring what he had said about daddy dearest. "You know that!"

"Yes," Mirai said quietly. "I know. And I've got to admit… I was jealous at first. Seeing how he acts around you, how much he cares for you, it hurt. I spent two years in the Room of Spirit and Time with him and I've never, not once, seen that look directed at me."

There was such a sad, heartbroken look on Mirai's face that Jenny suddenly reached up and hugged him tightly. It was a bit awkward, now that she was almost lying on top of him, but she didn't care for that at the moment. Her friend needed a hug and so she was giving him one. "The time you spent with him in the RoR was almost twenty years ago, Mirai. Don't forget that. Much can happen in that time, people can change. When you came to the past to help with the Jinzoningen, your being his son was dropped on Vegeta like a bombshell. Sure, he already had baby-you then, but it was different. He just didn't know what to do, how to react. Just imagine how Goku and ChiChi would react, if I told them now who I am. I'm sure they wouldn't know how to react either."

"You're right," Mirai sighed, as Jenny untangled herself from the hug and again settled down with her head on his chest. "I just wish…"

Jenny didn't push Mirai to finish the sentence, but decided that she would have a long talk with Vegeta about the treatment of his son. Even while she had still been 'out of it', Jenny had noticed how cold Vegeta had still been towards Mirai and that, while they could now talk almost civilly with each other, their relationship was still nowhere close to her own with Vegeta. That would have to change.

Turning her attention back to the movie on TV – of which she had barely seen anything – Jenny's mind once again began to wander. It had been true, when she had told Mirai that it was weird seeing all of them again, and so young, but at the same time there was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't really fear, it was more like dread.

She knew that daddy dearest was wary of her and her power. She would be wary as well, if there was suddenly a stranger who was much stronger than you and anyone else on this planet. But seeing these suspicious looks directed at her on his face was something that… hurt. Sure, she had her issues with him and with what he had done, she often even hated him for it, but deep down Jenny had to accept that his blood was flowing through her veins, that it was his power, his heritage that made her so strong.

"Mirai?"

"Mmmh?"

"Would it be bad, if I changed some small things?"

"We're already changing things, just by being here, Jenny," Mirai explained. "But remember what I told you about the different timelines."

"I know… But I don't want to change big things… I mean… of course I could find a spaceship and hunt Frieza, or destroy Gero's lab with the Jinzoningen and Cell and I could even kill Buu, now that he's still so weak… But I know I can't do that, because what if a new threat arrives and they are not strong enough? They all just got stronger because of these threats and—"

"Jenny, you're babbling," Mirai interrupted her grinning.

Blushing, which Mirai fortunately couldn't see, Jenny whispered, "I just wanna do small things… give some people a nudge into the right direction to… to make some things better."

"Do it, Jenny," Mirai encouraged her, already feeling where this could go. "And maybe you really will change some things for the better."

* * *

Jenny slept surprisingly well that night, given all the excitement and worries of the day before and the day that would follow. When she woke to the sound of the annoying beeping of the alarm clock, she knew immediately where, or better _when_ she was, though it was still hard to believe. For a moment, Jenny wished that Vegeta was here with them, but for one Mirai had explained to her that it had already been a tight fit for the two of them in the time machine, and on the other hand, it really would change too much if he had come along as well. Even if they kept their identities a secret, there was no way that Goku wouldn't recognize Vegeta's ki, when the Saiyajin arrived here on earth in six years time.

The risk would have just been too great.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" Mirai's far too cheerful voice caused her to open her eyes. First now she realized that she was alone in the bed and that Mirai was standing in front of her, already fully dressed in a pair of light blue jeans and a tight fitting black T-shirt. He was wearing his hair in his usual ponytail.

Grumbling, Jenny tried to crawl back under the covers, but then they were gone. "Mirai!" Jenny complained, sitting up.

"Get up and take your shower. You've got fifteen minutes, if you still want me to braid your hair before breakfast."

Still grumbling, Jenny got up and grabbed her clothes, before disappearing in the bathroom. The hot shower helped a bit to wake her up, but she wouldn't be fully functional until she had her strong black coffee. Once dressed in black jazz pants and black sports bra, Jenny transformed and came out of the bathroom. She and Mirai didn't speak, as he sat down on the bed behind her and braided her long and thick black hair.

"So, we're ready to go," Mirai announced after he had put the black elastic at the end of her French braid. Jenny was still quietly grumbling, causing Mirai to laugh. This however, just caused Jenny to send him a dark look. "Don't worry, you'll get your coffee in a moment."

"I hope so," Jenny muttered, as she pulled a hoodie sweater over her head and she and Mirai left their room. They had just walked a few steps, when they met Krillin and Goku in the hallway. The shorter young man greeted them amiably, immediately starting to talk excitedly about the tournament. Krillin and Mirai were walking ahead, both of them talking, which caused Jenny and Goku to walk next to each other. Both of them in complete silence, though Jenny noticed the glances Goku kept shooting at her.

This time they immediately went to the large table together, but the four of them were, unfortunately, the last ones, which left Jenny to sit next to Goku, much to her dismay. She was already grumpy because she hadn't had her coffee yet, and then having a suspicious daddy dearest directly next to her was something she really could live without this morning.

The good thing was, she didn't need to talk, even after she had her coffee, as the others were talking enough. Whether they thought that she needed to concentrate before the fights and was so quiet because of this, or if they had other thoughts, there was actually only one time when she needed to speak.

"So, how did you like the carillon last night, Saiya?" Bulma suddenly asked her.

Jenny ignored Goku's stare, as she replied, "It was really nice, except for the moment when lightning struck the clock tower."

A collective gasp went through the group, as none of them had noticed it despite the fact that just a short time later the square had been full firefighters and policemen.

Everyone was suddenly asking questions, which Jenny quickly tried to answer, "No, no one was hurt. Someone stepped in and destroyed the falling debris."

There were more questions, but these Jenny answered absentmindedly, because she could still feel Goku's eyes on her, only that the stare had become much more intense now.

She sighed. Great…

After breakfast, the group parted to go to their rooms before they left for the tournament. Bulma wanted to know, if they should meet up and go to the arena together, but Jenny and Mirai had declined. They were both ready to go and Jenny just wanted to get her already packed backpack for the day with some food and water, her extra clothes and her fighting shoes.

Even as they were walking, Jenny could feel the excitement in her grow. She was going to participate in the Tenkaichi Budokai, the – in her opinion – last real Budokai before it had become too much of a commercial event. And this time she wasn't going to get into trouble with Vegeta for doing this!

They arrived in front of the gym in no time, and so it was time for Jenny to go on alone. "You'll be fine, Jenny," Mirai told her before she went into the gym. "Just remember to hold back. Don't hurt anyone too bad, okay?"

"Don't worry," Jenny told him, grinning widely in anticipation for what was to come. "But do you know what the great thing is? I can finish my fights as quickly as I want this time! No dragging the fights in the preliminaries!"

Laughing, Mirai shook his head. Last night, Jenny had told him about how annoying it had been that she had been forced to fight each opponent for at least two minutes before she could end the fight. "Just, be careful, okay…"

"Really, Mirai… you don't need to worry," Jenny said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "So, I'll see ya after the preliminaries!"

"Good luck!" Then, wondering why he hadn't asked her that before, he called after her, "Hey, who are you gonna kick out?"

Turning back, Jenny gave him a smirk worthy of Vegeta. "Oh, you'll see!"

It was amazing! While the gym looked a lot like the one in her time, everything was still different. Fighters were gathering, but most of them looked pretty serious, unlike those idiots she had faced in the two Budokais she had fought in. Piccolo was already there, but he made no move to approach her, however otherwise none of the other fighters that she knew had arrived yet. Well, they still had some time. First when everyone was there, or it was half past eight, they would start drawing the numbers for the groups for the preliminary rounds, which would then start at nine o'clock.

However, before they started drawing the numbers, she would need to find Chao-zu. He had to help her to get into the right group. But until they arrived, Jenny used the time to go the ladies' locker room to store her backpack in one of the lockers and change her shoes. There didn't seem to be that many female participants, which was kind of disappointing, Jenny thought.

Once she was done in the locker room, Jenny returned to the gym and leaned against one of the walls, her eyes closed in concentration. She had already thought about what she was going to do the previous evening, but it could never hurt to once again go over her plan. Besides, she was still unsure, how she would approach certain people about the things she wanted to change. But already about ten minutes later, Jenny was torn out of her ponderings, when she felt the others enter the gym, just a few minutes before they would start drawing the numbers. Jenny pushed herself away from the wall and walked up to them.

Once again, she ignored Goku's looks, as she inched closer to Chao-zu and managed to get him a few yards away from the group. "Hey, Chao-zu," she whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder and steering him away from the others. "I've gotta ask you a favor. You remember how I don't want to fight any of you until the finals?" When Chao-zu gave her a confused nod, she grinned. "Great, so I know that Goku's probably already asked you to do this for you guys, but I'd like you to do your 'mojo' to get me into a group where none of you is in. Best would be to put me into the same group as that guy over there." Jenny discreetly pointed to a short middle-aged black haired man wearing glasses, black pants and a white shirt standing on the other side of the hall. That guy really didn't look like a fighter at all. "Oh, and you better put her into a different group as well," she added, nodding to the young woman – ChiChi – who apparently had talked to Goku and then left the group practically fuming.

Chao-zu looked just as confused as the others, just for a different reason. "How… how do you…?"

Winking at him, Jenny whispered, "Trade secret. So, you gonna do me that favor?"

"Yeah… besides, Goku's already asked me to make sure that you get into a different group as well. I… uh… don't want to be mean, but I think he doesn't like you."

"Yeah, I get that feeling, too…" Jenny muttered. "But thanks for your help… I owe you one!"

"It's okay," Chao-zu replied with a small blush. "So, I'm going to go back. Do you want to come, too?"

"Sure… Can't wait to find out what they did to piss that girl off." Though Jenny knew of course exactly what had happened. And this was just another talk she needed to have with a certain person – she only had to figure out how to approach this. "Hey guys, sorry for stealing your friend for a while, but I had to ask him a favor. So, what did you do to that girl? She seemed pretty angry at you for some reason."

"We didn't do anything!" Yamcha quickly defended himself. "That girl's just crazy. She thinks that Goku should know her, but he has never seen her before."

"Really?" Raising an eyebrow, Jenny dared to look at Goku challengingly. If she really wanted to talk to him, she had to learn to stand up to him. "Are you sure you don't know her? I mean, she seemed to know you."

"Yes, I'm sure," Goku replied curtly, a reaction so different to his normal behavior that it even caused his friends to look at him strangely. They had all noticed how coldly he acted towards Saiya and none of them could fathom why, as she and her friend Mirai had been nothing but nice to them.

Shrugging, Jenny said, "If you say so. But don't let me say 'I told you so', if she's some girl you promised something and then forgot all about it." Turning away from this, she noticed that the head monk had entered a ring to hold a short speech before the drawing began. At once Chao-zu was concentrating, as the fighters one by one drew a lot out of the box and just ten minutes later everyone could see where and when they would fight on a huge whiteboard at one wall. Immediately the fighters began to crowd around it and Jenny and the others joined them.

Grinning in satisfaction, Jenny saw that Chao-zu had done a good job. Everyone was in a different group, so all of them had a certain spot in the finals.

"Wow, we don't have to fight each other in the preliminaries," Krillin announced with a huge smile on his face. "Brilliant!"

"This really is a coincidence," Jenny said, winking at Chao-zu. He winked back. "So, come on… we better go to our rings. It wouldn't do us any good to be disqualified just because we're too late."

The others agreed and Jenny went to her ring, but even as she was going, she could still hear a quiet conversation between Tenshinhan and daddy dearest, as Tenshinhan recognized Piccolo among the fighters.

Well, at least Goku was now focused on someone else for a change, Jenny thought, as she stopped at her ring. Just a few minutes later, the first fights started and just as Jenny had expected, none of the opponents were a match for her. Especially not her first opponent, who had already seemed pretty familiar to Jenny when he had entered the ring. Tall, curly dark hair, brown and white gi and in his mid-twenties.

But when he started to talk and boast about his impending victory, Jenny finally recognized him and almost started to laugh. Ooh, finally she was getting the chance to humiliate the one and only Hercule Satan, and no one would be giving her any grief about it. Fantastic! And she really did humiliate him. Satan never got the chance to defend himself, leaving himself wide open to the first attack, and she landed her punch – which really wasn't that strong – in his stomach, knocking him out cold.

There was only one opponent she felt a bit bad about and this was Yajirobe, who was hiding his identity under a mask. She met him and consequently kicked him out in a later fight without actually hurting him. Well, he would have lost anyway. Maybe he was a bit embarrassed, having lost to a girl, but at least this was not as embarrassing as in the original timeline.

Still, there was one thing that Jenny had forgotten, one very important thing that happened while Jenny had a break between two fights. There was a scream and then a very familiar ki dropped drastically. Whirling around, she was already on the way and reached Chao-zu moments before Tenshinhan did. Tenshinhan dropped to the ground next to Jenny, who was already cradling Chao-zu's head in her lap, glaring at the _person_ looking down at them with a smug look on her face. Jenny had really forgotten about him.

"What?" Tenshinhan asked shocked. "But you're dead!"

"So we meet again, Tenshinhan," Tao Pai Pai said smirking. "And you're wrong. I'm not quite dead. Someone found me… and helped me. You just need some imagination and a lot of zeni. Ah, and Goku, good to see you again."

"Tao Pai Pai!" Goku cried out, just as shocked as Tenshinhan.

"That's right. It took some time, but now I'm back. The first Jinzoningen assassin. Isn't this great? And my first victims will be you, after the tournament, of course. You won't stand a chance," Tao Pai Pai threatened with a superior smirk. "But now let the next fight begin. I'll see you in the finals, Tenshinhan."

"You bastard!" Tenshinhan hissed, already turning around to follow Tao Pai Pai, but a strong grip on his arm stopped him. He looked down at Jenny in surprise, who was still holding Chao-zu in her arms.

"Not now," she told him, quietly but firmly. "Get him in the finals. Humiliate him. Show him that he can't touch you. Show him that he's _nothing_."

Tenshinhan looked at her for a moment, looked directly into her dark, fiery eyes, eyes that showed him that for some reason she was just as furious as he was, until he got his anger under control. "You're right. Now, we need to get Chao-zu into the infirmary."

"There's no need for that," Jenny told him with a fleeting grin, before looking up at Goku. "Give me a senzu."

"What?" Goku asked surprised. "How…"

"Doesn't matter. Just give me one! Or do you want your friend to be in pain!" If she now remembered correctly, no one had given Chao-zu a senzu in the original timeline. Which was really stupid, considering that Chao-zu had been hurt really badly. "Now!"

Krillin was watching in shock, as Goku finally handed over a senzu, which the girl, Saiya, then gave Chao-zu. He only absentmindedly noticed that their friend immediately recovered completely from his injuries, much to the surprise of the paramedics who had just arrived to take him to the infirmary. But what had shocked him wasn't the fact that Chao-zu had been hurt or that it had been Tao Pai Pai, no, what had surprised him so much was the look on the girl's face. He could have sworn that he had seen it before, this determination, this rightful anger. He knew that there was another pair of eyes that looked exactly like this when they showed these emotions - he just couldn't put a finger on who it was. Yet.

"Okay everyone, please return to your rings," one of the monks announced, shooing the curious spectators away. Now that Chao-zu was alright again, Jenny squeezed Tenshinhan's shoulder one more time, while she was going back to her next fight. Tenshinhan didn't remove his eyes from her back until she had disappeared in the crowds.

"Tell me, Tenshinhan," Krillin mumbled curiously. "Did you just notice… anything familiar about her?"

"Actually," Tenshinhan said slowly. "You're right. She had already seemed a bit familiar before, but now even more than before."

The next fights of the preliminaries were certainly nothing special and Jenny ended each of them quickly and efficiently. Until it was finally her last fight and she was standing in the ring, waiting for her last opponent. No one knew where he was and if he didn't turn up very soon, he'd be disqualified. Something which, Jenny knew, this fighter really didn't want to happen. It was all just show, to make him appear more harmless. Which he really wasn't.

"The contestant with the number 70, please report to the ring. Number 70, please!"

"Here I am!" a voice suddenly shouted. All heads turned towards the entrance, where a nerdy looking middle aged man, who was certainly not dressed for the tournament, was waving frantically. He was held up by a monk, who wrongly assumed that he was just a spectator who wanted a peek at the preliminary fights. "I had to go to the bathroom!"

Rolling her eyes and with her arms crossed in front of her chest, Jenny watched the guy make a fool out of himself, as he climbed into the ring and performed some ridiculous warming-up exercises. Since they were in the ring where the last fight was taking place, many other participants had gathered around them, wanting to see in person who the last finalist was going to be – daddy dearest and the others included. This meant that Jenny would need to keep her mouth shut – for now – so that she wouldn't betray anything.

"Can we begin now?" Jenny asked annoyed, as the guy finished his exercises.

He grinned cheekily and quickly ran up to her, bowing. "It's nice to meet you. We can start."

Then he began making really weird noises, as he went to the other side of the ring and got into a fighting stance. _Don't underestimate him_, Jenny warned herself. _You know he's just playing you._

The ring's referee announced the start of the fight and the crazy guy just started to run up to her with a battle cry. Preparing herself for whatever he had in store for her, Jenny slid into a fighting stance herself, her body tense. Suddenly, he stumbled over his own feet, flying the last few yards towards her until he was lying directly in front of her. For a moment, Jenny didn't know what to do. Kick him out now or let him finish his first _attack_? This decision was taken from her, when he suddenly straightened and would have hit her straight under the chin, if her lightning fast reflexes hadn't told her to arch back.

Going with the momentum, Jenny flipped back and hit him with her right foot under the chin instead. His head snapped back, but he didn't fall. Of course, Jenny hadn't expected him to, as she had barely used any power behind her kick. She just wanted to show him that she wasn't going to get fooled by him.

Rubbing his jaw, he looked at bit surprised that she hadn't fallen for his act of stupidity, but then decided that maybe she had just been lucky. But maybe he would need to get serious sooner, a lot sooner, than he had expected. He had to win this fight. He had to get into the finals.

He tried to attack her again and again, but failed both times, as she simply evaded his attempts. What annoyed him the most was the mocking grin on her face, which clearly showed him that even though he was now fighting seriously – much to the surprise of the other spectators – he still couldn't land a punch.

And then suddenly, she was on him and he did all he could do to block her – and failed. His eyes widened, as he was pushed further and further to the edge of the ring. Never had he seen such speed and, combined with this, precision.

Jenny grinned, as she saw the shocked look on his face, as she was slowly but surely defeating him. Well, it could have gone a lot quicker, but she still had some time to finish this. There was a clock at the side of the ring, counting down the two minutes for each fight. She still had thirty seconds left, which was more than enough time to finish it.

"Come on, is that all you can do?" she taunted him, as he was getting up after she had kicked him to the ground. "I'm getting bored here."

He groaned, already feeling another bruise forming. For a moment he felt sorry for this borrowed body, but then remembered that he had had no other choice. Now, he only needed to defeat this girl. But how? For a tiny slip of a girl, she harbored a lot of power. For the first time since he had entered the tournament, he feared that he wouldn't be able to do what he had come here to do.

And he worried that with this amount of power this unknown girl might be a much greater danger than Piccolo himself.

However, he wouldn't give up that quickly. Gathering much more of his ki than he had planned, he shot a powerful ki-blast at her – a first in the preliminaries, much to the astonishment of all the spectators, especially Goku and his friends – but the girl only lazily swapped it aside, so that it harmlessly went through the roof. He was stunned for a moment – no one except for Son Goku and Piccolo should be able to block this attack – before he attacked again. He lunged at her, his fist shooting forward, but it was caught, just as the other one that had followed immediately after.

He grunted, pushing against her with all his strength, but she didn't budge an inch. "I'm sorry… Kami," she whispered, so quietly that only he would hear her. "But I wanna fight in the finals." With these words, Jenny let herself fall back and planted her feet against his stomach, throwing him over her head and out of the ring.

Just one second after he had hit the ground, the clock at the side of the ring reached zero.

"And the last finalist is the fighter with the number sixty-four! Congratulations!"

Jumping out of the ring, Jenny held out her hand to him and helped him up. While she was steadying him, she whispered, "If you want to talk, meet me outside at the entrance in fifteen minutes."

Grinning, Jenny almost skipped back to daddy dearest and his friends. "So, I guess that's all of us. Except for Chao-zu, of course," she said quietly, looking at her small future-friend. "I'm really sorry about this, guys."

"It's not your fault," Tenshinhan quickly reassured her, though he was of course confused as to why she would apologize about this. She had actually been a great help and no one could have realized that Tao Pai Pai had entered the tournament as well. He had been hiding too well until the fight against Chao-zu.

"Yeah," Chao-zu piped. "You helped me. Thanks!"

"No prob," Jenny told them with a small smile. "Anyway, I gotta get something to drink. See ya later!"

Jenny hurried back to the locker room. It was time to get rid of the sweater, as it was getting quite warm outside and in the gym. She now had half an hour before the pairings for the confrontations in the quarter finals would be drawn. More than enough time to get changed and have a word with two persons.

The first one was already in the locker room, just finishing brushing her hair and once again tying it back with an elastic. She was alone, standing in front of a mirror while doing her hair, as Jenny entered the locker room. The whole time until she was done with her hair, Jenny could feel her cold stare through the mirror. Jenny pulled her sweater over her head and put it into her locker, which left her only in her black sports bra, revealing a lot of her scarred skin. With an inaudible sigh, Jenny realized once again that she still needed to gain a lot of weight – her ribs were still showing too much.

ChiChi was still staring at her through the mirror, as Jenny gulped down about half the bottle of water from her backpack. So, really getting annoyed with this and finally seeing a chance to approach her, Jenny turned around at the same time as the other girl. "Tell me, what is your fucking problem?"

ChiChi flinched upon hearing the curse words, causing Jenny to roll her eyes. Thank Dende that woman wasn't alive in her time, because then she would soon get a heart attack from all the swearing she would hear and die yet again. However, she quickly regained her composure and continued to glare at Jenny. "My problem? You're throwing yourself at _my_ Goku, when you already have a boyfriend."

Slamming the door to her locker shut, Jenny forced herself to calm down a bit, before she snapped, "First of all, Mirai is _not_ my boyfriend! And when did you get the idea that I'm _throwing_ myself at Goku? I've met him just yesterday and I don't even like that guy!"

Somehow, this answer seemed to irritate ChiChi even more. "How can you not like him? You don't even know him!"

"But you do?" Jenny asked incredulously. "Because he said that he has no idea, who you are."

"Of course I do," ChiChi insisted. "After all, he's my fiancé!"

Somehow it wasn't hard for Jenny to react surprised. ChiChi said this with so much conviction in her voice that Jenny suddenly even felt a bit bad for her. But she wouldn't back down. "Oh, so this is one of those arranged marriages that parents do to their kids when they're still too young to do anything about it?"

"No! I asked Goku if he wanted to marry me, and he said yes!" Now a dreamy look appeared in ChiChi's eyes. "It was so romantic."

"Okay, let me get this straight. Goku agreed to marry you and now he says that he doesn't know you. Seems to me like he wants an out." ChiChi blanched, actually having to sit down. Okay, now Jenny did feel bad for her. She had to keep reminding herself that she shouldn't blame her parents for something they hadn't really done yet. "Hey… how old were you, when you got engaged?"

"I… uhm… I was eleven and Goku was twelve."

"That's really young," Jenny said quietly, sitting down next to her mother. "Was this also the last time you've seen each other?" ChiChi nodded again, still looking crestfallen. "Okay…listen… here are some possible solutions to this. First, he could of course really try to get out of the engagement by saying that he doesn't recognize you. But I don't think he'd be the guy to do that. It's more likely that, since it's been so long, he might simply not recognize you. You both must have changed a great deal. So, once he knows it's you, he might remember everything and you'll live happily ever after. However, there's one more thing. Now, this may seem harsh but… well, I've known some boys around that age and sometimes they're really daft. Maybe… maybe he didn't know what it would mean to get married. If he's anything like the boys I've known, he could have thought that it was something to eat."

This got a quiet chuckle out of ChiChi. "Thanks…"

"No problem," Jenny replied sincerely. "But, let me give you some advice. If it's really the case that Goku didn't know what he promised you, don't force him, okay? And, if he's open to the idea of marrying you, don't do it at once. You two barely seem to know each other, so get to know each other at first. Hang out, go out on dates. Start slowly. Got it?"

"Yeah, you're right…" Shaking her head, ChiChi looked at the girl sitting next to her and for the first time since meeting her really saw her. Before she had just seen this scarlet woman, the girl who tried to steal her fiancé while already having a boyfriend. First now she saw the too thin girl with scars all over her upper body, on her stomach, back and arms, and the dark eyes that seemed to have already seen too much in her life. "I'm sorry for… attacking you like that."

"Well, you were jealous, so no hard feelings," Jenny told her, feeling slightly uncomfortable by the look ChiChi was giving her, as she was getting up. "Anyway, I have to go now. See you in the finals."

"Saiya?" ChiChi's surprisingly compassionate voice stopped her before she could leave the locker room. "What happened to you?"

Jenny gave ChiChi a sad smile, as she replied, "Let me just say that I've had a really tough year. And that I've just started feeling remotely normal again a few days ago."

One down, only a couple of more to go and the next one was already waiting at the entrance, just as she had told him to, when he wanted some answers. And for once, Jenny had decided to go for the complete truth. This was Kami, after all. He should know who she really was, before he set daddy dearest on her.

"Sorry, am I late?" she asked with a friendly smile. "I just needed to talk to someone else first. But now I'm all yours."

Kami, still wearing the dark-haired guy's body, looked at her suspiciously, as he replied, "Alright… now that you're _all mine_, why don't we go somewhere, where we won't be overheard."

Without warning, he grabbed her upper arm and then the air around her began to shimmer and the scenery was changing. Jenny resisted the urge to just hit now and ask questions later, but kept herself in check until they arrived at their destination just a few seconds later.

* * *

Mirai was sitting at a group of tables, having something to drink, along with Bulma and the others, who he had met up with right before the preliminaries. Now they were waiting for the others, as the preliminaries had finished just a few minutes ago. The boys were already on their way to them, but Jenny hadn't left the gym yet. But he wasn't surprised about this, as he could feel her ki in one location with ChiChi's. Apparently, Jenny had already found a way to approach the first person she wanted to talk to.

He felt her leave the locker room a few minutes later, only to stop again at the entrance directly next to the ki of the guy she had fought last. Mirai had only ever heard stories about the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, so it took a moment until he remembered who that person was, but then it was already too late. Jenny's and the guy's kis disappeared, only to reappear on the other side of the planet a few seconds later.

* * *

Tearing her arm out of Kami's grip, Jenny took a step backwards and scowled at him, while taking a look around. It's been a long time, since she'd been there, since it had actually existed, but she would always recognize the Lookout. How come that they had never known that you could instantly transport to the Lookout with Kami? "You could have just asked nicely, you know. And did you know that it's so not polite to just steal other person's bodies?"

"First," Kami said tersely, "as long as I don't know who you are and what your intentions are, I'm not going to play nice. And second, this body is borrowed, not stolen. Now, who are you?"

Jenny heaved a deep annoyed sigh. "Okay, I've already decided to tell you the truth, since you're Kami and all. So hear me out before you say anything, alright?"

"Alright. I'm waiting."

"Alright…" Jenny took a deep breath, not really knowing how Kami would react to her revelations. Slowly or quickly? What would be better? Well, quickly was always better, like ripping off a band aid. "My name is Jenny Son, I'm from about twenty-five years in the future. And I'm Goku's daughter."

Okay, maybe not such a good idea? Jenny began to chew on her lower lip, as Kami just continued to stare at her after what she had told him. Finally, he asked faintly, "Goku's daughter? Future? How?"

"That's easy. My best friend's mom's built a time machine."

"That's… that's really advanced technology. Even here at the Lookout I can't send someone into the past. I can just create the illusion of the past." Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Have you come back to warn us about something? Something that we have to change?"

"I could warn you about a lot of things, but no, I'm not gonna do that. You'll have to go through all that all by yourself, just like we did. Don't worry, most of it will be fine," Jenny reassured him. "I've… I've just had a really hard year and my friend decided to take me on vacation. He thought that I might have a lot of fun participating in the Budokai. And he was right."

"What about… Piccolo?"

Jenny heard the worry in Kami's voice and smiled at him confidently. "Don't worry, if Goku somehow messes up, I can take him. But he won't. I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you more about the future. When it's time for you to get a warning, well, you'll get it, I promise."

"Okay… I take your word for it…" Now Kami was also smiling. He had detected no lies in her story, so, unbelievable as it was, he believed her. And now that he knew it, he could certainly see the familiarities between her and Goku. The same eyes, the same unruly dark hair, though hers was tamed by a French braid, and even some features on her face were the same. And then there was this incredible power. She could only be Goku's daughter. "Alright, I believe I better bring you back to the arena. You don't want to be late for your first fight, do you?"

"Of course not. So, Kami, lead the way."

"May I?" Kami asked, first taking her arm when Jenny nodded. And then everything around her was a blur again until they arrived at the back of the gym where no one was going to see them. "Now, before you go… can I ask one more question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"How did you get so incredibly powerful?"

Jenny smiled at the astonishment in his voice, as she answered, "Lots and lots of hard training. And my heritage, of course."

Without saying another word, Jenny turned on her heel and went into the direction where she could feel Mirai and the others. She still had a few minutes, before the final fights started.

"Hey guys," she greeted them, when she found them in the area of the different booths selling food, drinks and other souvenirs of the tournament. She sat down at the table next to Mirai and stole his plate of fries and glass of coke. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing much," Krillin told her. "Where've you been?"

"Around… I talked to your mysterious girl, Goku," she told her father with a smirk. "Boy, you'll be surprised. And I've also talked to Shen. Ya know, that guy I kicked out in the last match?"

Yamcha scoffed. "What could you possibly talk to him about?"

Giving Yamcha a glare, Jenny explained, "I congratulated him on a well-fought fight. He was actually the only fighter out there who had given me the slightest challenge. I mean, did you see the ki-blast? That was amazing! The others were just a great disappointment. I hope you guys will be better, no matter who I'll have to face."

This comment seemed to have hit the mark, as at least Yamcha and Krillin began to puff out their chests, as if they wanted to show her that of course they were stronger. Goku, no big surprise here, was still looking at her suspiciously, especially after her last comment directed at him, while Tenshinhan and Chao-zu were just watching their two friends in amusement. Jenny winked at them grinning.

They were talking some more about the preliminaries and all of them had to agree that their opponents had been really bad fighters. "So much for the young generation," Muten Roshi had mumbled.

All too soon their short break was over and the finalists returned to the hall behind the ring, accompanied by their friends. Jenny wasn't surprised when Mirai put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to whisper into her ear, "Where've you really been after talking to ChiChi?"

"Kami took me to the Lookout," she whispered back. "I've told him who I really am, but nothing more. And that I'd take care of Piccolo, if Goku fails for some reason."

"And that was enough for him?"

Jenny nodded, "Yeah. But I've told him that, if there was something to warn him about, he would be warned."

"Good thinking," Mirai laughed quietly. "He doesn't need to know that it won't be you with the warning. And now, you better catch up. Good luck, Jenny."

Jenny saw that the others were already at the entrance and that she and Mirai had fallen behind. "Thanks… See ya later! And don't forget to cheer me on!"

"Never!"

Laughing, Jenny joined the other finalists and together they went into the hall, where the referee of the Tenkaichi Budokai was waiting for them with a box filled with the numbers from one to eight. Piccolo and ChiChi were already there, and Jenny couldn't suppress a snicker, when the referee thought for a moment that Krillin was a ghost. Shaking her head, Jenny wondered, how old the referee in her time actually was.

Then it was time to draw the numbers. It was quick with only eight participants and Jenny only hoped that everything would be the same as the last time, just with her replacing Kami. Finally, just a few minutes later, the opponents for the final fights were written down on a whiteboard.

"Alright, everyone… I'd like to introduce the pairings for the final fight," the referee announced. "The first fight is going to be Tao Pai Pai versus Tenshinhan." Jenny smiled grimly and nodded at Tenshinhan – this was exactly as it was supposed to be. Just as the next pairing. "In the second fight _Stranger_ is going to face Goku. The third fight is Krillin versus Ma Junior and in the fourth and last fight of the quarter finals, Yamcha is going to face Saiya. May the best of you win! The first fight of the finals will begin in ten minutes, so please get ready!"

The referee left them to their own devices in the hall behind the arena and Jenny noticed immediately that everyone's concentration was a lot higher than in the preliminaries. Even Jenny could feel the excitement building, as it began to itch in her fingers to fight again. The preliminaries had just been a small appetizer for her, nothing to take serious, to get back into the fighting mood, but now she could finally feel it again, after it had been gone for weeks.

The thrill. The anticipation. The thirst.

She was a fighter, a warrior, a Saiyajin. It was in her blood to fight and her blood had been denied for too long.

Surprisingly, this rush didn't bother her as she had feared it would, but instead it finally made her feel fully alive again.

Oh yes, she couldn't wait to go out there and fight. No matter who her opponent was. She could treat this as a warming-up and then, once she was home, she could finally face Vegeta again.

Jenny wanted to fight!

So a large predatory grin appeared on her face, as the referee, who had been greeting the spectators and explaining the tournament's rules in the past few minutes finally cried out,

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai!"

* * *

**AN2: Starting next chapter, the final rounds. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though I've changed some things.**

**1. I wondered why neither in the manga nor in the anime anyone gave Chao-zu a senzu, after he had been hurt by Tao Pai Pai. After all, all of them had some. So I didn't want poor Chao-zu to go the hospital and let him have a senzu instead.**

**2. Why kick out Shen/Kami and not Tao Pai Pai or ChiChi. Well, Kami was the most obvious choice. He was just in the tournament because he didn't believe that Goku could defeat Piccolo. And since Jenny is easily powerful enough to kill Piccolo with a flick of her wrist, I kicked out Kami. And besides, the confrontations between Goku and ChiChi and Tenshinhan and Tao Pai Pai are necessary. The first one is obvious, how else is ChiChi going to tell Goku who she is. And the second one is also important, because I believe that Tenshinhan needs the closure by defeating Tao Pai Pai. He realizes that he's become much more powerful than his old masters and that he's also a much better person than them.**

**3. The conversation between Jenny and ChiChi: Really, ChiChi should be smart enough to not "force" Goku into the marriage like this. He's just too naïve to realize what getting married entails, no matter how willing he is to get married because he promised ChiChi this. In one of the earlier chapters you can read Goku's point of view of the first year of their marriage and while it had turned out well, it really hadn't been easy for each of them. It could have all gone wrong just as easily. Jenny is partly blaming this thoughtless marriage for the fact that Goku has not really been the best husband and father, so she wants to convince ChiChi to take it easy at first.**

**So, these were the most important changes. If you have questions about other things, don't hesitate to ask. Maybe I'll answer ;)**


	74. Part III: The 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai II

**A/N: Hello again. Having to stay at home just because your voice doesn't work really does have its perks, especially as I don't feel sick at all. So, after two and a half days of writing, I actually finished the next chapter. It's pretty long, much longer than I had planned, but you know how it is, when your plot bunnies suddenly take over :D Enjoy the chapter and please leave a review :)**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 73: The 23****rd**** Tenkaichi Budokai Reloaded – Part II**

Jenny was almost giddy with excitement, even though it wasn't her turn to fight yet. She wondered, if the fights between the others would be the same as in the original timeline. It's been some time since she had watched the tapes, so she couldn't be sure. Whatever, she was going to enjoy watching some first class martial arts, even if the fighters were still incredibly weak compared to their future selves. And she couldn't wait to see the ending of the fight between daddy dearest and Piccolo – there wasn't any footage about the rest of it, as the cameras had blanked out when Piccolo had let loose the powerful shockwave that had destroyed everything around here.

This reminded Jenny… she had to talk to Mirai about how to stop the almost total destruction of the town. Even though no one had ever said anything about it, Jenny knew that it would have been a miracle, if no one had been killed.

Just before the first fight was going to start, everyone left the hall and positioned themselves at the entrance to the ring to watch the fights. Jenny was standing next to Krillin, and as she was looking over the crowd that had gathered around the ring to watch the fights, she saw Mirai and the others, including Chao-zu, standing in the first row, courtesy of a blond Lunch.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to welcome the first two fighters. Tenshinhan, the winner of the last Budokai, will face Tao Pai Pai. Here they come!"

The referee looked back at the two fighters waiting to enter the ring, but before he could go, Jenny put a hand on Tenshinhan's arm. "Remember… _humiliate_ him. Show him that you're a much better person and fighter, alright?"

He gave her a determined nod, "I will."

"So optimistic," Tao Pai Pai taunted his former student. "But don't worry. I won't kill you during the fight. I'll destroy you and Goku after my victory at the tournament."

Tenshinhan ignored him, but a small smile flitted over his face, when Lunch suddenly yelled, "Go Tenshinhan! Annihilate him!"

Jenny snickered, along with Tenshinhan's other friends. She had kind of forgotten that Tenshinhan and Lunch had been something like a couple at this time. It was so weird seeing him with someone who wasn't Suki and Jenny wondered how Tenshinhan would react, if she told him that in twenty-five years, he was going to be married and have a really cute daughter.

Shaking her head with a mischievous smile on her face, Jenny turned her attention back to the ring. The referee had just announced the start of the first match and both fighters went into a fighting stance. Ooh, this was gonna be so much fun to watch! She could almost feel bad – no, scratch that, she would never feel bad for this son of a bitch. It was tempting to take him out after the tournament, but then again, he wasn't and would never be a real threat.

And then the fight was on. Tao Pai Pai rushed at Tenshinhan, but Tenshinhan moved too fast and hit him in the neck, causing Tao Pai Pai to fly face-down to the ground. Struggling, Tao Pai Pai got back up, but as he looked back to where Tenshinhan was supposed to be standing, he saw no one.

"Behind you," Tenshinhan whispered coldly. Suppressing a scream, Tao Pai Pai whirled around and threw a punch at Tenshinhan, who simply caught the fist. "I'm never going to forgive you for hurting Chao-zu, but I'm going to spare you a lot of humiliation, if you just surrender now."

Tao Pai Pai didn't give up, of course, and so the rest of the fight was spent showing him, just how much better Tenshinhan was. They hadn't fought in the same league for years and this showed, as Tenshinhan easily evaded every single blow. Even as Tao Pai Pai, in a desperate attempt, pulled off one of his hands to reveal a blade, Tenshinhan barely flinched, when he was cut square over the chest.

While Tenshinhan was tearing off his shirt, Tao Pai Pai just kept shouting, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I don't care about the tournament anymore, I'll kill you now!" He pulled off his other hand as well and revealed something that resembled a laser gun.

Alarmed, the fighters around Jenny were ready to step in, except for Goku, who, while looking angry, also looked confident that Tenshinhan could take Tao Pai Pai.

"Stay out of this!" Tenshinhan told him. "I can take him."

"Are you sure?" Tao Pai Pai chuckled evilly. "You can't dodge this Super Dodonpa, it will follow you everywhere… and destroy you."

"Go ahead! Do it!" Tenshinhan challenged.

Tao Pai Pai didn't hesitate and immediately shot a huge ki-blast from the gun. Spectators began to scream and even Jenny was slightly impressed by the power behind that blast, but compared to Tenshinhan's power, it was nothing. Which he showed, when he destroyed the blast with a single scream. Without hesitating, Tenshinhan lunged at Tao Pai Pai and hit him hard in the stomach. Tao Pai Pai gasped and crumpled to the ground.

"Pathetic," Tenshinhan muttered, as he picked him up, threw him over his shoulder and carried him over to the spectators where Jenny now saw Tsuresennin standing in the front line. He unceremoniously dropped the assassin in front of his former master and said, "Get out of here. If I see you again, I probably will forget myself."

Shaking in his boots, Tsuresennin took his unconscious brother and flew away. Sighing, Tenshinhan walked back to the entrance of the ring, only absentmindedly hearing the referee declare him the winner of this match. His friends wanted to congratulate him, but he just waved them off. Right now, Tenshinhan just wanted to be alone, so that he could find his center again before the next fight. Defeating Goku wouldn't be nearly as easy as his former teacher.

So he was actually a bit annoyed, when just a moment after he had settled down to meditate away from all the noise and distractions, he heard light footsteps coming up to him. Opening one of his eyes, he saw Saiya standing in front of him.

"Don't you want to watch the fight?" he asked tersely.

"Nah," Jenny said with a light smile. "That girl's good, but no match for Goku. I just wanted to check on you. I know that what you did wasn't easy. Just letting them go, after what they'd done. This was a sign of bravery, of strength, of greatness. This showed them that you are really the better person."

"How would you know?"

There was a hint of curiosity in his otherwise cold voice. In a way, Jenny knew that he just wanted to be alone to deal with it, but after everything her Tenshinhan had done for her, she hoped that this time she could help him a bit. So she sat down across from him and explained quietly, "A bit more than one year ago, a terrorist group killed my two best friends. Their deaths were the start of a terrible downward spiral for me. I got a hint about the terrorist group and spent the whole year hunting them down and killing them."

Now she had Tenshinhan's full attention, as he stared at her with wide eyes. "You did _what_?"

"I killed them, every single one of those bastards. No one escaped. But when it was over, it felt as if my life was over, too. It took Mirai a lot of time and patience to drag me out of this hole, to get me to live again. To get me to want to live again."

For a long moment, Tenshinhan was just staring at her, as he was working through what she had told him. There was so much sorrow on her face, but at the same time a determination that seemed awfully familiar. It showed that while she might be broken, she wasn't going to give up. "I'm sorry to hear this. But… but why are you telling me this?"

Jenny gave him a sad smile. "Because I wasn't the better person. I gave in to the urge to take revenge. And while I was destroying them, parts of me were destroyed as well. I just wanted you to know that. You did the right thing by not taking the full revenge, because in the end, it just isn't worth it. Losing yourself, losing everyone around you… You don't want that."

Tenshinhan had never been a friend of public displays of affection, but something inside of this girl was calling to him. She really seemed so familiar, as if he should know her. But he couldn't figure out, what it was. But whatever it was, it caused him to give her a short and somewhat awkward hug. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome," Jenny laughed quietly. This reminded her of the early days of their friendship, before Tenshinhan finally few comfortable enough to show his feelings. Suki had been a lot of help to get him to loosen up as well. When he let go of her again with a light blush on his face, Jenny said, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'd like to see the ending of the match."

"Sounds like a good idea," Tenshinhan agreed as both of them got up from the ground. Somehow with this short talk the girl had already made him feel a lot better. He didn't need to find his center anymore and was ready for the next big fight against Goku.

They walked back to the others in silence and Jenny was glad to see that the fight hadn't ended yet. But according to the stunned expressions on the others' faces, a bombshell might have been dropped. "So, what did we miss? You know who she is, yet?"

"Apparently," Krillin told her with a faint voice. "Goku's gotten engaged and doesn't remember it."

"Really?" Tenshinhan asked surprised, watching as the mysterious girl flew out of the ring, pushed by the shockwave of Goku's punch into the air.

"Yeah," Yamcha added. "And believe it or not, Goku thought that getting married was like having something to eat.

Jenny chuckled, though she had already known that. "Well, you do get something to eat at a wedding. Sorry, shutting up now," she added grinning upon the weird looks the others were giving her.

Instead she turned her attention back to the ring, where Goku was now helping ChiChi back up. Now she would see if ChiChi had taken her advice to heart.

"So, are you gonna tell me who you are now?" Goku asked grinning.

"Of course. I'm ChiChi, Gyuu Mao's daughter."

"ChiChi!" several people exclaimed shocked.

"Wow, you've grown!" Goku told her still smiling. "And you're right. I remember! I did promise to marry you. So, I guess I've gotta keep my promise."

"Wait," ChiChi suddenly said, before anyone could congratulate or even comment on it. "I can't make you do that. I can't hold you to keep your promise, when you didn't know what you promised in the first place." Goku actually looked a bit disappointed, which gave ChiChi some hope that he might not be totally opposed to the idea. "But what about… we date first?"

"Date?" Goku asked confused, obviously having no idea what this meant either.

"This means we'll get to know each other. Go out, watch a movie, have dinner… or just talk… you know?" ChiChi asked somewhat uncertainly.

Goku nodded thoughtfully for a moment before the smile returned to his face. "Sounds like a good idea. So we date, get to know each other and then we'll get married."

Jenny inwardly groaned. How could anyone be so naïve!? Son Goku was meant to be one of the most brilliant fighters in the universe, so how could worldly things such as marriage be so completely unknown to him?

However, all around them people were celebrating the new couple. Even Goku's friends were congratulating him, as he and ChiChi returned to them. Well, at least Goku took some time to warn Krillin about his next opponent.

Grumbling under her breath and shaking her head slightly, Jenny returned her attention to the ring, where Krillin and Piccolo were now facing each other. As far as she remembered, Krillin had fought a good fight but in the end surrendered. Piccolo was just too strong.

And this was exactly what also happened this time, even though Krillin went full out from the beginning, starting the match with two powerful ki-blasts. He even managed to land some hits and surprised everyone when he revealed his ability to fly, but in the end Piccolo – or Ma Junior as he was going here – just overpowered him. So, Krillin made the only logical choice – one a Saiyajin would never make, but calling a Saiyajin a logical being was a bit farfetched after all – and gave up, when he had been hurt too badly by the impact with the ground after having been kicked down from high in the sky.

"The winner of the match is Ma Junior, but please also give a big applause to Krillin, who's fought a great fight!" the referee yelled into his microphone, as the crowds went wild for Krillin.

Goku immediately ran over to Krillin and helped him up. Piccolo was eyeing them warily, which caused Jenny to grin. It seemed that Piccolo was slowly realizing that this planet's defense was much stronger than he had expected. And she would show him just how strong it was… well, after she had taken care of Yamcha.

"And now, the last fight of the quarter finals. Please welcome Saiya and Yamcha! Yamcha has already participated in the final rounds of the past two Budokais, but Saiya, whose real identity is to remain a secret, is new to this tournament."

Yamcha looked at her shocked, just as probably everyone else behind them. "Wait… Saiya isn't your real name?"

Jenny grinned at him cheekily. "Oops…."

Fortunately, she couldn't be interrogated further, as they now had to step into the ring. Jenny winked at Yamcha and they both entered the ring to stop a few yards apart in the middle of it. Jenny had never fought Yamcha before, so she couldn't wait to see how good he was. Even though she knew that she was a lot more powerful and could actually end this fight just as quickly as any other fight in the preliminaries, she didn't want to do it. She wanted to see his techniques, his different attacks. Maybe there was something she could copy.

"Alright, pretty boy," Jenny teased him grinning. "Are you ready to get your ass kicked?"

He laughed, as he got into a fighting stance. "Ya sure there, pretty girl? After all, how can one tiny slip of a girl defeat a big man like me?"

Jenny's grin turned into a mean smirk, as she asked, "Are you really… a big man?"

A small blush appeared on Yamcha's face, as the people who had been able to hear their conversation started to snicker – except for Goku, who looked completely clueless. Even Bulma couldn't suppress a giggle, though she would have a good reason for being offended. As far as Jenny knew, Yamcha was currently her boyfriend in this time.

"What… you know what I mean…" Yamcha sputtered, but luckily for him, quickly regained his composure. "Okay, enough… let's start."

"You're right… Show me what you've got… big man. You may go first."

Smirking, Yamcha replied, "Don't think that I'll go easy on you, just because you're a girl."

"I really didn't expect you to. So, are you gonna attack anytime soon? Or do I have time for a coffee?"

"Ready or not, Saiya… or whatever your name is… here I come!"

Just with this warning, Yamcha rushed forwards, his right fist pulled back. He released it, pushing it forward with about half of his power behind it, only for his opponent to dodge it. His other fist followed, but it was dodged, too. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach and then he lost his footing. A split second later, he was lying face down on the ground, groaning in pain.

"You're not going full out," Jenny accused him. "Come on, I don't want this to be too easy for me."

"Don't worry," Yamcha grounded out, as he slowly got up again, holding his stomach. That girl could certainly pack a mean punch. "I won't make that mistake again."

"Good." Jenny was sure that this one punch from her was enough to make Yamcha realize that she wasn't some weak little girl. But what he didn't know yet, was that this little girl was going to kick him out of the tournament.

Once she saw that he was back in his fighting stance, a defensive stance this time, Jenny used the chance to attack. Her first punch immediately went through, hitting him straight in the jaw which let his head whip around. But she wasn't done yet, as she whirled around directly after pulling her fist back and performed a perfect roundhouse kick at Yamcha's side.

Again he went down, without having landed a hit himself.

"Still holding back, pretty boy?" Jenny taunted him.

Yamcha was grumbling, as he once again had to struggle to get back to his feet. This couldn't be possible. She was just… a girl! How could he be beaten so easily by a girl?

Slowly but surely getting really angry at himself and the situation – what would people say, when they saw that he was defeated by a girl? – Yamcha decided that it was now really time to stop fooling around and show this girl who he was. He was a student of Muten Roshi, a true martial artist. And he would get into the semifinal!

And so he attacked again, going full out. He pulled no punches, didn't hold back on his kicks. He used his best techniques against her, even the famous old Wolf Fang Fist, by now long refined and perfected, but nothing worked. Some attacks got through, but somehow Yamcha got the impression that she allowed those to hit her. He, on the other hand, almost couldn't evade her attacks. She was just too good. She was far stronger than he had imagined and her defenses were perfect, he noticed with growing dread.

Yamcha slowly began to realize that, unless he surprised her with a really good attack, he was going to lose this match.

"Alright," Yamcha finally said, after he had yet again picked himself up from the ground. "I'd wanted to wait with this attack until the semifinal or the final, but you leave me no other choice. But now… enjoy the Sokidan, the Spirit Ball!"

Yes, Jenny remembered this attack from the videotapes. An energy ball that could be controlled. Very advanced in this time, but something almost every warrior was able to do just a few years in the future. It was powerful, but it wouldn't be powerful enough for this opponent. Jenny saw this as a last desperate attempt to defeat her. But she got into a defensive stance nonetheless. After all, while Jenny Son knew what was going to happen, Saiya wasn't supposed to.

The crowd around them stared in suspense at what was happening in the ring. Yamcha was holding the wrist of his right hand, while gathering energy above his palm. Just a moment later, a football sized ki-ball was floating there. "Okay, Saiya… get ready. You might have been able to dodge my other attacks, but you won't dodge _this_!"

With these words, he threw the ki-ball at her, and Jenny did exactly what he had expected her to do. She jumped to the side to evade the attack, but much to everyone's surprise the ki-ball followed her upon Yamcha's direction with his hand. Rolling on the floor, Jenny ducked, as the Sokidan whizzed past her ear.

Grinning, Jenny jumped to the other side. This was actually fun! She couldn't wait to try this attack on Vegeta! It was like a game of cat and mouse, only that this time the mouse was playing with the cat, which was certainly not what the cat had intended.

This went on for about another minute, until Jenny decided that it was time to end this. This time, instead of just jumping to the side, Jenny remained standing and stretched out her arms in front of her.

Yamcha watched shocked, as his opponent decided to no longer run away and face the ki-ball head on. A part of him wanted to warn her, but another part of him knew that she should know better than get in the way of a ki-ball.

So he was even more surprised, when Saiya just stopped the Sokidan with her bare hands without even being pushed back. She was simply holding it in her hands, just as if she had caught a ball thrown by a child, a victorious smirk on her face.

"Ya know, that's really cute… Do you think it'll listen to me, too?"

"Wha-?" was all Yamcha was able to say, as Jenny threw his own attack back at him. He stumbled back, barely dodging the Sokidan – _his Sokidan! _– but he was too slow, as the ki-ball came back and hit him into his chest. Yamcha flew backwards and out of the ring.

Still a bit dazed, he looked up into his opponent's sparkling eyes. "You okay down there?"

"Yeah…" Rubbing the back of his head with one hand and his hurting chest with the other, he climbed back into the ring. "Congratulations, Saiya. You really were the better fighter."

"Thanks… But you weren't too bad either. You just tend to underestimate your opponents, I think…"

Laughing, Yamcha left the ring along with her. "Yeah, you might have a point. I've gotta work on that."

Jenny grinned, playfully shoving Yamcha aside, but the grin disappeared immediately, when she realized that she was once again the victim of daddy dearest's suspicious looks. Honestly, this was really getting old, even though Jenny knew very well that Goku had very good reasons to be suspicious of her. But really… Was she giving off some evil vibe? She didn't think so, otherwise she wouldn't get along so well with the others.

"Hey, Tenshinhan! Have fun and do your best. I wanna see a repeat of that epic fight from the last time."

"I'll do my best," Tenshinhan replied with a smile. He was amazed by how easily she had defeated Yamcha, but her aura, while being a bit tainted, wasn't evil at all. And the taint could easily be explained by what she had told him. "I'm already looking forward to it."

"Me too," Goku said, giving Jenny one last look before concentrating on the fight. "I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun."

* * *

"This girl of yours is amazing," Muten Roshi breathed in excitement, as Saiya and Yamcha left the ring. "Where did she learn all that? I don't think I've seen her fighting style before and I know a lot of masters and their styles."

Mirai chuckled, knowing very well that this was just a small fraction of her power. But telling them now how strong they were would simply blow their minds. "Well, my father trained her most of her life, but he doesn't take on other students, so maybe that's why you don't know him."

"Yeah, that might be it… but still… her power is incredible…" the old turtle master added thoughtfully. He wasn't a pro at sensing ki, but he had some basic instincts to get a feel on someone's power, and this girl was much more powerful than anyone he had ever met before. Yes, she might even be more powerful than Goku. What a scary thought!

Roshi didn't know if he should be worried about this or not. Especially as there was a lot of resemblance between her and Goku. And with Saiya just being a pseudonym, she could be anyone.

He would need to talk to Bulma about this. Later, when Saiya's friend wasn't listening in.

* * *

Jenny was openly cheering for Tenshinhan, even though she knew that he stood do chance against daddy dearest. If her memories of the fight served her right, the fight was very close to the original one, if not even the same. At the beginning Goku and Tenshinhan attacked each other mercilessly, apparently perfectly matched. No one was giving an inch, but already Jenny could feel Tenshinhan's ki drop slightly, while Goku's remained the same.

It really was too bad. Goku had an unfair advantage because of his heritage, but so had Jenny here in this tournament. There was just no place for Saiyajins in a tournament meant for humans. Unfortunately, Goku didn't know what he was yet.

Finally it was time for Goku to take off his weighted clothes. Everyone was stunned, of course, when they realized just how much weight he had been carrying around the whole time. Jenny had to resist the urge to comment that they should try to train under 500G.

Then the interesting part started – the four Tenshinhans. Even though this technique had the obvious flaw that the power would by divided by four, Jenny just had to ask her Tenshinhan to teach her this technique once she was home again. If used correctly, this might be of some use, if just to be at several places at the same time.

Daddy dearest recognized the flaws of course and used them to his advantage and so, just a short time and a solar flare later, Tenshinhan was out of the ring, clearly defeated. Tenshinhan was obviously a bit disappointed, but he had apparently realized that Goku had just become too good since their last fight. And while this fight wasn't as epic as the final of the last Budokai, it certainly had its good points. Well, Tenshinhan losing his belt and his pants had certainly been pretty entertaining, Jenny thought grinning.

ChiChi was gushing over Goku, while they were walking back into the hall for some refreshments, and Yamcha and Krillin offered Tenshinhan their sympathies for losing the fight after they had congratulated Goku.

"It's okay," Tenshinhan told them with a half-smile. "My power level is nowhere near Goku's anymore. His progress is just incredible. And we haven't even seen his real strength yet."

"You're right," Krillin realized. "He hasn't even used the Kamehameha. How powerful can he be?"

"Powerful enough to obliterate this island, I guess," Jenny decided to step in. She watched Piccolo now walking towards the entrance of the ring, ready for the next fight. "Just as the guy I'm going to face now."

Krillin nudged her gently to get her attention. "Be careful, Saiya. This guy is bad news. He's giving me the creeps."

"I know," Jenny answered. "But don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." After having given the others a reassuring smile, Jenny got into position next to Piccolo, waiting to be called to the ring. "You ready there, green guy?" Piccolo just glared down at her, causing Jenny to roll her eyes. "Geez, lighten up, will ya?"

But inwardly, she was snickering. It was always so much fun to rile Piccolo up. She, Goten and Trunks had been experts at it, whenever Piccolo had visited Gohan. And this version was even more uptight than the Piccolo from her own time.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the referee cried out. "After the next fight, we will know who the other finalist is going to be! I'm sure that this fight will be amazing! They aren't known in the fighting community, but they are extremely skilled martial artists! Welcome Ma Junior and Saiya!"

Piccolo went ahead and Jenny just wanted to follow him, when Goku suddenly grabbed her wrist. Turning around, she looked at him with an annoyed look on her face. "What's your problem now?"

"I just… I know Krillin's already said it… but…" Goku seemed clearly uncomfortable for a moment, before he straightened. "Listen, I don't know who you are and I really don't trust you. You're hiding something big and you're just too powerful. But this guy is really dangerous."

"Thanks for the warning," Jenny replied dryly. "But as I said, I can take care of myself. And if what you say about my power is true, then you know it too. And now let go of me so that I can go into the ring before I'm disqualified."

Reluctantly, Goku let go of her and watched her go into the ring until she stopped across from Piccolo. He hated to admit it, but she was right. She knew how powerful she was. She knew that Piccolo was weaker than her. She knew that she would defeat him, so she wasn't worried.

But, who was she? How could she be so powerful? Goku had never felt a ki that was as high as hers before. Was she friend or foe? She already seemed to get along with all of his friends and it even seemed as if there was a certain closeness to Tenshinhan. Now that he thought about it, he got the impression as if she already knew all of them.

But how could that be?

His thoughts were interrupted, when the first attack was carried out. Saiya hadn't hesitated after the referee had opened the fight, and immediately lunged at Piccolo with a flurry of fists. They were already moving too fast for the normal human eye to see, but Goku was also able to rely on the other senses that had been awakened by the training on Kami's Lookout.

Sensing other people's ki was an amazing thing. Seeing without eyes, knowing how powerful someone was. It was a very valuable asset to a fighter's abilities. Something he would need to teach to the others, once this tournament was over. Who knew when this ability could become useful?

With these senses and his eyes Goku actually wasn't that surprised to see that Piccolo was hard-pressed to defend himself. Still, an untrained eye wouldn't be able to see it, but Saiya was still pulling her punches. Not nearly as much as when she had fought against Yamcha, but she was still holding back.

"Damn, she's really good," Krillin breathed and Goku only nodded. He wondered how he would fare against her in the final fight.

Jenny was having fun. Piccolo proved to be a really good opponent, even though she was holding back a lot. He hadn't been taken by surprise by her strength – and it really would have been stupid if he had mistaken her for a weak girl after he had seen her show some of her power the night before at the clock tower – but he wasn't showing everything either.

"You're holding back," Jenny pouted, after they had broken apart after an attack. "Come on, I'm getting bored!"

Snarling, Piccolo pushed his arm through the ground and his fist emerged where Jenny was standing. She barely dodged the attack, but then Piccolo was already upon her, raining down fists on her defenses. Just as she had already done with Yamcha, Jenny allowed a few of them to hit her. It really wouldn't seem natural, if she got out of the fight without any bruises, after all.

Jenny threw Piccolo off after a short while, causing him to fly high into the air. Jumping up, Jenny followed him and continued their fight in the air. Jenny knew that all the spectators at the ground could see were some flurry movements, but in reality it was more than that. Punches and kicks, directed at all body parts, until suddenly Piccolo was shooting down headed straight for the ring. Gasps and screams went through the crowd, as he couldn't stop his fall in time and hit the ground hard. He remained lying in the small crater for a moment, stunned.

"What's up, green guy?" Jenny taunted him, as she slowly descended to the ground and landed right next to the crater. "Tired already?"

The response was a strong ki-blast, but Jenny simply swapped it into the sky. While the spectators were still following the beam of light, Piccolo was already out of the crater and upon Jenny. Their fingers were entwined, as they were pushing against each other. Jenny felt Piccolo's ki rise. For a moment, she let him think that he was overpowering her, allowing him to slowly but surely push her back.

Her heels dug into the tiles on the ring, leaving deep marks in the ring. However, just before they reached the edge of the ring, a mischievous smirk appeared on Jenny's face. She let herself fall backwards, planted her feet against Piccolo's chest and then kicked, hard.

Unfortunately for Piccolo, Jenny was still holding onto his hands. A terrible scream tore through Piccolo's throat, as his arms were pulled out of his sockets. Shocked cries echoed through the spectators and even Goku's friends, when she was holding two bodiless arms in her hands and Piccolo was flying upwards.

Piccolo forced himself to stop after a moment, staring down in shock at the girl holding his arms. How was that possible? Sure, after he had seen her last night, he had known that she wasn't harmless, but his main opponent had still been Goku. But now, it seemed as if he had another enemy he had to watch out for. One that seemed to be much more dangerous than Goku.

But he wouldn't give up. If he ran away now, he could never come back. So, with a scream, he concentrated on the stumps of his arms and much to everyone's – somehow except for the girl's – surprise, they grew back instantly.

"Sorry," she called up cheekily. "Couldn't resist!"

How could she have known that he could grow his limbs back? No one knew this! No one could know this! His _father_ had never needed to show this ability.

"Okay, green guy," she yelled again. Oh, how annoying this infuriating nickname was! "Are you ready for this to end?"

"Hell yeah," Piccolo grumbled. Even if it got him disqualified, he needed to destroy this girl. He could take care of Goku afterwards. Or maybe he would just knock her out. Stretching his arms out in front of him, he released an ear piercing yell and shot a gigantic ki-blast down at the ring.

Jenny smirked, as she felt the energy charge in his palms and decided to use an attack she hadn't used in years. Let's confuse the others just a bit more.

Placing her palms at the side of her body, she shot Goku a quick look before yelling, "Kame… hame… HA!" and shooting a ki-blast that was even bigger than the one rushing down at her up at Piccolo. Her ki-blast swallowed Piccolo's without problems, but before it could hit Piccolo, Jenny lowered the energy a lot. After all, she didn't want to kill him.

Her attack, however, still had the desired effect, as Piccolo was dropping to the ground. Once again, he hit it hard and was flopped over to his back by the impact. Struggling, Piccolo tried to get up and had managed to get into a seating position, when Jenny was suddenly standing in front of him, the palm of her right hand directed at his face. There was a bright ball of energy forming in her palm.

Piccolo knew that it was over. He had failed. Everything was hurting, he could barely move after the last attack. And he hadn't even met Goku in a fight.

Almost resigning to his fate, Piccolo prepared for the attack that would end him, when he suddenly heard words that he had never expected.

"I surrender!" There were many exclamations of surprise and shock all around them and even the referee asked her to repeat what she had just said. "I give up. I know it sounds weird, but I've never been meant to fight against Ma Junior. I've never been meant to defeat him. That's someone else's destiny."

Piccolo couldn't believe his eyes, as Saiya jumped out of the ring, clearly signaling to everyone else that she was sure about what she wanted to do. Still, despite the disappointment in the crowd about not being able to see the showdown between her and Goku, they cheered for her and for a great fight, causing Jenny to smile.

Now it was Goku's turn, but before…

"Hey Saiya! Why did you do that?" Yamcha asked shocked. "You had him! He was almost knocked out!"

"Didn't you listen?" Jenny asked him patiently, though she knew that it was hard to understand her reason. "It isn't me who has to defeat him. Do you guys maybe have a senzu for me?"

"Sure," Krillin replied, immediately giving her one from the pouch at his belt. "Are you hurt? And who has to defeat this guy? And while we're at it: how do you know how to do the Kamehameha?"

"Goku?" she asked her father and at the same time answering Krillin's questions.

Goku looked at her, also not believing what she had done, or better yet, hadn't done, and shocked by the power she had displayed. That she had the ability to fly wasn't that surprising actually at her power level, but how did she know the Kamehameha? Shaking his head to concentrate again on the here and now, he saw that Saiya held up the senzu and then looked over to Piccolo, who was limping out of the ring, before turning her attention back to him. He gave her a long, hard look before eventually nodding. Smiling, Jenny returned the nod and walked over to where Piccolo was going to nurse his wounds and his ego.

"Hey, Piccolo," she said, quietly enough so that the others wouldn't hear them. "Take this. It's going to return you to full strength and heal your wounds. I know that you don't want to face Goku as hurt as you are and I know that Goku wouldn't want that either."

"If you know who I am, then why didn't you kill me?" Piccolo asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"Several reasons, but as I said, I'm not meant to defeat you. So, you want this senzu or not?" Piccolo nodded and reached out to take it. However, before she would give it to him, Jenny hissed, "But remember, if Goku for some reason fails to defeat you, I'll face you again and I won't let you win again."

"Hey, what's she doing?" Krillin cried out in surprise, as he watched Saiya give the green guy the senzu. "Goku, what is she doing?"

"She's giving me a worthy opponent to fight." At that moment, the referee announced a break of one hour so that the ring could get repaired for the final fight. "Look, let's get something to eat and then I'll need to tell you guys something."

However, before they could leave the weird guy that Saiya had fought in the last fight of the preliminaries ran up to them, immediately laying into Saiya as she returned to them. Piccolo was already gone. "What have you done? Why haven't you finished Piccolo when you had the chance?"

Rolling her eyes, Jenny asked, "Why is no one listening to me? I'm not meant to defeat him, geez! And besides, you, Shen, know the two reasons why I can't kill him!"

"Woah, wait! Yamcha suddenly said. "Did you just say 'Piccolo'? But I thought he was dead? Goku, you said you killed him."

"I did," Goku admitted. "But this isn't the Piccolo I've fought three years ago. This is a reincarnation. Piccolo created him right before he died. And how do you know about Piccolo?" he asked Jenny.

"I can't tell you, okay? I just know. And he's all yours now, just as it's supposed to be."

"And how does the old guy know?" Krillin asked curiously.

Goku looked at him for a moment, with Shen calmly returning the stare. Suddenly, Goku's eyes widened, as he made the connection. "Shen! Shen Long! You're Kami! What are you doing here?"

Kami sighed, looking at Jenny and then back at Goku. "I've come to kill Piccolo, as you've probably already guessed yourself."

"Why?"

"Because you can't, Goku," Kami told him firmly. "You're feelings will stop you. So I decided I had to do it. But unfortunately someone kept me from entering the finals."

"And this is my cue to leave so that you can talk," Jenny interrupted quietly, already backing away. "I know that you're also going to talk about me, so I won't disturb you guys. I'm gonna find Mirai and then something to eat. See ya later!"

In the original timeline, Goku would have figured out who Shen was a lot earlier, but then again, Kami would now be trapped in a bottle thanks to a backfired Mafuba and it would be up to Goku to free him, after Piccolo had swallowed the bottle. The last fight really proved to be interesting.

But first Jenny needed to find Mirai and then get something to eat. She was slowly starting to starve. Jenny was lucky that she didn't have to look for him for long, as he and the others were already waiting at the entrance to the area just reserved for the participants. "Come on, Mirai," she said, taking his hand. "Let's get something to eat. The others will probably be here soon. They'll have some important stuff to talk about without us."

"Oooookaaay," Mirai answered slowly, as he was already dragged away towards the booths that sold something to eat. "I've gotta say, interesting fight."

"It wasn't too much, was it?"

"Nah," Mirai shook his head grinning. "You just made everyone even more suspicious of you. But I think they'll get over it, once Goku has defeated Piccolo."

"Do you… do you think I should tell them?"

Putting an arm around her shoulder, Mirai pulled Jenny close. "It's completely up to you. But personally, I think that it could endanger your birth. After all, I only told Goku who I was, when I came to the past the first time."

Sighing, Jenny agreed, "You're right… So, about the food."

"My treat," Mirai said grinning, already going over to one booth.

They spent the next half an hour eating and just talking about the tournament in general, while they were walking around and looking at everything else the tournament had to offer. At one booth, Jenny bought two tiny boxing gloves for a car's rearview mirror, claiming grinning that Vegeta would just love them for his car.

Too soon the one hour break was up and everyone was returning to the ring. Since Jenny was still a participant, even though she didn't have to fight anymore, she was allowed to go back to the fighter's area. She could feel that the others were returning, too, but she needed to catch Goku before he entered the ring.

Towards the end of the break, Jenny had talked to Mirai about what they should do, when Piccolo performed an attack that could endanger the public and she now had to talk to Goku about what they had decided.

Jenny was happy to see that Goku hadn't entered the ring yet and that the referee was still doing the introductions, but she wasn't happy to see that some of the others were now giving her weird looks as well, after Goku had talked to them. Ignoring the looks for the moment, she stepped up to them. "Hey guys, could I borrow Goku for a moment?"

"I'll be back in a moment," Goku told them and went a few yards away from them with her. "What do you want?"

"Look, I know you don't trust me and I understand that. I wouldn't trust someone with an impossibly high ki myself, if I didn't know that person. But I'm not the bad guy here. That's Piccolo. I've just come to the tournament to have fun, really. I haven't come to hurt anyone and to prove this I'm going to offer my help:"

Raising an eyebrow, Goku wanted to know, "What do you mean?"

"Well… I guess that Piccolo won't hesitate to endanger the spectators, while he's fighting you. We don't want you to worry about that. Mirai and I will stop anything that might be directed at the spectators without interfering in your fight, I promise."

Jenny was surprised to see Goku close his eyes for a moment and to hear him sigh. "Kami's told us that you're not a threat. That you've told him, who you really are. He wouldn't betray your identity, but he swore that you're not a threat. So… so I guess I'll accept your help."

"Thank you," she breathed. "I won't disappoint you, I swear. And now you better go. Your fight will start soon."

Jenny watched him and it was just in time, as the referee asked them to come into the ring. She went over to where the others were standing to watch the fight and gave Mirai a thumbs-up, when she saw that he was looking at her. Out of the corners of her eyes, Jenny noticed that Goku's friends really looked worried about the fight, so she playfully poked Krillin in the arm. "Hey, cheer up! Goku's an amazing fighter. If someone can defeat Piccolo, it's him."

Swallowing hard, Krillin gave her a wavering smile. "You're right. Goku can do it."

And if for some reason he couldn't, Jenny was sure to step in and make sure that Piccolo wouldn't take over this world.

Finally, the referee announced the start of the fight and it began. Piccolo got rid of his cape and both of them lunged at each other. Jenny was grinning brightly, as she was watching the fight unfold. This fight was truly going to be epic, if the beginning was already an indication.

None of them was giving an inch, both of them giving and taking, blocking and dodging, using techniques that were typical for them. It was just amazing. Now that Jenny had slowly gotten used to the low power levels of the fighters from the past, she could appreciate the power and speed they were fighting with. No normal eye would be able to follow them, so she felt a bit bad for the spectators, who were surely just seeing blurs zipping and zapping across the ring.

For a moment, everyone was holding their breath, as Goku landed in a deep crater and was hit by a lot of ki-blasts from Piccolo. Jenny could see ChiChi tremble in fear behind her and took the other girl's hand comfortingly. ChiChi gave her a small smile, as Jenny reassured her, "Don't worry. He's not hurt. Believe me."

And it was true. After Piccolo had revealed that he knew Goku was just acting, Goku jumped out of the crater again, completely unhurt. Just his gi had taken a lot of damage and he tore off his shirt. It was clearly visible that Goku was enjoying the fight, the challenge. Only a Saiyajin could be so crazy to enjoy a fight about the fate of this planet, Jenny realized, shaking her head in amusement.

The rest of the fight had many highlights, but only a few that were memorable for Jenny, so for example Goku's Mega Kamehameha. It already showed the potential that was still hidden in Goku, but it was just too bad that Goku had still been holding back. Even though Krillin had yelled at him that they could bring Kami back with the Dragonballs, if Piccolo died, Jenny guessed that Goku knew the truth. Without Kami, there wouldn't be any Dragonballs, so Piccolo had been barely hurt by the truly impressive Kamehameha, which had destroyed some parts of the buildings around the ring.

However, this was also the moment, when Piccolo landed again in the ring without his turban, that people recognized him and fled in a panic. Well, at least there were now a lot less people in direct vicinity of Piccolo's attack that Jenny and Mirai had to worry about. So, when Goku asked them to please step back so that he can fight without holding back anymore, the two groups joined at a safe distance.

Piccolo's trick of becoming a giant might be neat, but also a bit tricky, if you were just restricted to the confined space of the ring. Piccolo seemed to sense the predicament, too, especially as Goku was just too fast for him to step on and had even managed to throw him to the ground once. He shrunk again to his normal size after a few minutes.

Suddenly, they disappeared again and continued their amazing hand-to-hand fight. Things were getting dangerous for a moment, when Goku was zapped with a ki-attack and fell to the ground. He had been too slow to get up again, giving Piccolo the chance to land a direct hit. Goku flew a few feet backwards, right to the edge of the ring, but he didn't fall over. Kami had wanted to intervene, before Piccolo could land his hit, but Jenny had kept him back. She still remembered this from the tape and knew that Goku would allow Piccolo to hit him anyway, so there was no need for Kami to endanger the still borrowed body.

The ring was a mess by now. Craters and cracked tiles everywhere. Jenny would hate it to face a really powerful opponent in such a small ring.

The fight continued the moment Goku had gotten up again with another one of Jenny's most favorite moves. She grinned, as Goku used Piccolo's ki-blast, which kept following him everywhere, to hit Piccolo himself. Another hurt limb was exchanged for a new one – Jenny still thought that it was kind of gross, whenever Piccolo did this, though it was a handy ability to have – followed by the attack that Jenny had been waiting for.

Piccolo, really growing angry now, began to gather a lot of energy. Goku's eyes went wide and he looked around, looking for Jenny. She nodded at him, but Goku still yelled, "Run! He's going to destroy everything around here!"

"Come with us, Goku!" Kami yelled, after Tenshinhan had blown a deep hole into the ground, but Goku shook his head vehemently.

"No, I can't leave the ring. If I do, I'll lose," Goku argued. "I'll take the blast head-on."

Kami wanted to argue some more to convince Goku to come along, but Lunch kicked him into the hole, causing Jenny to laugh quietly, as she took her position at one corner of the ring, aligning her arms with the two sides of the ring. Mirai was standing at the opposite corner, mimicking her stance. It would be a lot easier, if there were two more persons to help, so that each one would take a side, but this just had to work. Jenny hoped that their combined powers could nullify Piccolo's attack outside the ring.

Goku braced himself, while Piccolo's power level was steadily growing and Jenny and Mirai were tensely waiting for the explosion. And then it suddenly came with a mighty yell, as Piccolo let loose all his power. Immediately, as one, Jenny's and Mirai's powers flared as well, each of them turning Super the moment the explosion released a huge shockwave, sending their power along the sides of the ring.

They held their transformation just for a second before powering down again, but it was enough. It had worked. While the ring itself was destroyed, everything around it was still completely intact. Piccolo was breathlessly looking around, his eyes wide that the destruction he had aimed for hadn't taken place. His eyes met Jenny's and she winked – she hadn't broken any rules, she hadn't interfered with the fight.

Almost afraid, he looked ahead at his opponent and he couldn't believe his eyes, when he saw that Goku was still standing, smirking at him. "So… not bad, huh?" Goku taunted him, clenching his fist in front of him. "I _will_ win, Piccolo. Whether you like it or not!"

This was the moment, when Goku took charge of the fight. Piccolo had used too much power and now he was a lot weaker than Goku. Goku pummeled him and in the end, Piccolo was lying down in a crater, after one of Goku's huge Kamehamehas. He landed directly next to the crater and looked down at Piccolo.

Everyone was cheering and even Jenny couldn't help but smile, she and Mirai joining the others again, when Goku's friends and the referee were starting their count to ten. They reached nine, when it suddenly happened. Jenny couldn't believe her eyes, when Piccolo, whose ki had been almost nonexistent, suddenly sat up and shot a ki-blast out of his mouth directly at Goku. Her father had no chance to react, as it pierced his chest and went straight through, barely missing his heart.

Goku dropped to the ground, crying out in excruciating pain. Jenny's hand subconsciously wandered to the scar she still had on her chest from the bullet wound, knowing exactly what pain Goku was now experiencing. He tried to sit up, but fell back screaming.

At this moment, Jenny wanted to run into the ring, but just like everyone else, she seemed to be paralyzed. She hadn't known that this would happen. This part wasn't on the tapes anymore and Tenshinhan hadn't told her. Had this originally happened? Or had this just happened because she had changed something. "Mirai?" she asked fearfully.

"Don't worry, Jenny," he whispered quietly. "Everything is going to be fine. Trust me."

Nodding, Jenny turned her attention back to the ring, but this time she grabbed Mirai's hand. She had to watch as Piccolo incapacitated Goku even more, by breaking his knees and shooting a pointed ki-blast at his arm, and even stepping into the wound on his chest. ChiChi was crying openly next to her and the anger of the others was growing. But none of them could do anything. Only Jenny could do something, but as she took a step forward, Mirai held her back, shaking his head.

"You gave me a hard time, Son Goku," Piccolo said victoriously. "But now it's over. You'll die!"

With these words, Piccolo rose into the sky, preparing a ki-blast.

"Kill me!" Kami suddenly yelled. "Tenshinhan, kill me! Piccolo dies, when I die. And then you can bring me back with the Dragonballs."

"No!" Goku shouted weakly. "Don't… do it. I will… win."

"You will win?" Krillin cried confused. "How are you going to win? You're nuts!"

Jenny looked over at her father and as he lifted his head lightly, she saw the determination in his eyes. A determination that was now also mirrored in hers. Goku couldn't lose. Goku never lost. "He will," she said resolutely. "We won't kill you, Kami. Goku will end this."

"You're crazy," Kami muttered, but was resigned. There was no arguing with this look.

At this moment, Piccolo shot the ki-blast down at Goku. It was a much weaker blast than anything he had shown before, but in Goku's condition it would finish him. Jenny couldn't avert her eyes, still clutching Mirai's hand tightly, but she noticed that several others were looking away. The ki-blast collided with the ground in a huge explosion. Dust and sand was whirled up in the ring and when it passed, the ring was empty expect for another huge crater.

Piccolo landed near the crater, laughing victoriously. "Goku is dead!"

But then Jenny suddenly felt something. It was weak, really weak, and it was nowhere near the crater. Following her senses, Jenny looked up and gasped. This also caught the attention of Krillin and he followed her gaze. Suddenly his face broke out in a brilliant smile. "No! He's not!"

Now all the others were looking up, Piccolo included, and his eyes widened as he saw Goku flying directly towards him. He couldn't do anything in time, as Goku collided with him. He was thrown backwards and hit the ground behind him, unable to move anymore.

"Is he… is he out?" Goku asked weakly. Jenny saw that he was still in the ring, but Piccolo… Piccolo really was out! Goku had really won!

The referee tried for a moment to find the edge of the ring but eventually nodded. "Piccolo is out of the ring. This means that the champion of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai is Son Goku!"

Everyone started cheering again and Goku got a senzu. Jenny saw all his wounds immediately heal; there was not even a scar on his chest. However, Goku surprised everyone, when he stopped Kami from killing Piccolo and accused him of lying.

Much to his friends' surprise, Goku told them, "Kami created the Dragonballs. When he dies, the Dragonballs turn to stone."

Kami admitted that he was right, shocking everyone. They had all assumed that Piccolo could be safely killed and that they could then wish Kami back. While they were still discussing what to do about Piccolo, if they couldn't kill him, Goku shocked them one more time by giving Piccolo a senzu as well.

Piccolo immediately jumped up, threatening to train hard and then come back to destroy them all before disappearing.

"Will he come back?" Kami asked Jenny quietly, while the others were busy talking to Goku about this amazing fight.

Jenny grinned at him. "Oh yeah, he will. But you don't have to worry about that. It's all going to be okay. Just… there are two favors I have to ask you."

"What is it?" Kami looked confused at the seriousness and sadness in his voice.

"I've been thinking… about warning you about things that will happen in the future. Well, I've decided that there are two things you should know."

"What is it?"

"There… there will come a day when you'll have to fuse with Piccolo again. When he comes to you, don't hesitate too long. It could cost many lives." The expression on Kami's face was a shocked one, and he seemed to want to say something, but Jenny interrupted him. "And the second thing… In not even twenty years, a great evil will come to Earth. A magician by the name Babidi. He will come to awaken a terrible monster. Promise me that Babidi will be killed before this can happen."

Kami could see the desperation in her eyes and nodded. "I promise. Both things."

"Thank you…"

If Jenny wanted to say more, she didn't get the chance to it, as Yamcha came jogging over to them. "Hey! We all want to go back to the hotel to celebrate. Do you want to come along?"

"Sure," Jenny replied smiling.

* * *

The celebration at the hotel was great. There were tons of food, lots of talking and laughing. The others even turned a blind eye, when Jenny helped herself to some of the alcoholic beverages. With the great mood and with the help of the alcohol, Jenny often had to hold her sides, when Bulma, Yamcha and Krillin regaled her with stories about when they were still young. Their first hunt for the Dragonballs, the first wish and all that followed after.

Jenny really didn't regret entering the tournaments. Being almost one age with the others was great, because when they were still alive in her time, they had been her parents' friends, not her. She had still been too young, and even though Tenshinhan and Chao-zu were her friends in the future, it was great to see how they had been, when they had still been young.

"Now, please excuse us," Bulma suddenly said, taking Jenny's hand and pulling her up from her chair. "It's time for some girl time. Do you want to join us, Lunch, ChiChi?"

"No, you go," the now again dark-haired Lunch said with a friendly smile. "I think I'm going to head to bed soon. It's been a long day."

"I'll stay here, with Goku," ChiChi told them.

"Okay… then, come on, Saiya…"

Giggling – oh fuck, Jenny was feeling the alcohol a lot more than she had expected – Jenny and Bulma left the restaurant and went to the hotel's pool in the backyard. Bulma sat down on one of the deckchairs and motioned for Jenny to sit down next to her. Jenny took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh night air. After a nice hot shower, she had again changed into a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, so there were a few goosebumps on her arms from the cool air. "Mmh… this is nice…" Jenny sighed, closing her eyes.

"I know your real name," Bulma suddenly said without warning.

Jenny's eyes snapped open again and she now felt a lot more sober. "What did you say?"

Sighing, Bulma looked at Jenny. "I know that your real name is Jenny Son. Muten Roshi asked me to look into it, because he said that you looked really familiar and I've heard some of the others say that, too. So I hacked into the tournaments database and looked for your name. Don't you think that it's a pretty big coincidence that you not just look a lot like Goku, but also share the same last name?"

Wincing, Jenny berated herself for giving her real name at the registration. She hadn't planned on winning anyway, so she could have given any name. "Fuck…"

"You know, before I knew your name, Muten Roshi and I've speculated a bit. We thought that you could be a long lost sister, seeing as Goku was a foundling. None of us has ever figured out, who Goku's real parents are. But now, knowing your name, I realized that it isn't possible. Goku has gotten his last name from his grandfather Gohan, so if you were a sister, you wouldn't share the same name." Bulma sighed again, but this time more out of frustration. "The only possible solution is impossible. And yet, here you are. You are from the future, aren't you Jenny?"

"Yes," Jenny admitted quietly.

"So you are Goku's daughter?"

"Yes…" Her voice was even quieter now. She hoped that Bulma wouldn't ask more questions, questions she really didn't want to answer.

Bulma seemed to sense her discomfort and just said, "Thank you for being honest. But, I have one more question… Who built the time machine?"

Eyes twinkling slightly mischievously, Jenny told her, "My best friend's mom. She's a scientific genius."

This caused Bulma to grin, as she of course quickly figured out who she was talking about. Both persons. "Jenny, I'll leave you now… Someone else is waiting for his turn."

Jenny looked around, her eyes wide as her senses first now told her that Goku was standing in the shadows, waiting for them to finish. Inwardly, she was cursing loudly. How could she have been so careless? How couldn't she have noticed him?

Looking around, Jenny wondered if it would be of any use to flee, but it was too late. Goku was already walking towards her, having a very thoughtful look on his face. He seemed somewhat shocked, but who wouldn't be, if he overheard that his teenage daughter from the future was visiting. He sat down next to Jenny on the deckchair, fidgeting uncomfortably.

No one said anything for a long moment, until Goku suddenly said, "So… you're my daughter, huh?"

Sighing, Jenny forced herself to look up at Goku. His young face looked still so shocked, but also hopeful. "Yeah… seems like it."

Silence again, but shorter this time. "I'm sorry… for not trusting you."

Jenny snorted. This was just so typical for Goku. "Listen… you didn't know me. You just suddenly met someone who is much more powerful than you, so it was a perfectly natural reaction. That I didn't want to reveal my real identity didn't really help. So, it's okay."

"No, it didn't," Goku agreed, grinning slightly. "Can I ask you some questions?"

"You can try, but I can't promise that I'll answer. There are still many things I can't say."

"I understand. So, your name is Jenny… and you're seventeen?"

"Yes, that's right."

"When will you born? Do you have any siblings? How can it be that you are so incredibly powerful? I mean, when Piccolo released his huge energy wave, I felt your ki rise to such heights… I thought for a moment I was hallucinating," Goku suddenly rambled, having so many questions but not knowing which ones to ask. He still couldn't quite grasp the fact that it was his daughter sitting next to him. His daughter from the future!

"No comment to the first question, and to the second, I've got two brothers. Actually, I kinda warned ChiChi to take things slowly, when I talked to her earlier to today… But don't wait too long, okay? I kinda like my big brother." Goku nodded, grinning. Three kids! He couldn't wait to see her brothers with his own eyes. "And about the power… well, I can't tell you that. But believe me when I say that in a few years, what you sensed today will feel weak to you."

"Really?" Goku's eyes were sparkling with excitement. "So I'm going to train really hard and become even stronger! Amazing!"

Training… Always training… For some strange reason, Jenny suddenly felt tears in her eyes. She couldn't remember a time, when she had cried over this. If she remembered correctly, she had never cried about this. Not even when she had written this stupid paper.

Goku seemed to notice that something was wrong and was immediately alarmed, when Jenny – his daughter! – wiped something from her eyes. "Please," he suddenly begged, feeling slightly panicky. He couldn't deal with crying girls. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Tell me what's wrong? Is it something I did? Something I said?"

Jenny laughed bitterly. "It's something you haven't done yet."

"Then please tell me what it is, so that I can change it," he pleaded.

Jenny took a deep breath, wondering if she should really tell him, but in the end the bitterness and disappointment won. "You were never there," she whispered at first, but then continued with a stronger voice. "You were always training. You were almost never at home. You rather spent a year away to learn a new technique than stay with your family. You rather stayed dead to train in the Afterlife than go home to your devastated and _pregnant _wife and to your son! To your unborn children! I hate you, Son Goku! _I hate you!_"

Even though Goku was incredibly shocked by her words, he did the first thing that came to his mind. He wrapped his arms around his daughter and pulled her close. She resisted at first, but then went limp in his arms, first sobbing loudly and painfully and then growing quiet. Goku was soothingly rubbing her back, but didn't say anything until she was just quietly sniffing.

"I'm sorry," Goku whispered calmly. "If I… If I change my behavior now, will something change for you?"

He felt her shake her head against his chest. "No… when I came here, I created a different timeline. When I go home, everything will be the same."

"Then I'm sorry that I can't change what my other self has done to you… and his family. But I promise that I will do my best to not become that person. I can't promise that I won't train hard, but I'll try to be there for my family. Is that enough?"

"I know you can only try," Jenny whispered, slowly moving away from him. Thank god Vegeta hadn't seen her breakdown. He would never let it go. "It'll be difficult. Fighting is in our blood. I won't even make you promise to stop training. You'll have to be ready for many more threats, you have to get stronger, a lot stronger to defeat them. Just… don't let ChiChi and… your kids… suffer because of it?"

"I promise," Goku swore solemnly.

"Thank you…" Jenny replied, sounding relieved.

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah… Dende, I'm such a mess…"

"I would offer you a tissue, but unfortunately…"

"It's okay, Goku… You don't have to… Let's just… let's just sit for a while before we go back inside, okay?"

"Okay," Goku agreed with a soft smile. There were a lot of things he had to think about, a lot of things that he might have to change in his behavior. But for now, he would just silently enjoy the presence of his daughter next to him.

At least he now understood why she hadn't liked him in the beginning, when he had first met her yesterday.

* * *

"Are you really sure you don't want to leave after breakfast?" Mirai asked Jenny the next morning, while he was packing his last clothes into his bag.

She had been awfully quiet, when she had returned from outside last night – surprisingly for the others with Goku, though Mirai had already sensed that Goku was with her. When he had asked her in their room later, what had happened, Jenny had just told him that Goku knew the truth. But Mirai guessed that more had happened between them, because while Jenny had been very quiet, she had also seemed lighter than before. It seemed as if she had been able to vent some of her frustrations and disappointments on the younger Goku. Mirai felt a bit sorry for him, but maybe this Goku would do things differently than his counterpart.

"I mean, maybe you want to say goodbye to the others."

"Do you?" Jenny shot back with a small grin on his face. She had returned to the restaurant the previous night to find Bulma giving Mirai all of her attention and pestering him with questions about himself and his family, hoping to get some answers to her future without anyone noticing. Yamcha hadn't been amused having to watch his girlfriend hanging all over another guy.

"Nah, you're right… we've said our goodbyes last night…" Walking over to Jenny, he put his arms around her and hugged her. "Let's go home, Jenny."

"Yeah, let's go home."

* * *

_Alternate Timeline_

_Twenty years later_

"Daddy!"

Goku was smiling brightly, as a little whirlwind collided with him. "Hey there, my little Amazon," he greeted his daughter, as he picked her up and threw her onto his back. She was eight years old, but she still loved him, when he gave her piggy-back rides. A few years ago, he had made the mistake to call her Princess, and she had informed him with a no-nonsense voice that that she was a warrior and not a Princess, so he had chosen to call her Amazon instead. A much more fitting name for his little Super Saiyajin.

"How was your weekend with Uncle Krillin?" she asked eagerly.

"It was great! We hung out, sparred a bit, caught a lot of fish…" This caused her to grimace and Goku had to laugh. She really hated fish and everyone knew this. "But don't worry, Krillin kept it all."

His daughter heaved a huge and overly dramatic sigh of relief, "Thank Dende…"

"So, where are your brothers?"

"Gohan is over at Videl's… again," she told him with a wrinkled nose. "And Goten's got into huuuuge trouble with Trunks. They played a trick on 'Geta and now they're both grounded."

"You weren't by any chance involved in this prank, were you?"

Her blue eyes went wide, showing perfect – and most-likely false – innocence, "Meeee? Never!"

"Of course not!" Goku laughed again. His daughter might often seem like the most innocent member of the Trio from Hell, but Goku knew better. She might be daddy's little girl, but he wasn't so naïve to think that she was completely harmless. Now he would just need to get Goten out of his grounding, otherwise it wouldn't be fair. But then again, Goten seemed to have gotten caught, contrary to his daughter. "So, Jenny… tell me about your weekend!"

He could hear the grin in her voice, as she began to talk about everything she had done, but Goku had to admit that he was only half-listening. In moments like these, he often wondered how his other self from the other timeline could have not wanted this.

Of course, there had been moments, when Goku hadn't been sure what to do either. It had been a really hard decision to stay the year at Kaiosama's planet to train for the arrival of Vegeta and Nappa. But it's only been a year. Then, when he had to travel to Namek, he had asked ChiChi to join him, as he hadn't wanted to leave her again so soon, but she had declined, saying that it was too dangerous for her. It was a sad goodbye they had shared, but he had gone alone. Unfortunately, after the planet had been destroyed, Goku had crashed into Yadrat. He left the planet again as soon as possible and used the newly learned technique the moment he could feel his friends' kis on Earth to return home. Months before Frieza and Cold had appeared, much to Mirai Trunks's surprise, when he had finally appeared.

Oh yeah, now he finally knew who his future daughter's best friend was. He couldn't wait for Mirai to return to Earth, when his own daughter was that age, so that he could see this friendship develop again.

While Goku had trained hard for the Jinzoningens arrival, he had done this on Earth and came home to his wife each night like a husband who was going to work instead of going to train. It worked out well for them.

And then there was Cell. He had been forced to sacrifice himself to save the planet – though it had been in vain, as Gohan had been forced to destroy Cell after all – and Kaiosama had offered him to spend the Afterlife fighting against the universe's best warriors. He had already died once and couldn't be brought back to life by the Earth's Dragonballs again, so Goku had almost resigned himself to this fate, but then Krillin asked about the Namek Dragonball and he had jumped at the chance.

His friends had used the second wish to bring them to Namek, where they quickly gathered the Dragonballs and wished Goku back to life, before using another wish to bring them back to Earth. It had been so easy and Goku wondered, why his other self had never thought of this. This would have spared everyone a lot of pain, especially as this was the moment his future daughter had talked about. Sometime during the days before the tournament, ChiChi had become pregnant – with twins.

Eight months later, they were born, a bit prematurely but healthy. ChiChi almost hadn't made it, but Goku had been lucky that he had had senzus at home, so she had survived. It had been later that night that Goku had told her about Saiya's true identity.

The next great threat had arrived seven years later - one year ago. They had decided to watch the Tenkaichi Budokai – not participate, as it wouldn't have been fair – when they had been approached by the Kaioushin and he had told them about the magician Babidi and the demon Buu. Piccolo had gotten a weird look on his face and then stated firmly that Babidi needed to be destroyed, much to the Kaioushin's surprise, who kept reminding them that Babidi wasn't the problem, but Buu. Piccolo, however, wouldn't budge. Goku had just looked at him and asked, "Saiya?" When Piccolo had just nodded, it was all Goku had needed to know. Babidi would be their first target.

They had left the tournament immediately. Gohan had gotten the task to take care of Darbura, while the others entered the spaceship. They didn't hesitate. While Gohan was fighting and successfully defeating Darbura in the Southwest Forest, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, the Kaioushin and Kibito blasted their way through the spaceship. Babidi never had the chance to react, as Piccolo pulverized him.

Fortunately, since Buu hadn't been at full strength, when they had attacked his egg and freed him, he was just a bit stronger than Cell, but nothing compared to their combined power. They destroyed every last particle of him, so that he would never be able to recover. Buu was history before he could do any damage.

They had been living in peace since then and Goku still enjoyed every moment he was spending with his family.

"Daaaaaddy? Are you even listening to me?" Jenny asked pouting.

"Sorry, little Amazon," Goku apologized. "I've just been thinking how happy I am to have all of you in my life. I really love you, all of you."

"I love you, too, daddy," Jenny mumbled, hugging his neck tightly.

Looking up at the blue sky, Goku hoped that someday, his future daughter would find it in herself to forgive his other self for his mistakes, because nothing warmed a father's heart more than to hear his children tell him that they loved him.

_Good luck, Jenny,_ he thought. _I hope you'll find happiness in your time_.

* * *

**A/N2: Whew… this chapter really took a mind of its own, while I was writing it, so that's why it's soo long. I tried to keep the fights that we all already know short, but then other idea popped into my head and this is the result. And I hadn't planned to give a glimpse of that past's future at first, but then it just came to me as well… Ah well, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter anyway. So please leave a small review, will ya? :) Unfortunately, I'll now have to go back to work on Monday, so the next chapter will once again take some time.**


	75. Part III: Learning to live again

**A/N: Okay, took me some time, but it's once again an extra long chapter! I once again divided it into different sub-chapters. I hope you'll like it!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 74: Learning to live again**

_The Advice_

Things were finally starting to return to normal at Capsule Corporation after Jenny and Mirai had gotten back from the past. Vegeta was loath to admit it, but the boy had been right with his notion that the trip might help the girl. It wasn't hard to notice that she seemed even happier now, but none of the brats told him anything about their visit. Well, whatever had happened to make the girl feel even better than before, he was okay with it. How couldn't he be, after having been forced to see her suffer for such a long time?

And one of the best things was that she was training with him again. It was about time, really. Ever since the girl had lost her friends, she had trained either alone or, after he had arrived to their time, with the boy. Ever since the day that the gravity room had blown up and the girl had lost her friends Vegeta had been forced to train alone, and without the added effect of the raised gravity, he had realized that his training simply wasn't as efficient as it would be with a proper sparring partner. But now she was back and Vegeta really couldn't be happier about this. Not that he was showing this, of course, but he guessed that the brat could tell, if just by the almost constant smirk on his face.

Vegeta had missed having a sparring partner. No, that wasn't really it, though that was also true. Vegeta had missed sparring with her. He had missed the playful banter that usually accompanied their training sessions. Simply put, he had missed the girl she had been before everything had gone to hell a bit more than one year ago. However, she was now slowly coming back.

Oh yes, he was enjoying their training sessions. He enjoyed sparring with her. He enjoyed putting her through her paces, forcing her to go to her limits. Sure, she was cursing and grumbling about being constantly sore, but that's what she got for slacking off in the first place. The past year had taken its toll on her body. During her war against the Red Ribbon Army it hadn't been noticeable, as she had never had to go full out, but the decline of her body, the extreme loss of weight, and her destructive training habits – when she had trained - had weakened her. She might be a Super Saiyajin, she might have reached the second level, but both forms were weak compared to what they could be.

And Vegeta would make sure that the girl would once again reach her full potential, no matter how much she complained about their training. He didn't take her complains seriously, anyway, as he could clearly see that the girl was enjoying the training too much.

However, the hard training had one downside. The girl's appetite still wasn't back to its Saiyajin standards, which meant that she was not eating enough to make up for burning all the calories during training. The bit of weight she had regained in the past few weeks was slowly melting away again. Sure, her appetite was steadily, though slowly, growing, but it still wasn't enough to stop her from losing any more weight.

Just… what could he do about it? Vegeta understood that after having been deprived of the normal helpings for so long, her stomach needed a lot of time to get used to the old amount of food, so he couldn't force-feed her. This would only result in the girl getting sick and throwing up. Which wouldn't help the situation at all.

There just had to be a way to make sure that the girl got the energy she needed to continue gaining weight, or at least so that she wouldn't lose anymore pounds. If it went on like this, he would either have to cut back on her training, something which he would really hate to do, or she would become weaker again despite the training. Neither of these two possibilities was very appealing.

Vegeta had been thinking about this problem for a couple of days, ever since he had started to notice that the girl was once again getting thinner, and it had only been after he had reluctantly talked to the boy, that they had decided what to do. Once again, it had been the boy's idea, though it actually wasn't really an idea at all, but his suggestion had merit and they both hoped that it would work.

Well, if it hadn't been for the girl having given him a firm lecture about his treatment of the boy the day after they had come back from the past, Vegeta might not have gone to him with his concerns at all. But in the end Vegeta had had to realize that talking to him, bouncing ideas back and forth, all the time dismissing a lot of them and only considering a few of them, was the best thing he could have done. Otherwise he still wouldn't have any idea how to approach the girl's problem.

...

"You wanted to talk?" Jenny asked warily, as she sat down in the kitchen across from Vegeta, cradling a steaming mug of hot chocolate in her hands. She was a bit nervous, hoping that she hadn't done anything wrong, or that he wasn't angry with her for having become such a weak fighter. But most of all she was afraid that Vegeta had noticed what the hard training was doing to her body and that he would stop training her now, when she was again enjoying fighting so much. The fact that Vegeta had made her hot chocolate only seemed to indicate that, whatever his reason for wanting to talk to her was, it was serious.

Nodding, Vegeta leaned a bit forward, looking at the girl imploringly. He saw the worry in her eyes, this bit of fear, how she subconsciously bit down on her lower lip, and knew that she was aware of the reason why they were both here. "You've lost weight again."

Jenny flinched slightly, but sighed. "Yeah…"

"How much since we started training again?"

Lowering her eyes, Jenny mumbled, "In the past three weeks? About six pounds."

Vegeta had feared as much. At first glance, six pounds didn't seem like much, about two pounds per week, but as thin as she was, even those six pounds were too much. And if they continued like this, it would be even more. "Do you have any idea what we could do about it?"

Jenny shook her head, but still answered, "I don't know… But please, please don't stop training me. I know that I'm always complaining, but training feels good. Just like old times. I need this."

"I know…" The sigh that escaped Vegeta's lip was almost inaudible, and he closed his eyes for a brief moment, before he said, "Still, it can't go on like this. Losing weight makes you even weaker. It isn't healthy. As much as I hate to do this, we're going to cut back on your training. Your health is more important. However," he continued, when he saw that the girl was going to say something to interrupt him, "There's another thing I'd like you to do. Go to the hospital, to that doctor who patched you up after you were shot, and ask him what you can do to increase your intake of calories without straining your stomach until you get used to eating the normal amount of food for a Saiyajin."

"Sure, I'm gonna do that," Jenny replied, nodding eagerly. Anything to train again. It was kind of ironic… Just a bit more than three weeks ago, Jenny had refused to train and to fight, but now she couldn't live without it. It really made her happy and she needed it. "I still need to return that arm sling, anyway, though you can't use it anymore."

...

The very same day, Jenny went to the hospital. Mirai had offered to accompany her, making Jenny realize that it hadn't been solely Vegeta's idea to ask her to see doctor Menzel. How else would her best friend know where she was going, especially since she hadn't told him? However, Jenny had waved him off, inwardly happy that Vegeta was starting to change his behavior towards his son from the future, and told him that this was something she had to do alone.

She was still recovering from everything, though she was really a lot better than just a few weeks ago, and returning to the hospital was just one more step that she had to take. Not so long ago, she might have needed her friend's support to go through with this, but now Jenny was feeling strong enough to do this on her own.

Still, her heart was starting to beat a bit faster, as she spotted the entrance to the hospital, and she had half a mind to turn around and go back to Capsule Corporation, where it was safe, where it was just her, Vegeta and Mirai. Telling herself firmly that she wasn't a coward, Jenny quickly covered the remaining distance and stepped into the cool foyer of the hospital.

The reception desk was just ahead. Jenny had to swallow hard, when she recognized the elderly nurse sitting there – it was the same one who had taken care of Mirai the night of the attack and who had then later made it her personal goal to mother Jenny, while she had been restricted to her hospital room. For a moment Jenny had hoped that it would be someone who didn't know her, but on the other hand, asking someone who knew about her situation to see the doctor would be a lot less problematic.

The nurse was looking at the computer screen, as she was obviously working on a patient's folder that was lying next to the keyboard, so Jenny had to clear her throat to get the elderly woman's attention. "Uhm… excuse me, please?"

Recognizing the voice, the nurse looked up immediately, her eyes wide when she took in the girl in front of her. "Jenny?" she asked, almost in disbelief upon seeing the once so grievously injured girl. The left arm, the one the girl shouldn't be able to use, was raised in a small, shy wave.

"Yeah, it's me… Hey…"

"Oh my god…" The nurse appeared to be speechless for a moment, before she suddenly began to ramble. "How are you? Your arm… You look…"

Jenny gave her a small, slightly amused smile. "My arm and shoulder are doing great. Everything's fully healed… thanks to some unconventional medicine I still had at home."

"That's good to hear, dear," the nurse said, taking her explanation in stride and returning the girl's smile. "Then, if you don't have any problems with your arm, how can I help you?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask if doctor Menzel is in? There's something I've gotta ask him."

"You're lucky… He's in, but he's taking a break right now. However, I'm sure he'll want to see you right away, break or not. Come on, dear, I'm going to take you to him." The nurse got up and turned to her colleague on the other side of the desk, "Cynth, please take over for me. I'll be back soon. Now, let's go, dear."

"'kay…"

Jenny followed the elderly woman along the maze of corridors until they were standing in front of a door with the doctor's name on it. "This is his office. He usually takes his breaks here." She knocked at the door and after hearing a faint 'Come in, please', the nurse opened it and stuck her head inside. "I'm sorry to disturb you in your break, doctor Menzel, but there's a former patient who would really like to see you."

Jenny heard a quiet sigh, before the doctor said, "Alright, Karin, please send her in."

Winking at Jenny, nurse Karin told her, "Go ahead, dear, and surprise him. If you need me, I'm back at the reception desk."

"Thanks…" Jenny told her with a sincere smile, before pushing the door open and stepping inside the office. "Hey doc, long time no see."

The doctor looked at her for a moment with clear disbelief shining in his eyes, before he finally muttered, "Sweet Kami! Jenny! How are you?"

"I'm great," Jenny replied. "Actually, one reason why I'm here is to return this." She rummaged in her bag for a moment before she found the torn arm sling. Walking up to him, she handed it to him with her left hand, which left him stunned that she was able to use it again. "I don't need this any longer… though I don't think that anyone will be able to use it anymore. It got destroyed by accident. Sorry."

"What...? How…? Your shoulder…? _How?_"

Grinning, Jenny sat down on the chair on the other side of the desk. "Long story short: There once was a being that was the only one capable of growing a kind of bean that could heal every injury as long as you weren't dead. Unfortunately this being was killed by Buu and so the ration of these beans slowly dwindled. Everyone thought that there was not one left, but no one knew that I still had one for emergencies. So, when I got home, I took it and my shoulder was healed completely."

"A bean? That could heal injuries?" Doctor Menzel asked dumbfounded, but then he realized who was sitting in front of him – a young girl who was half alien – and just shook it off. Who knew what else was out there? "Why didn't you take it before? I mean, it could have spared you a lot of pain."

Jenny sighed, having known that this question would come. "The existence of this bean was meant to be a surprise for my enemies. They were watching me and I wanted to take them unawares. The day after you released me, I fought them. They thought that I was weak, too injured to fight, but they hadn't realized that I had recovered completely. Not even Vegeta and Mirai knew about this bean or that I had taken it directly before the fight…"

"The day after…" Suddenly the doctor let out a quiet, humorless laugh and then whispered, "I should've known it. You're the Lost Warrior."

"I _was_ the Lost Warrior," Jenny corrected him just as quietly. "I've buried her and have started a new life. I'm still recovering from the past year, but I'm slowly getting there…"

"I see…" the doctor mumbled thoughtfully, but then suddenly a spark lit up his eyes. "Jenny… do you mind… if I examine your shoulder? Take an X-ray maybe? Just to make sure that really everything has healed completely. After all, as your doctor it's my duty to make sure that you're won't be having any problems later."

Jenny laughed. "Sure, go ahead. I've got time."

Excited as a small kid on Christmas morning, the doctor asked Jenny to remove her shirt so that he could examine her. Already from checking the possible movements of her left arm and carefully prodding the shoulder blade, doctor Menzel knew that the girl was right. This magical bean had healed her shoulder completely. But just to be sure, he took an X-ray, which just proved what he had already found out.

Jenny was still grinning, as she put on her shirt again, when the doctor was finished with his very throughout examination. He had even shown her both X-rays – the one from directly after the accident and the one now. For the first time Jenny saw the extensive damage that had been done and was once again very grateful for the emergency senzu. Without it, she would truly be a cripple.

However, there still appeared to be one thing that was confusing the doctor, and Jenny asked him about it. "It's your scars," he said thoughtfully. "The bean has healed everything except for the scars of the entrance and exit wound… How can that be?"

"The answer is actually pretty easy," Jenny told him with a quiet sigh. "As you know, scars are wounds that have healed. The wounds had already been healed completely before I took the bean, so it didn't see it as a wound that needed to be repaired. It's the same with all my other scars. They're all still there, too."

"That… makes sense. Though it's sad that you'll have to live with your scars for the rest of your life."

"Actually… it's better this way," Jenny said confidently. "They'll always be there to remind me of my mistakes. And hopefully keep me from repeating them."

Silence settled over them for a moment, each of them lost in their thoughts, until the doctor suddenly said, "You said that returning the sling was one thing for coming to see me. I guess this means that there's a second reason?"

Giving him a wry smirk, Jenny said, "You're very observant."

"All part of the job description," doctor Menzel replied grinning. "So, how can I help you, Jenny?"

Jenny took a deep breath and sighed. "As you've already pointed out during my stay here at the hospital and probably noticed again during your examination, my weight is probably not what you call healthy. In the past year, I've suffered from a huge loss of appetite, which resulted in losing a lot of weight. Now, during my recovery, I've started to regain some of that lost weight… until I started training again three weeks ago. Now it's again going downhill and we don't know how to stop it without stopping training again. The problem is that I'm still not able to eat as much as I should – you should know that we usually are able to put away huge amounts of food. Now… after training… I'm often starving, but after about half of what I'm supposed to be able to eat, I'm starting to feel sick. We don't know what to do… so that I can train _and_ gain weight. Vegeta's already told me that we're going to cut back on my training and I really _hate_ that. Training… fighting… is one of the few things that make me truly happy."

Doctor Menzel looked at her, just looked at her for a very long moment, before he eventually nodded, seemingly relieved. "First… it's good to hear that you're clearly not anorexic. I've got to admit that this was one of the things I was worried about, when you were staying here. Now… I see your problem and I believe I've got some ideas that could help you."

"Really?" Jenny asked hopefully.

"I'm a doctor, remember?" he reminded her teasingly. "But you won't like everything I've got to tell you. First, your father was right. While I can't expect you to stop training fully, I want you to cut back just like he said. At least until you can again eat as much as you used to. You need to understand that to gain weight you have to have to consume more calories than you use."

"Okay…" she grumbled, but understood what he was saying.

"Now you need to eat regularly and healthily. Eat well-balanced 'mini' meals throughout the day. In your case it would be best to eat whenever you feel hungry, but just enough to satisfy your stomach without getting sick. Track your daily calories. I don't know how your metabolism works, but you have to figure out how many calories you need to get through a normal day and then consume more than that amount. It's trial and error, but I'm confident that you and your family can figure it out quickly."

"Eat mini meals and track calories. Check. But what should I eat? Whenever I hear the word 'healthy', I think of vegetables."

Doctor Menzel laughed lightly at the face that Jenny made. "Actually, while vegetables are often nutritious, they're also low in calories and you would have to eat a massive amount of them to gain any substantial weight. What you need to eat is food that is nutritious and high in calories. For example fresh fruits, nuts, cheeses and creams as well as complex carbs like whole grains, pasta, cereals, beans and potatoes. Though with your background I wouldn't say no to you eating some chocolate now and then either. If you're not feeling hungry, you can also drink fruit juices and I can give you some recipes for high calorie smoothies and shakes."

Nodding enthusiastically, Jenny said, "Sounds good… And not too difficult. I think I can do that. Any more tips?"

"Basically just one. If it doesn't work at once, don't lose hope. As I said, you need to figure out how many calories you need to gain weight. And I'm sure that once you get used to those 'mini' meals, your appetite will increase as well. It might take some time, but you'll eventually be able to eat your old helpings."

"Good…" Jenny immediately felt the relief upon his statement and the hope that things would go back to normal eventually. She just hated the fact that she needed to be patient, especially as she wasn't really known for possessing this trait.

Jenny and the doctor spent some more time just talking about unimportant stuff, after he had given her some brochures with information and the promised recipes, until they were interrupted by his pager which told him that an emergency had just come in. Doctor Menzel apologized profusely for having to leave, but Jenny just waved him off. Injured or sick persons were after all more important than a former patient.

"It was good to see you again, Jenny. And to see that your injuries have healed completely," he said, as he was shaking her hand. "And I hope that I could help you with your problem."

"Yeah, it was good to see you, too. I should have probably come sooner to tell you that my shoulder is okay again… but thanks for your advice. And now go, save some more lives."

He just laughed and squeezed her shoulder, before he ran off to his emergency.

Jenny was smiling brightly, as she left the hospital, hopeful that everything would work out.

* * *

_Normal Life_

Jenny's new diet was working! Okay, at first, for the first nine days there was no change – she had actually lost another pound two days after her visit at the hospital, but then, when she had weighed herself again one week later, she had gained one pound! Sure, it was slow going and Jenny absolutely hated the fact that she was now only training in the mornings and was banned from doing anything strenuous in the afternoons. But it was working and Jenny couldn't be happier about it. Her appetite even seemed to pick up a bit with her new eating behavior and she hoped that soon she would be able to start training more again.

However, the free afternoons gave her the possibility to start working on the spaceship whenever the three scientists needed her help. It wasn't as often as she wanted, as most of the heavy lifting was done and it was down to the finishing touches, where she couldn't help. While she was pretty handy with a screwdriver and other tools, what the scientists were doing now was something she had no idea of.

Boredom was already starting to drive her crazy after three afternoons of doing nothing, so she was delighted when Mirai suddenly dragged her out of the house and into town. She hadn't really been out and about like this since the destruction of the Red Ribbon Army and she had tried to talk Mirai out of it, but the prospect of fleeing the mind numbing boredom eventually convinced her to at least give it a try.

Jenny didn't regret it.

She and Mirai spent the day hanging around in town, going to the mall, eating ice cream and going to the movies – which was something Mirai had to really fight her to do, considering what had happened the last time she had wanted to go to the movies, but in the end they had a lot of fun, because the movie was so bad that they couldn't stop laughing.

They had a really great time and so, whenever Jenny was starting to get bored at Capsule Corporation, she and Mirai went out together. They always did something different – going to the zoo, to the amusement park, flying around and even playing small pranks on other people.

Saturday night was once again spent at Tenshinhan's, only now Jenny wasn't going there alone, but took Mirai along with her. Although he had first tried to make her go alone, as it was Jenny's night with them and not his, but Jenny could be very convincing when she wanted to be. Especially if she made Tenshinhan, Chao-zu and Suki gang up on him. And now he was a part of their little Saturday night gathering.

Mirai had never seen Jenny laugh as much as in the weeks since they had returned to the present. He loved hearing her laugh and see the genuine smile on her face. He loved that she was now finally happy again. The moments when her smile slipped and she was dragged into depression became fewer and fewer and whenever he noticed that her mood seemed to worsen, he took her out into town or someplace else.

Mirai found himself looking really forward to their little outings, to spending some time with her, be it having fun or just hanging out. If he was honest with himself, he had been a bit worried that she wouldn't want him around anymore, now that she basically didn't need him anymore to cheer her up. But he really needn't have worried. On the contrary, Jenny seemed to want him around more now, enjoying his company as much as he was enjoying hers.

For the first time in his life, Mirai knew what it meant to have a best friend. Not even Gohan had been able to fill this gap, as he had been so much older and more a mentor than a friend.

For the first time in his life, Mirai knew how it felt to just be a young man, to be just normal. Being with Jenny gave him this possibility. Maybe they were both just hiding for the moment, but with both their pasts being so dark, it was time that they dragged each other up into the light. They both deserved this.

As the time they spent together passed, Mirai realized that this was the reason why his mother had sent him into the past. She had wanted him to find this. Friendship. Happiness.

Sighing, Mirai leaned back on his bed and put the book he had been trying to read aside. It was Thursday night, a bit after ten o'clock, and he wasn't very tired yet. Well, he supposed he could sleep, if he switched off the light, but lately his mind had been filled with thoughts about his future, ever since he had realized that he had found what his mother had wanted him to find in the past.

But what to do now about this? Even if his mother wanted him to, he couldn't stay here forever. Mirai had originally planned to stay until the spaceship was finished and then return to his own timeline when Jenny and his father travelled to New Namek. Whenever he thought about this now, however, he began to fight with this decision. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to go to New Namek with them. He wanted to stay in this time with Jenny… and even his father now that his behavior towards him was changing for the better.

Mirai grinned wryly. He wondered what Jenny had said to him.

However, the grin quickly slipped from his face, as he remembered why he should return to his timeline. His mom, ChiChi and the others he had left behind. Mirai felt guilty that he would leave them just so that he could stay here. He couldn't leave his mom. He couldn't leave ChiChi. They had already lost everyone else with no way to bring them back.

Jenny, on the other hand, would get everyone back. She would have her brothers back and his other self. Then she wouldn't need him anymore. And he could return home.

There was no other way. When Jenny and Vegeta travelled to New Namek, Mirai would return to his own timeline.

A place that he somehow couldn't call home anymore. Because his heart wasn't there anymore.

"Miraiiiiiii!" Jenny's whining voice tore him out of his depressing thoughts, bringing a small smile to his face, as she threw the door to his room open and plopped down on the bed next to him. "I'm boooooored!"

"And what do you want me to do about this?"

"I dunno! Something! Anything!"

Chuckling, Mirai got up from the bed and walked over to his closet with Jenny's curios eyes following him, as he pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans and a black T-shirt.

"What are you doing?" she asked, as he pulled off the grey T-shirt he was wearing.

"I'm getting changed, and you should, too. We can't go out looking like this."

His grey T-shirt landed in Jenny's face, as he threw it at her. With a light scowl on her face, she pulled it away and dropped it to the floor. "Go out? Where?"

"I've heard of this club. Ladies don't have to pay an entrance fee, provided they come until eleven o'clock. Which gives us exactly… forty-one minutes to get ready and get there, or else you'll have to pay."

"Neat!" Jenny exclaimed, jumping off from the bed. "I'll meet you downstairs in ten!"

Shaking his head in amusement, Mirai turned his attention back to getting changed. As he pulled off the sweatpants and exchanged them for the jeans, he sighed, once again remembering that in probably just a few months, he would leave Jenny and this life behind forever.

Mirai really needed a drink.

...

The club was surprisingly full for a Thursday night. There were many young people, around their ages, for which Mirai was glad. He had been a bit afraid that they would have to deal with _children_. Glancing down at Jenny, as she took everything around them in with wide excited eyes, he suddenly realized that Jenny could very well be one of those children. He often forgot how young she really was – seventeen. The same age he had been, when he had travelled to the past for the first time.

Other young people at that age were still so childish, so irresponsible… It was easy to see the difference, because while Jenny could act her age, she was actually so much more mature. Losing everyone, first her family and then a few years later her best friends, and then waging war against a whole army, had forced her to grow up before it was time. Just like he had been forced to.

So it was good for them to just get out and relax once in a while. Neither of them had really lived for such a long time, so they needed to relearn to have fun. Mirai remembered with a wry grin how his mother had told him that he would become a hermit, if he didn't go out. If he hadn't met Jenny, well, he might very well be one by now.

"You wanna take a look around?" Mirai shouted over the heavy bass of the music. They were currently standing in the main hall of the club and a DJ was playing rave music. In the flashing colorful light, people were dancing to the music on the dance floor. To their right at the wall was the bar and at the other walls, placed around the dance floor, were bar tables with stools.

Jenny nodded eagerly and so they went about exploring the club. It was divided into three areas on two floors. The great main hall was on the first floor and on the second floor there was one smaller room with quiet music and cozy sitting areas and another small hall, where they played some hip-hop.

According to the posters all around the club, the DJ in the main hall usually played the actual charts while there was always a theme in the hall upstairs. It could be different music styles and sometimes they even had a band playing there.

"And what now?" Jenny yelled, once they were again back down in the main hall. It was really too loud to talk normally, but talking wasn't really on the mind of the other clubbers. Most of them were on the dance floor or at the bar… and a lot of couples were busy doing quite different things.

Turning her eyes away from one particularly _busy_ couple, Jenny looked at Mirai again, expecting an answer. He shrugged. "How about a drink?"

All Jenny understood was the word 'drink', but this got the message along. Nodding, she took his hand into her own and dragged him over to the bar. Luckily just at this moment two barstools directly next to each other were vacated and the two friends quickly claimed them. There was a list of available drinks directly above the shelves holding various bottles and Jenny studied it carefully, biting her lower lip.

The last time she had gotten drunk, she had almost died. And yet she really wanted to experience this alcohol induced feeling again. She and Mirai had had so much fun, though they had been so silly. It would be nice to feel like this again. But would Mirai allow it? And what would Vegeta say? Didn't Vegeta almost kill Mirai when he had found out that Mirai had allowed her to get drunk?

"Jenny? What do you want to drink?"

Jenny had been so deep in thoughts that she hadn't realized that Mirai had already ordered his drink and that the barkeeper was now waiting for her to say what she wanted. "Uhm…" Giving Mirai a quick side glance, she more asked than said, "A Rum and Coke?"

Much to her surprise the barkeeper didn't want to see an ID, but she quickly pushed that thought aside, as she once again looked at Mirai. He returned her gaze, but she didn't see anything in his eyes that might tell her what he thought about her choice of drink.

"You okay?" he asked her worried, when he saw that she was again chewing on her lower lip and looking almost a bit afraid.

Nodding lightly, she sighed. "Are you? I mean… okay with what I want to drink?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Mirai raised an eyebrow. When she quickly averted his gaze, he sighed as well. "Listen, Jenny. I'm not going to judge you. The last time… things went bad. But that was only because you had killers after you. But they're all gone now. Nothing is going to happen. And you know that I'll always have your back."

"Thanks, Mirai…" Jenny mumbled and before she could say more, they both got their drinks. The barkeeper charged the check cards they had gotten at the entrance with the drinks before turning his attention to other customers.

They didn't talk as they both emptied their first glass, and also not the second one. Jenny slowly started to feel the pleasant buzz of the alcohol and when they had both finished their third glass – Jenny had no idea what it was that Mirai was drinking – she suddenly grabbed his hand. He looked at her startled and she started to grin.

"Come on, let's dance!"

"What? No!" Mirai announced quickly, a slightly panicky look in his eyes. "I can't dance!"

"Me too! But whatever! I wanna dance and so we're gonna dance!"

Before he could do anything to stop her, Mirai found himself being dragged rather forcefully on the dance floor where Jenny began immediately began to move to the beat of the music. Mirai had to admit that even though she said that she couldn't dance, she was moving to the music really well. In the flashing light he could see that her eyes were closed, completely immersed in the music. It kind of reminded him of the times when she was training with her swords while listening to music.

As he began to move as well, Mirai just hoped that he wouldn't look like a total spaz next to her.

_..._

_Sweet Dende, I'm NEVER gonna drink again_, was the first thought that was running through Jenny's mind when she woke up the next morning. Her head was pounding, her tongue felt as if it had grown fur over night and her stomach clearly said that it didn't want to have anything to eat at the moment – or maybe never again.

Jenny decided at this very moment of waking up that she hated hangovers.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," a way too cheerful Mirai strode into her room and opened the curtains, allowing the bright sunlight to stream right at her.

Squeezing her eyes shot, Jenny took deep breaths as the pounding in her head intensified tenfold. "Get out," she grumbled, trying to hide from the sun under her blanket, but Mirai would have none of it and pulled it away.

"Get up and take a shower. You'll feel better afterwards. Oh, and you should take one of these." He pointed to the two white pills and the glass of water on her nightstand. "I put it there last night, knowing you would need it this morning. I'll see you downstairs!"

Still grumbling, Jenny followed Mirai's advice and swallowed the pain killers before taking a long shower. He was right, she did feel slightly better afterwards, though her stomach still wouldn't cooperate. But the headache had lessened and Jenny didn't think anymore that she would never drink again. She had had way too much fun last night.

Downstairs Jenny was dismayed to not only find Mirai waiting for her, but Vegeta as well. He was looking at her with a knowing smirk playing on his lips, as he pushed a glass with an unidentifiable drink towards her.

"What's this?" she asked, wrinkling her nose as she took in the weird smell.

"Hangover drink," Vegeta explained.

Warily Jenny raised the glass to her lips and took a small sip. Immediately, she felt a lot greener than before. This tasted horribly! "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Drink," Vegeta just said. "It may smell and taste terrible, but it works. Trust me."

With a deep, defeated sigh, Jenny quickly downed the rest of the drink. She stared at the table for a few minutes afterwards, taking deep breaths through her nose to keep from throwing up, but she quickly noticed that her stomach began to feel a lot less queasy and that the headache was lessening even more.

"What's in there?" Jenny asked, when she finally felt that she could open her mouth without being in any danger of being sick.

Still smirking, Vegeta replied, "Believe me. You don't want to know." However, the smirk vanished, as he became serious. "Listen, brat. I may not like it that the boy got you drunk – _again_ – but I know that you're now old enough to decide for yourself what you want. In less than half a year you're going to be of age. If there's something you want to do and I don't like it, I can still tell you my opinion, but it's your decision if you want to listen to me or not. So, if you want to go out again like last night, I won't stop you."

"Thanks, Vegeta," Jenny told him with a soft smile.

"And now, get some food into your stomach and then meet me outside. It's time for your training."

Groaning, Jenny let her head fall on the table. How was she ever going to survive Vegeta's training in her current state?

* * *

_The Date_

Over the next few weeks time flew. To their already fast routine Mirai and Jenny added going to the club every Thursday night. And each time they had a lot of fun. What Jenny liked most was that the more she got used to drinking, the smaller her hangover was. Not that she was always getting totally drunk – more often just a small buzz was enough. However, already after a few weeks she barely felt anything except for a slight headache and queasy stomach, whenever she had drunk too much, but otherwise she was fine enough to function normally through the day. And whenever it was worse, she had Vegeta's miracle cure to help.

As it was, she and Mirai were getting even closer, their friendship becoming so strong that Jenny couldn't even imagine living without seeing and talking to him anymore. However, as time passed, Jenny also noticed that he kept giving her strange looks and more and more often had a faraway look on his face. However, whenever she asked him about it, he just waved her off.

It was one day towards the end of September that Jenny got the first hint about what might be wrong with Mirai. While she was working with the three scientists on the spaceship – Mirai had been forced to train with Vegeta this afternoon – Kimi had suddenly asked her, "Hey Jenny! Where's your boyfriend by the way?"

For a split second, Jenny hadn't known, who Kimi had been talking about, until she suddenly did. Blushing furiously she had denied vehemently that Mirai was her boyfriend, explaining that he was just her best friend and nothing more.

However, on the way home, she began to really think about it. This wasn't actually the first time that someone had assumed that she and Mirai were a couple. There had been a few girls at the club, complaining that she had gotten the _hottie_ and even when they were in the past, almost everyone had thought that they were together.

And the more she thought about it, the more she wondered. Was it normal for friends to be this close? Had she been this close to Mailin and Damian? Jenny honestly couldn't remember. It felt like it was such a long time ago, when it was just a bit more than one and a half years. She had never shared a bed with either of them, at least not like she did with Mirai. Now that she thought about it, Jenny realized how often they were holding hands or cuddling without even noticing it. Wasn't this more something that couples did?

Jenny tried to compare what she was feeling to Mirai to what she had felt for Cam – and came up empty. There was no way to compare these two feelings. Everything was just different. She was a completely different person now and didn't even know if she could even feel this anymore. She only knew that she didn't want to miss Mirai in her life anymore, that he was a part of it. She needed him like she needed to breathe or eat. He had been her pillar of strength for so long now, he knew her better than anyone, better even than Mailin and Damian or even Cam had.

No, Jenny was sure that she had never been as close to anyone as she was to Mirai.

When she reached the compound Mirai and Vegeta were already back from their training and much to her surprise, Mirai looked a bit frazzled, barely noticing her as he walked past her with just a "Hey" as greeting. But even just getting to look at him for such a short moment made Jenny see that her best friend – was he really just that? – was pretty handsome. And he was a fighter. And part Saiyajin. There couldn't be a better match for her than him, right?

...

Mirai didn't know what to think. One moment he had been training with Vegeta, and the next his father had called him out on his weird behavior, especially the past couple of days. Mirai hadn't known how to tell his father that he was fighting with himself about whether he should return home to his timeline or not, but before he could utter a word, Vegeta had firmly told him to "Finally make a move."

"What do you mean?" Mirai had asked him, completely clueless. Was his father trying to tell him to go back to his timeline?

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta had explained, almost as if talking to a small child, "Stop moping around and talk to her. If you're afraid of what I'm going to do, I'll tell you not to worry. You're far better suited for her than any of these low humans out there."

"What?" he had sputtered, not really believing his ears. "Jenny and I… we're not… I'm not…"

"Whatever you say…" his father had just said. "Whatever you say…"

Until that moment Mirai had not once thought about his and Jenny's relationship that way, not even really when Krillin had suggested that he and Jenny might have something going on between them. She was his best friend, so he had quickly denied everything, but now after what his father had said, he had started to wonder.

Mirai had never had a girlfriend – which was pretty unusual considering his age – but he had never had the time nor felt the need to find a girl and settle down. Everything else had always been more important, so he had basically no experiences at all. So how was he to figure out if what he was feeling for Jenny were just the feelings of a best friend or if it was more?

He liked her, he really did, and he would be blind if he hadn't noticed how attractive she was. Especially now that she had once again gained some much needed pounds. She was almost back to her normal weight by now, as was her appetite, much to everyone's relief. Mirai still remembered with a grin how ecstatic Jenny had been, when Vegeta had announced that she could train normally again. Her smile had lit up the whole room, making her seem so much younger. So innocent.

But she could also look quite different, as he saw every Thursday when they were at the club. After a shopping spree to get both of them appropriate clothes for clubbing, Jenny had started to wear pretty… sexy… tops whenever they went out at night. Mirai was pretty sure that he wasn't the only man who had noticed himself staring at her, especially while she was dancing.

Sighing, Mirai ran a hand through his hair, as he sat down on his bed. Until fifteen minutes ago he had been so sure that Jenny was his best friend, but thanks to his father he had now started to question everything.

What a mess.

...

Jenny was confused – about several things. Mirai was acting really weird recently, but then again, so was she, maybe a bit. But she at least tried to act normally around him, as normal as possible with all the questions running through her mind. However, she had no idea what Mirai's problem was – he had already been moping around a bit before, but now he was almost constantly brooding or lost in thoughts. And the way she sometimes caught him looking at her was slightly unnerving.

So, it wasn't just her feelings she was confused about, but also her best friend's – if he was just that - behavior.

However, at the moment her confusion had a completely different reason. It was just a few days later and she had just finished having a small snack, when the phone rang and Tico told her to come to the lab as soon as possible. Originally Jenny had planned to train with Vegeta again after her snack, but when she told him that she had to go to the lab, Vegeta had been surprisingly understandable.

Maybe he was just as eager to finish the spaceship as she was.

That's why Jenny was now hurrying down to the lab at the R&D department, throwing a quick "Hello!" at Seira, when she passed the secretary. "So, where's the fire?" she asked, jumping down the stairs into the underground lab.

"Jenny! Good that you're here!" Tico greeted her cheerfully. "We have a huge problem and need your help!"

"What is it?" Jenny asked, suddenly feeling alarmed. She wondered what it was that she could do what Mirai couldn't do, as he was standing on the side along with Kimi and Mika, giving her once again weird looks.

Tico was grinning brightly, as he led her over to the side of the spaceship, showing her a loose screw. "We can't just tighten it. You'll have to do it."

Raising an eyebrow, Jenny asked, "Honestly?", but when Tico only nodded, Jenny took the screwdriver from Tico and tightened the loose screw. She frowned, when she returned the screwdriver, not knowing why it had to be her to fix their non-existent problem – really, anyone could have tightened it! – but then she saw that everyone was grinning at her. "What's going on, guys? Why are you grinning like that?"

It was Mirai, who stepped forward and gently put his hands on her shoulders. "It's done, Jenny. The spaceship… you've just finished it."

Jenny's mouth immediately went dry. "What?" she croaked. "You serious?" When Mirai just nodded, Jenny threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck as she felt the tears coming. She felt his arms wrap around her waist, holding her tightly.

"Of course I'm serious, Jenny," he mumbled into her ear. "Father and I've known for a few days that the spaceship would be finished within the week and he's already been writing a huge list for everything you need to buy. We only need to go shopping for these things and then you and Vegeta can travel to New Namek."

Pulling away from him, Jenny looked at him firmly. "You mean _we_ can travel to New Namek. You're coming with us, of course."

"But there's only two bedrooms."

Jenny, however, only snorted. "Has that ever stopped us before? As long as the bed's big enough, I won't mind sharing. And I _know_ that the beds are big enough. So, you coming with us?"

After hesitating for a moment, a smile spread over Mirai's face, as he answered, "Of course."

Once again, Jenny was hugging Mirai and, in a spur of a moment decision, he whispered into her ear, "Do you want to go out with me?"

Jenny immediately pulled away again, looking at him with a confused look on her face. "You mean… go out… as in a date?"

Starting to feel uncomfortable, Mirai suddenly regretted asking her out. He really should've stopped to think about this before blurting out the question. "Uhm… yeah… if you want to?"

"Uh… okay… I guess… When?"

"Today? To celebrate? Dinner and movie? My treat of course."

"Okay…" Jenny just said again, completely stunned and more than a bit confused about this unexpected turn of events. For the past few days she had been questioning her feelings for Mirai and now he was suddenly asking her out. Was this a sign? Was he feeling something for her?

Well, she hoped to get some answers this night.

...

Jenny was nervous, really, really nervous. And she had no idea why! It was just Mirai, her best friend! Oh yeah, that was the problem. She was going on a _date_ with her best friend.

Checking herself over one more time in her mirror, Jenny made sure that she looked okay. Not too fancy, but also not too shabby. She was wearing one of her better dark blue jeans and an old dark green blouse that Mailin had once made her buy. She had barely worn it, still preferring T-shirt over anything else, but it was still casual enough. Her hair was falling in loose curls down her back, freed of the braid or ponytail she usually kept it in. She had even used a bit of make-up, though she had wondered the whole time if it wasn't too much.

And then it was time. At exactly six o'clock Mirai was standing in front of her door, looking almost as nervous as she felt. But when she looked at him, Jenny noticed that she wasn't overdressed. Mirai was also wearing his good jeans and a nice blue button-down shirt that was complimenting his eyes. "Uhm… are you ready?"

"Yeah…" Jenny mumbled. Mirai held out his hand to her and Jenny took it hesitantly. All the other times they had been holding hands, they hadn't really done so consciously. It had always just happened and this now felt really strange.

They went to a restaurant first, a nice little casual Italian place they had been to before, but unlike all the other times, this felt really awkward. They had barely talked during their walk to the restaurant, the silence being very uncomfortable, and they still weren't really talking while they were waiting for their food. Now and then one of them tried to strike up a conversation, but each time it quickly died down again and the awkwardness continued.

Jenny tried to enjoy her pizza, she really did, but she couldn't. Not under these circumstances. Things were too strange, the whole situation too absurd. This had never happened before when they had been together. She and Mirai had always been able to talk about anything or nothing at all. Or even when they weren't talking, the silence was usually very comfortable.

She just hoped that things would lighten up after dinner, when they went to the movies.

...

Mirai thought that their date was terrible. They weren't talking, everything was tense and he couldn't even enjoy his pasta like he used to. Everything was just wrong. Even now that they were sitting in the cinema, watching a romantic comedy of all things – why had he even chosen this movie? He knew that neither Jenny nor he enjoyed this kind of movie – there was this awkward tension between them.

He once tried to take her hand again into his, but it felt too forced so he quickly withdrew his hand before he could touch hers. Why did it feel so strange to touch her now? Why did everything feel so wrong?

When the movie finally was over, Mirai couldn't be more relieved. Sitting nine-four minutes next to Jenny like this was torture and according to the quiet sigh he had heard from Jenny, once the credits had started, she was sharing his sentiment.

However, even as they left the cinema and were slowly walking home in the darkness, it still didn't feel right. So, after a seemingly incredibly long moment, Mirai suddenly said, "This is so weird."

Jenny's snort and wry grin told him everything he needed to know. She was thinking the same. "You're telling _me_ this? On a weirdness-scale ranging from zero to ten this is clearly a hundred."

Laughing lightly, Mirai asked, "What are we doing wrong?"

"I have no idea," Jenny told him. "But… I wanna try something. Do you trust me, Mirai?"

"Of course."

Biting on her lower lip, Jenny stepped closer to him and put her hands on his shoulders. She tilted her head up and a bit to the side, standing slightly on tip-toes and Mirai knew what she wanted to do. Closing his eyes, his head dipped down and their lips met. Their kiss was soft and gentle… and nice.

But nothing else.

They pulled apart, both frowning slightly.

"Let's try again," he encouraged her.

This time, when they kissed, Mirai allowed her tongue to slip inside his mouth, but just like before, there was nothing special about this kiss. No sparks.

"Please tell me that you didn't feel anything either," Jenny almost begged him, after they had parted again.

"Nothing…" Mirai told her. "I mean… it was nice and all… but that was it."

Jenny laughed in relief. "Thank Dende! I thought it was just me!"

Mirai joined in her laughter, also feeling glad that he wasn't the only one to not feel anything. "So… what do we do now?"

"I don't know… I mean… do you feel anything for me? In a romantic way, I mean?"

"No…" Mirai shook his head. "Not that you aren't attractive, because you are… You're a very attractive young woman. A man would be blind, if he weren't attracted to you… and now I'm rambling."

"Don't worry, Mirai," Jenny told him grinning. "You're pretty handsome yourself. It's just… I'm not feeling anything remotely romantic for you. I love you, or course, but just as my best friend. You've done so much for me, helped me through everything… I've been such a mess…"

"Maybe that's it…" Mirai suddenly concluded. "Maybe that's why we're so close, but at the same time only meant to be friends."

"What are you talking about?" Jenny asked confused.

"You and me. We're very similar, Jenny. Just think of our pasts, of what we had to go through. Maybe we're too similar… too… broken on the inside. Maybe we're meant to be with persons who are whole, happy… persons who won't drag us down."

"You're not dragging me down, Mirai," Jenny insisted, but Mirai just shook his head.

"Maybe not now… but sooner or later I'll be haunted by my own past again. It's already started. That's why I was so… down… lately. I need to go back, to my own time… my mom… but I don't want to. I want to stay here."

"Oh Mirai…" Jenny sighed, putting her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to put it on your shoulders. But I'm not leaving, yet. I'll travel to New Namek with you and after that, when your whole family is back, I'll go back to my own time, to check on everything over there. They'll take care of you then, and I'll come back to visit."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"So… we're just best friends?"

"Best friends…" Mirai smiled down at her, as she wanted to let go of him, and put an arm around her shoulder, tugging her closely against his side. Now, this was feeling natural again. This was how he and Jenny were meant to be. "Okay, what do you think about ice-cream? My treat, of course, as we're still on our _date_."

Jenny returned his smile, finally again feeling completely comfortable in Mirai's presence. "Ice-cream sounds great!"

They went to their favorite ice-cream parlor just before it wanted to lock up, and each got a huge sundae which they were eating while they were walking home. It had taken almost the whole night, but now they were again talking and acting around each other like they used to. They tore the movie apart, laughing the whole time, and just enjoyed each other's company. As best friends. Mirai even confided in Jenny that it had been Vegeta who had tried to convince him to ask her out.

"Just typical," Jenny muttered, as they arrived back at Capsule Corporation, but she was grinning. "I bet he only had two reasons for this. The first one of course that he'd only want another Saiyajin to be with me. After all, that was one of the things he had always complained about when I was with Cam – that he was just a weak human. And the second reason is of course that you're his son, Mirai. He wouldn't trust anyone else with me."

"Whatever you say," Mirai replied quietly, subconsciously mimicking his father. As they arrived in front of the door to Jenny's room, he said, "So… I guess that's it. Except for the dinner and movie I think this was a great date."

"Suuuuuure." Jenny rolled her eyes at him, grinning. "And now? No kiss for me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that a kiss should end the date officially." With these words, he planted a very wet kiss on Jenny's forehead.

"Ew!"

"You asked for it!"

"Jerk." She stuck out her tongue at him, causing Mirai to laugh. He just turned to go, when Jenny grabbed his hand again. "Wait… why don't you stay with me tonight? Just to mess with Vegeta?"

"Great idea," Mirai agreed with a mischievous smirk.

Jenny opened the door and led him inside. They took turns in the bathroom and then went to bed. Sleepily, Jenny wrapped her arm around Mirai's chest, mumbling, "I think you're right, Mirai… about being with happier persons…"

Mirai didn't reply, as he already heard Jenny's breathe deepen. Now, in a way, he was glad that their date had turned out like this, a disaster, because now they were both sure that they were just best friends.

...

Jenny was dreaming. At least she thought she was. She was standing in an unknown room, which looked a lot like an office. And at the desk in front of her there was no other person than the Kaioushin. Immediately a scowl appeared on her face, as she glared at him with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "I should've known…"

Ignoring her hostile behavior, the Kaioushin smiled at her. "Congratulations, Jenny. You did it! Even much earlier than we had agreed on. You've finished the spaceship."

"Yeah, I did. And now give me the fucking coordinates."

"Yes, of course. The coordinates of the planet New Namek. When you wake up, you will find them on a piece of paper on your nightstand. Your scientists will be able to program them into the spaceship. When will you leave?"

"In a few days, I guess." Jenny shrugged, but then gave the Kaioushin a hard look. "But don't tell anyone about this until we're well on our way to New Namek. The best would be just a few days before we arrive. This will give them some time to get used to the idea of being brought back to life, but they won't get their hopes up if something goes wrong."

"Agreed."

Jenny nodded and then everything around her faded. She fully expected to wake up, but then she was just suddenly somewhere else. At a place that was painfully familiar. Just like in a dream ten years ago she was standing on a cliff overlooking a desert with a forest in the background. Just like in a dream ten years ago, she was looking down at a scene in the desert. A terrible monster facing a warrior. The monster grinning gleefully and the warrior in full concentration, ready to fight.

Buu.

And…

"Mirai…" Jenny gasped, as she woke up, drenched in sweat.


	76. Part III: New Namek

**A/N: Wow… this is the longest chapter so far and there are two reasons for it: 1) I didn't know where to make the cut. And 2) I wanted chapter 75 to be the final chapter of Part III. So, here you are! I hope you enjoy this very long chapter! After this one, I'll start writing on chapter 76, which is also the first chapter of Part IV.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Part III**

**Chapter 75: New Namek**

_Vision_

Jenny's heart was beating wild and heart against her chest, as the dream once again played in front of her inner eye. For a moment, she hoped and wished that it had just been a terrible nightmare, just a normal dream, but deep inside Jenny knew that it wasn't. It had been a very long time since she had had one, but Jenny was one hundred percent sure that this had been a vision.

A warning.

Panic grabbed her, as she realized what this meant. What she had to do.

"Mirai," Jenny said urgently, shaking her sleeping best-friend. "Wake up! You have to wake up! Now!"

"Huh?" Mirai opened his eyes sleepily, watching confused as Jenny jumped out of the bed. "Whazzup?"

"Get up!" she just told him, already halfway out of the room.

Confused about his friend's really strange behavior, Mirai dragged himself out of her bed, glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand as he did so. The numbers 4:21 flashed back at him and he groaned quietly. It was way too early to get up.

But there was something in Jenny's voice… Panic, fear, desperation… Had she had a nightmare? Or what was going on?

To get those answers, Mirai followed her through the corridor and was surprised, when he saw her run into his room. He quickly went after her, but just stopped in the doorframe, suddenly fully awake, when he saw her pull his duffel bag out of his closet and begin to throw his clothes into the bag. "Jenny? What are you doing?"

However, she simply ignored him – or maybe she didn't even notice him. There was a wild look in her eyes and in the semi-darkness he also thought that he saw tears running down her face. Shocked, unsure of what to do, Mirai watched her for a few more seconds, until he suddenly had enough.

Striding forwards, he first grabbed one of her hands to stop her and then put both of his hands on her upper arms, forcing her to look at him. "Jenny, you're scaring me. What the hell is going on? Why are you crying?"

Her eyes were wide and it took a moment for her to focus on him. Her hand absentmindedly touched her cheek and she seemed surprised that they were wet with tears. All this, however, was forgotten again, when she finally spoke, her voice was hurried, urgent. "Mirai… you have to go back… to your own timeline. Now!"

"Why, Jenny? Why do I have to go back? I told you that I would come to New Namek with you before I went back. So why?"

"Because Buu's in your timeline!"

"What? You're not making any sense, Jenny!"

"What the hell is going on here? Why are you making such a racket? Some of us are trying to sleep here," he suddenly heard Vegeta's voice from the door. Mirai glanced over at him, seeing the annoyance in his look and stance, but then turned his full attention back to the girl in front of him.

"Jenny?"

Jenny didn't seem to have noticed Vegeta's arrival, or at least she didn't pay him any mind, as she quickly explained. "I had a vision… you remember what I told you about the visions, right? Whatever… in this vision I was again in the Southwest Forest. Buu was there and you were facing him, ready to fight. Babidi's spaceship was still there, so that can only mean one thing…"

Suddenly, everything made sense to Mirai and his blood froze. "When? When is he going to awaken?"

Shaking her head, Jenny whispered, "I don't know. He could already be awake, or he could awaken tomorrow or next week or maybe even next month. But this just means that you have to go back _now_!"

Mirai tried to stay calm and once again caught his father's gaze, who for a split second looked just as shocked as he felt. But it was a lot easier said than done. His mind immediately wandered to his mother, to ChiChi and everyone else who he had left behind. They were all in terrible danger right at this moment. "Alright," he said eventually. "Jenny, please finish packing. Just a few things, okay? I'll get dressed and then get the time machine ready, okay?"

Jenny nodded, but before he could go, she was suddenly in his arms, hugging him tightly. "Mirai…"

"Don't worry, Jenny," he said soothingly, pulling her tightly against him. Even though he comforted her, feeling her in his arms comforted him as well. "Everything's gonna be alright."

They stayed like this for a few more seconds until Jenny returned to packing Mirai's bag and Mirai grabbed some clothes to quickly get changed. Since it might happen that he would have to fight directly after his arrival, Mirai got dressed in comfortable loose black pants and boots, and his dark tank top, covered by his blue Capsule Corp jacket. After he had grabbed his trusted sword – hoping that what Jenny had taught him would help him now in this fight – he gave Jenny's shoulder one more squeeze before he went outside to the backyard, where the time machine was standing in a secure spot to be charged by solar energy. Mirai hoped that enough time since their trip to the past had passed to recharge the time machine. At least with enough energy to get him to his timeline. Once he was there, it could be completely recharged by the especially for the time machine constructed super-charger.

Mirai was so deeply immersed in checking the instruments and entering his destination into the computer that he didn't notice his father standing next to the time machine until he looked up when he was finished. His father was giving him a strange look, which made Mirai feel slightly uncomfortable. He jumped out of the time machine and landed directly in front of him. "Father?"

"The first thing you need to do is to kill Babidi," Vegeta told him, his voice void of any emotion. "You have enough darkness in you that he might try to possess you. Then you need to free Buu before he's at full energy. The weaker he is upon his release, the easier it will be for you to defeat him. Go full out from the very beginning, don't play with him and make sure that, when you kill him that nothing, absolutely nothing of him remains. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good." They both looked back towards the house, when they felt Jenny coming closer. But before she arrived, Vegeta suddenly put his hand on Mirai's shoulder. Mirai looked at him surprised. "I trust that you can do this, son. But if for some reason Buu's too strong for you, run. Take your mother, get into the time machine and come back to this time."

"Father…"

But whatever else either of them could have said was interrupted by Jenny's arrival. Her face was dry, though her eyes were still red, and she was carrying Mirai's duffel bag over her shoulder. Mirai took it from her with a grateful smile and put it into the time machine, before coming down again.

"So…"

"Mirai…"

Suddenly, Jenny was in his arms again and he hugged her tightly. Drawing as much strength from her as possible. It was all so sudden, too sudden. He had thought that he would have more time to prepare for his departure, to give Jenny a proper goodbye. And the others of course, too. He had become quite good friends with Tenshinhan and Chao-zu, as well as Nik and Anisah, who were a lot closer to his own age. He really would have liked to say goodbye to them as well, especially as he had no idea what would happen in his time.

"Promise me, Mirai… Promise me that you'll come back!" Jenny said, clinging to him desperately.

"Jenny…"

"Promise me, Mirai," she now repeated forcefully, pulling away slightly and looking directly into his eyes.

"I can't promise you this, Jenny. You know it. But I promise you that I'll do my damndest to come back, okay?"

"Okay…"

Mirai saw that her eyes were once again brimming with unshed tears, so he just hugged her again. None of them said anything – there was nothing words could express that this one, simple hug couldn't. None of them said goodbye, as he pressed a gently kiss to her forehead. Mirai once again looked at his father over Jenny's head, who just nodded at him encouragingly, before he climbed back into the time machine. Jenny took a step back, subconsciously stepping close to Vegeta, almost touching him, as the glass dome closed and the time machine rose into the air. And then, from one second to another, it was gone.

Jenny stared at the spot in the slowly lightening sky, where the time machine had disappeared for a long moment, until she felt Vegeta's hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, all too aware of the tears that were once again running down her face. Fortunately, Vegeta chose to ignore this, as he just said, "I'm sorry that this has happened now… I know that you and the boy have become… quite close…"

This caused Jenny to snicker through her tears and she looked at Vegeta with a small mischievous smile. "Tell me, Vegeta. Was your matchmaking attempt some kind of revenge for me trying to set you up with Suki?"

"Of course not. But it worked, didn't it?"

"No, it didn't," Jenny told a surprised Vegeta with a smirk. "Mirai and I are best friends and that's all we'll ever be. There are no romantic feelings whatsoever between us. We figured that out last night, thanks to you."

Snorting, Vegeta shook his head. "Would've been too good to be true. I can't believe that you're now going to be stuck with a weak pathetic human as mate."

Vegeta smirked, as he made the girl laugh again. He just hoped that the boy came back, otherwise he had no idea what it would do to the girl. He feared that it would destroy her completely this time.

* * *

_The Journey to New Namek_

Despite Jenny's worries about Mirai, the next two days passed in a blur. There was so much to do in preparation for their departure to New Namek that Jenny barely had any time to brood or worry about Mirai. Vegeta had written a seemingly huge and never ending to-do-list for them, which was even longer now that Mirai was no longer there to do his part.

The first thing Jenny did was giving the scientists the slip of paper with the coordinates, which she true to the Kaioushin's words found on her nightstand, and after they had programmed it into the spaceship's computer, it had calculated that they would need about two to two and a half months to reach New Namek. It would take a lot longer than Jenny had imagined, but she had now waited for such a long time that a few weeks wouldn't make such a big different.

Jenny's next stop was the King's palace to inform him that the spaceship was finished and that they would depart for New Namek within the next couple of days. The King had been delighted, but was also a bit worried about how the population would react, when suddenly everyone who had died was alive again. They agreed that their head scientist would inform him a few days before they would resurrect everyone, so that he could make a public statement and tell the public about what was going to happen.

Then she and Vegeta also needed to buy lots and lots of non-perishable, yet nutritious food and drinks. Water was also very high on their list. This was truly the longest list and Jenny had doubted that it would all fit into the spaceship until she had seen with her own eyes that it did.

Vegeta had to deal with their lawyer, making sure that their house and everything else was taken care of, seeing as they had no real idea when they would be back and had no chance to check on these things themselves. This was all the stuff that Jenny was glad that she didn't have to deal with it, way too much bureaucracy. Just disappearing from Earth seemed to be much harder than expected. Especially as Tico and the other two scientists were the only ones who could contact them.

Sometimes during these few days Jenny wondered if Vegeta was keeping her so busy on purpose, to keep her from moping around because of Mirai. Once she had finished one thing, another was waiting for her. They had to pack clothes, but Jenny mostly put practical and comfortable clothes into her bag. There would be no need to dress up on the spaceship.

One of the last things she would take was her laptop. Jenny already feared that she and Vegeta would go stir-crazy, being confined to the spaceship for more than two months, with no real possibility of training like they are used to. It would be better if they each could occupy themselves without being in each other's way, otherwise it would only be a matter of time until they were at each other's throats.

However, no matter how busy Jenny was during the day, the nights were really bad. Jenny had a hard time sleeping peacefully, being plagued by nightmares and other weird dreams, if she could even fall asleep. All the time she was hoping for a new vision, which showed her that Mirai had defeated Buu, that everything was alright. That Mirai was alright. That he was alive.

Jenny knew that she would spend their days on the spaceship waiting for news. Mirai knew that he could contact her via the scientists and she hoped he would do it, once he returned to their time to tell them that Buu was defeated and that everyone was okay. That his time would be safe.

But until then she could only wait.

…

Four days after Mirai had left them, four days of preparations and checking and rechecking all parts of the spaceship, of learning how to operate the spaceship main consoles and all the other technology, of getting instructions on where to find the spare parts, and how to contact the scientists, it was finally time.

It was October 4 and Jenny and Vegeta were each sitting in their chair in front of the main console, doing the last checks before take-off. There was a small split screen on the huge screen in front of them, showing Tico as he was making sure with the help of his own computer that was connected to the spaceship's main computer that everything was working.

The roof of the lab above them was already opened, just waiting for the platform that the spaceship was standing on to be raised up to the ground level which was outside. And when it was finally raised, Jenny's heart began to beat faster. Her gaze absentmindedly wandered to the empty chair next to her – Mirai's chair – as the nervousness made her hands clammy with cold sweat. She was suddenly feeling very sick.

Even though she had known it for days now, she still had a hard time to believe that it was now finally time. That they would finally travel to New Namek. That just in a few weeks, they would use the Nameks' Dragonballs to resurrect everyone Buu had killed.

Her eyes once again wandered to the empty chair. She wanted Mirai. She needed him. She didn't know if she could do it without him.

"Okay, everything looks good…" Tico's voice tore Jenny out of her thoughts. "I guess this means that everything's ready for takeoff."

"I copy that," Vegeta replied. "Start the countdown…"

A yellow light began to blink on the monitor, as Tico started the countdown. Jenny counted quietly under her breath from thirty to zero, her hands gripping the arms of her chair tightly, as a red light suddenly began to blink even faster and Vegeta pushed the bright red button meant to start the spaceship.

Her stomach lurched, as she spaceship shot high into the sky and Jenny was glad at this moment that she was strapped to the chair. She was pressed tightly into the chair for a few minutes, almost not daring to move. When she looked at Vegeta, she saw that he was pretty relaxed, but then again, this was really not the first time he was flying somewhere in a spaceship.

And then they were in outer space, just like that, and Jenny felt completely weightless. Vegeta pressed a few more buttons on the console and then a computer voice announced, "Artificial gravity activated", just at the moment as Jenny once again felt normal in her seat. However, according to what she saw on the screen in front of her, they were clearly in space. Everything was black and there were stars everywhere. It was…

"Amazing…"

"You'll get used to it," Vegeta told her with a wry smirk. "And now get ready, we're going to train."

…

_November 11, 785_

_A bit more than five weeks on this ship and I'm already going crazy. How am I ever going to survive the other weeks we're still having ahead of us? About five more weeks of this? Being trapped in this spaceship with only Vegeta as company, no way to go out? No way to really stretch my legs? _

_Yeah, Vegeta and I've settled into a routine of course, but even with this routine life's become pretty boring around here. There's only so much I can do on my laptop without the internet. And since we're not able to really spar around here, training is boring, too. Vegeta's also getting frustrated, complaining that Tico, Kimi and Mika should have included cryostasis in the spaceship, so that we could sleep until we arrive. Never mind that this technology doesn't exist on Earth._

_But sometimes I really agree with him, when I'm once again being bored out of my mind, but then again, sometimes, I feel as if I could just watch the passing stars and planet for ages. Of course, this never lasts long. But I should really be grateful for this opportunity to travel through outer-frigging-space! I remember that many kids at my elementary school dreamed of becoming an astronaut and now here I am, where they wanted to be. _

_Okay… the one time two weeks ago where we had some really heavy turbulences, because we had to fly through an asteroid field and had to dodge some huge asteroids, was pretty exciting. We even had to consider going out there and blasting our way through the field – Vegeta was ready to go out, already dressed in his spacesuit and all - but I managed to steer the spaceship through the field pretty well. Those small rocks that hit us didn't do any damage. Who would've thought what playing videogames was good for? Even Vegeta had complimented me on having done a good job. Coming from Vegeta, this was really high praise._

_But since then… nothing… It's so booooooring here! _

_At least Vegeta and I haven't killed each other. Yet. _

_Well, there's still a couple of weeks to go…_

_Hopefully Mirai will call until then. I'm slowly getting really worried and all the boredom around here gives me a lot of time to brood and make up worst case scenarios. He should have taken out Buu by now. And he promised that he would be back. So why hasn't he called us, yet? Tico hasn't heard from him either, and I'm talking to him or one of the other scientists every couple of days to catch up with the news on Earth. _

_Mirai, what the fucking hell happened in your time!? I really hope that you're alright._

_…_

"Vegeta, I'm booooooored," Jenny whined, as she took a break doing her push-ups, and sat cross-legged on the floor. They had already been on the spaceship for eight weeks and there were about two more to go. Jenny wasn't sure if she could survive these two weeks. At least not unscathed.

"Then continue your training," Vegeta just told her, though he could understand her really well. While he was somewhat used to spending a lot of time in confined space, it had been a long time since he had been forced to do so, and he was going a bit stir-crazy as well. It didn't really help that they couldn't spar on the spaceship.

Sighing, Jenny laid down on her back, staring at the ceiling. She wanted to do something productive, something that wasn't lifting weights or doing stupid push-ups. She wanted to spar with Vegeta, to get rid of all that pent-up energy from the last few weeks. "That's boring, too."

"Either train, or leave."

"Okay, okay…" Jenny sighed again, but didn't continue her push-ups. Maybe she could watch the stars again, or take a nap… or eat something. "I'll get out of your hair."

Once she had left the training room and the door was closed behind her, Jenny dropped out of her Saiyajin form and wandered towards the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and then proceeded towards the bridge, where the screen was showing all the stars and planets in front of them, as well as a countdown of their estimated date of arrival.

Jenny slumped down in her chair and pressed a few buttons to see if there were any missed messages, but there was nothing. Biting down on her lower lip, Jenny tried to push all the bad thoughts aside. Mirai just had to be alright. He was just spending some time with his mother and the others who were still alive in his timeline. She couldn't expect him to come back to their time the moment he had defeated Buu.

But… didn't he know that she was worried about him?

Sighing for a third time in the last five minutes, she leaned back in the chair and took a sip from her orange juice, when suddenly two red lights began to blink on the console. Above the lights she could read _Turbine 5 _and _Turbine 6_. Jenny knew that this spaceship had six plasma turbines and that the red light meant that two of them had failed. Not good.

Pressing down the button for the intercom, she said, "Vegeta… we've got a tiny problem."

…

Tico was looking at them worriedly, after he had read the defect description from the spaceship's computer database. While Vegeta had been on his way from the training room to the bridge, Jenny had already called the lab, hoping that one of the scientists was there to help him. But she shouldn't have worried, especially as Tico seemed to have started living at the lab while they were in outer space. When Jenny had told him to go home now and then to get some rest, he had just asked them what they would do if there was a technical problem and none of the scientists was available.

He didn't say it, after Jenny had informed him about their current problem, but his eyes clearly said, 'Told you so!'

"So, what's the verdict, doc?" Jenny asked, trying to work some humor into her voice, as she was pretty concerned about Tico's behavior. The expression on his face really wasn't promising and the few 'Sweet Dendes' he had uttered while reading the defect description didn't sound too good either.

Sighing, Tico adjusted the glasses on his nose, and told them, "Well… You can't finish your journey to New Namek with just four working turbines. Eventually they will overheat and fail as well. You need to repair them, but for this you need to land. Is there a planet nearby where you could do your repairs? Best would be one with conditions similar to Earth, because while we have spacesuits for you, it would be a lot easier if you didn't have to wear them."

"Let me check the coordinates," Vegeta told him and looked at a smaller screen, showing their current position. He thought for a moment, but then a deep scowl settled on his face, as he said, "There is a planet nearby, about a day's travel at our current speed, but I'd rather not go there."

"Why not?" Jenny asked, at the same time as Tico wanted to know if there were any other planets near them. According to him their turbines could go two to three days without overheating.

Vegeta chose to answer Tico's question, shaking his head. "No, that's the only planet between here and New Namek. Are you sure that we can't make it to New Namek, not even if we go slower?"

"Sorry," Tico said, really sounding sorry. "There's no way that the turbines could survive that. It's either that planet you've found or drifting through space when the other turbines fail. Your choice."

Jenny could hear Vegeta grit his teeth before he nodded curtly. "Alright. I'll send you the coordinates. I trust that you'll help the girl with the repairs, once we've landed."

"Of course…"

Vegeta and Tico talked about a few more technical details concerning their situation, but Jenny barely listened, as she watched Vegeta curiously. He had suddenly become incredibly tense, ever since he had discovered what planet was nearby. Jenny wondered about this. She knew that Vegeta had come around a lot during his time with Frieza and that he had probably met countless other species, so she wanted to know what it was about this planet or its inhabitant that Vegeta didn't like.

"So, tell me about this planet," she said, once Tico had signed off and the screen was once again showing the dark sky littered with stars. "What's it called? Who's living there? Have you met them before?"

Vegeta sighed and turned to look at her. "It's called Oryx-sei and its inhabitants are Oryx-jins. They're what you would call humanoid, though they have blue skin and white hair and they only have four fingers on each hand and four toes on each foot. And yes, I've fought alongside some of them years ago."

"So, they're the bad guys? You don't wanna go there because of this?"

"Not really," Vegeta admitted grudgingly. "They've been bought, or rather threatened by Frieza to fight for him. They're not that strong physically, but they have some really advanced technology and they're experts in drugs. They're not necessarily evil, but they're dangerous. Under normal circumstance I wouldn't be this hesitant to go to their planet, but with you here…"

Now Jenny's curiosity was really piqued. How could she be the reason that Vegeta didn't want to go to that planet. "What do you mean?"

Vegeta appeared really reluctant to talk about it and for a moment Jenny feared that he would just go away to train again, but then he just sighed again – which was really weird – and continued his explanation. "They don't regard women as equals. For them they are nothing more than slaves. The more interesting a woman is, the more they want to control them. They drug their women to make them submissive. I've heard of female Oryx-jins who have tried to get away in clearer moments, but the withdrawal _always_ kills them."

"That's terrible," Jenny muttered, not being able to imagine how it felt to be drugged so that you will lose all your independence, all your free will. A shudder went through her, now understanding why Vegeta wouldn't want her to set foot on this planet. But they had no other choice and Jenny doubted that they would be interested in her. She wasn't a part of their race, after all. "What more can you tell me?"

"One of their traditions is that, whenever a king abdicates, they celebrate this with a tournament – they call this the Amazon Tournament. The king and the prince each travel around the four Galaxies to kidnap promising female fighters, who then have to fight in their name to the death. I've never been to such a tournament, but it said that the fighters are subdued by control collars. The Oryx-jins promise the winner that she can return home, but knowing their race, I doubt that they keep their promise."

"Oh Dende…" Jenny gasped, but then chuckled wryly. "Then I guess I was lucky that they've never paid any attention to our small backwater planet, huh?"

"Lucky…" Vegeta snorted, but then looked at Jenny imploringly. "When we land on that planet, don't draw any attention to yourself. You are just a normal boring human girl, without any kind of special power. You stay in this form. They must never find out that you're part Saiyajin – this would just make you interesting for them. They will surely ask me where I've been all these years, so I'm going to tell them some story about travelling and then crashing on your _backwater planet_. You and other scientists helped me build a new spaceship and I graciously allowed you to travel with me."

"Sounds good," Jenny whispered, suddenly feeling a lot more worried about their intended destination. One thing was clear, after what the few things Vegeta had told her about that race – this time she would follow his orders to a t. There was no way she was going to end up as one of their slaves, if they were really that bad. Who knew? Maybe they had changed in the last twenty years.

However, Jenny really didn't want to risk that.

* * *

_Oryx-sei_

Jenny was feeling pretty nervous and according to his very tense posture, Jenny guessed that Vegeta wasn't too relaxed either. They were entering the planet's atmosphere at this very moment and true to Vegeta's predictions, they were immediately flanked by two smaller jets and a face appeared on the screen in front of them.

Just as they had agreed, Jenny stayed out of their camera's range, leaving Vegeta to talk to their welcoming committee. As Jenny watched him, she saw after a very long time the proud prince that he really and truly was, a side of him that he hadn't shown often in the last years. A small smile tugged at her lips – Vegeta had become a lot more human, softer, than he would probably admit.

"You have entered our planet's atmosphere without authorization. State your name and business," the Oryx-jin's deep voice ordered.

"I am Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyajins. My spaceship needs some urgent repairs and your planet was the most convenient place for me land," he told them, his voice hard, standing tall and proud with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

The Oryx-jin on the screen appeared surprised for a moment, but then nodded. Jenny saw a small button in his ear and believed that he might have just gotten some orders from someone superior. "Prince Vegeta, follow the jets. They well lead you to a landing platform for your spaceship. Wait there until someone arrives to escort you to the King."

"Understood." Vegeta switched off the screen and nodded for Jenny to move forward. "You better sit down and get strapped in. I have no idea how smooth our landing will be."

"Okay…" she replied and got into her seat next to Vegeta's. He sat down as well, pulling the belts over his chest though he probably wouldn't need them. On the screen they could see the two jets and seeing as Vegeta had taken manual control over the spaceship, he started to follow them. Though Vegeta was right – the closer they got to the ground the more their ship began to tremble, all thanks to the two missing turbines. In the end, Jenny had to grip the arms of her chair tightly and grit her teeth to keep them from rattling when they set down on the landing platform.

"Landing successful," the computer voice announced.

Vegeta and Jenny made quick work of checking all the systems one more time before switching off the spaceships engine. The hum that had accompanied them during their whole journey until now was suddenly gone, making Jenny realize how quiet it was without the engine running. It was weird how much she had gotten used to the spaceship's noises.

"So… what now?" Jenny asked.

"Now… we wait."

Fortunately they didn't need to wait long, ten minutes at the most, until they saw a group of Oryx-jins approach the spaceship on the screen. They both got up and Vegeta opened the spaceship's door. A ramp stretched out in front of them, but before they could go down, Vegeta turned to Jenny one last time.

"Remember what we talked about."

"Of course."

She was staying behind Vegeta all the time while they were walking down the ramp, and even remained standing a step behind him when he stopped in front of the group, no matter how much she hated it. However, Vegeta had thought that it would be better if she stayed in the background, to draw less attention to herself. It was already bad enough that she would have to do the repairs.

"Prince Og, what a pleasure," Vegeta said dryly and Jenny first now noticed that the man in front of the group was wearing much fancier clothes than the others behind him. Except for a younger looking man just a step behind him. They were wearing what looked like uniforms, in different colors. Jenny guessed that it was somehow in relation to their rank or something like that. "Or is it now King Og?"

The King smiled brightly, revealing rather human looking teeth that were as white as his uniform and short white hair. "Prince Vegeta! I didn't want to believe it! It's really you. I had believed that you had died years ago, and yet here you are!"

"The rumors of my demise have reached my ears as well," Vegeta told him, his face not betraying any emotion. "They're all highly overrated, as you can see. While it is true that I was heavily wounded, I managed to escape the planet Namek before it exploded."

Vegeta was a smooth liar, that Jenny had to admit. There was nothing in his stance or voice that betrayed that this wasn't the complete truth.

"I see… Oh yes, I do. And who is this lovely female you have brought along? Your mate?"

The King was looking at her suggestively and Jenny had to suppress the urge to snap at him. Normally she and Vegeta had agreed that he would do most of the talking, but Jenny couldn't help herself. She just had to say something. Stepping forward, her head held high, she announced, "I'm his mechanic. I helped building this spaceship for him, when he was stranded on my planet. My name is Jenny Son."

"A confident young female. I like that!" The King laughed, not noticing the glare Vegeta was giving her. "Now, I believe you haven't yet met my son, Prince Peridean?"

The young man standing behind the King stepped forward. He had middle-blue skin and purple eyes just like his father, but his white hair was longer, reaching his shoulders. He looked to be in his mid-twenties – counted in human years – and Jenny suddenly felt a pang. The way he looked, even though the colors were all wrong, he reminded her of Mirai.

Of whom she still hadn't heard anything. Stupid Mirai. Jenny swore, if he had died, she would travel to the past, go to their New Namek, use their Dragonballs to wish him back and then just kill him again.

More pleasantries were exchanged – though they were much cooler on Vegeta's side – and then King Og announced that they would stay at his palace for the duration of their stay. Jenny and Vegeta quickly went back inside the spaceship to pack a few things, and then the King led them to something that looked like a car - but wasn't - on another platform. It wasn't a long drive, filled with cheerful chatter from King Og, until they arrived in front of what Jenny could only describe as a rather futuristic palace.

Servants showed them to their rooms, though much to Vegeta's annoyance it was their custom that females stayed in another wing, far away from the males. Even after just having been in the Oryx-jins' company for less than an hour, Jenny wasn't that worried anymore. They seemed perfectly nice and it wasn't as if she couldn't take care of herself.

Jenny's room was cozy… though very feminine. It seemed as if these Oryx-jins and humans had a similar taste, even if the clothes that she found in her closet reminded her of ancient times on Earth, mostly tunics and cloaks with intricate designs. Not Jenny's style at all, but fortunately she had brought her own clothes.

They were going to have dinner with the royals in about an hour, so Jenny used the time to freshen up and get changed in new clothes. As she had brought only sensible clothes on the spaceship, Jenny got dressed in a pair of nice jeans and a T-shirt. She hoped that the King would understand that they wouldn't dress up while being in outer space.

Just after she had gotten changed, a female servant, wearing dark red tunics, appeared at her door to escort her to the dining room. While they were walking, Jenny tried to strike up some small talk, but the servant didn't answer any of her questions and remained completely silent. If she hadn't announced before that she would take Jenny to the dining, Jenny would have thought her to not even be able to speak.

Although the servant had fetched her, she was the last to arrive and much to her dismay the seat next to Vegeta had already been taken by an Oryxjin she hadn't seen before. Then again, they all looked so much alike that it was hard to tell them apart. In contrast to humans you couldn't distinguish them by their eyes or hair, as they all seemed to have white hair and purple eyes. It was only their faces or their bodies that were different.

The only available seat was next to Prince Peridean, who, totally the gentleman, got up and helped her into her seat. There was even a small, soft smile on his lips as she thanked him. Usually Jenny would insist on doing all these things herself, but she needed to stay in Vegeta's good graces after she had already messed up on the landing platform. Playing the weak and uninteresting female was just a part of it.

As Jenny figured out during the meal, there were several high politicians and high ranking military officials sitting at the table with them – all of them male. Jenny was the only female at the table, though not the only one in the room. There were several female servants placed around the room, all of them wearing the dark red tunics, ready to serve more food or drinks. And damn, the food was delicious! She had been a bit worried that she would offend their hosts by not liking their food, but her concerns quickly disappeared the moment she took the first bite. Jenny had never tasted such spices before and especially after the rather boring food they had on the spaceship this was like heaven. The drink that was served was also very tasty, sweet and fruity, but it seemed to be an alcoholic beverage, something like wine, as Jenny quickly began to feel lightly woozy and incredibly relaxed. However, she somehow couldn't get enough of it. It tasted so good that it was almost addicting.

Jenny tried to follow the conversations around her, but seeing as she wasn't included at all and thanks to the drink, which was always refilled as soon as her glass was half empty, her mind quickly began to wander. Her eyes landed again on the servants, who she noticed were all very beautiful in their own way. They all had long white hair and a perfect, very feminine figure, but there was something off about them. She just couldn't put her finger on it, no matter how long she was looking at them.

First as she felt a hand on hers did she snap out of her thoughts. Her head whirled around and she came face to face with not just Prince Peridean, who had touched her, but also everyone else. Vegeta was giving her strange look, but she barely noticed it. "Shorry… wha?"

King Og laughed heartily, while the Prince was still just smiling at her. In her fuzzy mind Jenny realized that he hadn't really talked to her yet. Actually, no one except for Vegeta and the servant had ever directly talked to her.

"You should go to bed," Vegeta told her coolly. "We're going to retreat for conversations that would only bore you. You need to be at your top to repair the spaceship tomorrow."

"Shure…" Jenny slurred. "Go, do your manly talks. 'm gonna catch some z's. Nighty night!"

Just at this moment a servant had appeared next to her and before Jenny knew it, she was lying in the incredibly soft bed and fell asleep.

…

Vegeta tried not to let his worry show as the girl was led away by the female servant. She hadn't really kept her word to stay in the background, but then again, she hadn't really been given a choice. He had noticed that the King was slightly interested in her, but it appeared that he was only amused by her behavior. That was good. As long as no one here saw the girl as someone who intrigued them.

"Prince Vegeta, are you coming?"

"Of course." Smoothly Vegeta rose from the chair and followed the others to the antechamber, where they sat down in stuffy armchairs and were offered different kinds of tobaccos and harder drinks than they had during dinner. Vegeta declined all the offers and just pondered slightly amused, how this reminded him of those novels that his woman used to read.

There was some more small talk, until the conversation turned towards him. However, Vegeta had expected this. After all, it didn't happen every day that a presumed dead prince appeared on your doorstep. "Now tell me, Prince Vegeta. Where have you been all these years?"

Vegeta looked at King Og, having already thought about how to answer this questions. "I've been travelling. Frieza died in the explosion of Namek, I believed I was the only survivor of my race, so what else was I supposed to do? I stayed mostly in the Western and Northern quadrants, visiting several planets, but I never stayed in one place for long. There was no need to advertise that I am still alive."

"And yet you have found a mate," the King pointed out, motioning to the scar on Vegeta's neck.

Nodding, Vegeta explained. "On one planet I found what I thought was impossible. Another survivor. She was an elite warrior, a few years older than me. She was on a mission, when Vegeta-sei was destroyed. Our mating was purely convenience. Despite being the sole survivors of our race, I still craved an heir. However she wasn't strong enough to bear my son and they both died in childbirth."

"My condolences… However, how can it be that during your travels you have never heard of the colony?"

Vegeta looked at the King in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the Saiyajin colony in the Southern Galaxy, of course. The planet where hundreds of survivors have been gathering ever since Frieza has died. Oh, you've really not heard of it! They would be so happy to have their Prince back, though it should be King now, as your father has been dead for a long time. It's on some backwater planet which name I've forgotten, but my scientists could give you the coordinates, if you'd like to know where it is."

To say that Vegeta was stunned was a huge understatement. A colony with surviving Saiyajins? His eyes searched King Og's face for a lie, but all he saw was the truth. He had known King Og, even though he had still been a Prince back then, just like him, since his early days as one of Frieza's men, and the Oryx-jin had always been known for his inability to lie. A bad habit for a future King.

Hundreds of survivors. While Vegeta had still been young, when Frieza had _taken him under his wing_, he hadn't been so naïve to believe that every single Saiyajin except for him, Nappa, Radditz and Kakarotto, had been on the planet upon its destruction. However, he had always believed that Frieza had ordered his other soldiers to hunt them down and kill them. To hear now that so many had survived, most likely reproduced, that he could have been their King… it was mind-blowing.

"I know this must come as a surprise to you. I'll tell my scientists first thing tomorrow to find out the coordinates for the colony's planet."

Vegeta just nodded, deep in thoughts, while normal conversation resumed around him. He wondered what he would do, once he held the coordinates in his hands.

…

Jenny barely remembered anything from the meal last night, so it was all the more surprising that she didn't have the usual symptoms of a hangover. None at all, except for the blackout in her brain. She was feeling fresh and well rested, though a bit lethargic, but this could only be this very, very comfy bed that wanted to convince her to stay in it.

Yet she knew what she had to do. The sooner she repaired the spaceship the sooner they could again be on their way to New Namek, to the Dragonballs. So she dragged herself out of the bed and into the adjoining bathroom. A quick shower later, Jenny felt ready for the day, though she wouldn't mind having a big breakfast. She hoped that it would be just as delicious as dinner the night before.

There was a servant waiting outside, once again an Oryx-jin woman, who lead her to the dining room, which was more a dining hall really, Jenny noticed as now light from the two suns was flooding it. It was huge, held in light colors and didn't look sterile at all. Just as before in her room Jenny thought that these Oryx-jins had style, though it was a bit tacky.

The King and Prince were already there, as was Vegeta, and fortunately they were the only persons this morning. "Good morning everyone," she greeted them cheerfully and sat down in the same seat she had occupied last night. There was again plenty of delicious looking food on the table, but instead of grabbing the first thing her eyes saw, she allowed a servant to fill her plate with some rolls and fruits. But as the servant wanted to fill her glass with the purple liquid from the previous night, Jenny put a hand above her glass. "Not for me. I need to keep a clear head today. Thank you."

The servant retreated and Jenny dug in. She had expected that conversation once again wouldn't include her, so she used this chance to fill her belly with as much of this very yummy breakfast as possible without alerting their hosts to her Saiyajin-like appetite. If she still felt hungry later, she could still eat something on the spaceship.

"So, how do I get back to the spaceship?" Jenny asked, once she was done.

"I will take her," Prince Peridean told his father and Vegeta. Jenny had to resist rolling her eyes. Couldn't he just have answered her?

Still she kept quiet and tried to continue doing so, when the Prince led her once again to one of their _cars_ and they were on their way to the landing docks. However, after a few minutes of silence in the confined space of the vehicle, Jenny couldn't hold back anymore. "Come on… Is it really that hard to talk to me? Just because I'm a girl?"

"Pardon?" the Prince asked confused.

This time, Jenny rolled her eyes. "I'm neither blind nor stupid, you know? Don't you think I haven't realized how no one has included me in a conversation or talked to me directly ever since I arrived here? I also noticed that I was the only girl at dinner last night. So, what do you have against women?"

The Prince looked flabbergasted for a moment, though she could detect a slight amused sparkle in his purple eyes. "I believe that our customs differ greatly from yours," he told her slowly, quietly. "Our behavior was not meant to be disrespectful towards you. We had just assumed that you wouldn't want to participate in a conversation about politics and war."

"Actually, you're right," Jenny said to him, grinning brightly. "These are really boring topics, but I wouldn't have minded being asked about my opinion. I do have one, you should know, and as I already said, I'm not stupid. No stupid person could build or repair a spaceship."

"That's true… I won't underestimate you again," Prince Peridean conceded with a nod of his head.

They arrived at the spaceship just a short moment later and Jenny immediately contacted Tico with one of the bearable screens they had developed along with the spaceship. She went down to the turbines and through a small camera integrated into the screen she and Tico analyzed the damage and then Jenny started the repairs.

Fortunately it wasn't as difficult as they had imagined and they guessed that the repairs would be done in a couple of days.

…

Ever since Jenny had cornered Prince Peridean, he had taken to follow her almost everywhere. But it was her who started to question him on their way back to the palace. "So, tell me more about your race. Vegeta hasn't really been forthcoming."

"I don't believe there's much to tell," the Prince told her. "We're a rather boring and peaceful people. Sure, there was this situation with Frieza, but we had no other choice but to follow him. It was either that or being destroyed. But since his death, we've returned to our normal lives."

"So, you're not a warrior race like the Saiyajins?"

"We do have soldiers of course, but we're not born warriors. Although…"

"Although…?" Jenny prodded, when Prince Peridean hesitated. He didn't really look like he wanted to continue, but when she started to pout at him, he relented.

"We Oryx-jins have the ability to fuse with others of our race or similar races. I've read that it is a very painful process and barely anyone would attempt it anyway, because none of us would give our life to fuse with another if there was another way. However, though I have never seen the result of such a fusion, I've heard that it's supposed to be magnificent. This fusion would set free an unbelievable power in the new person. Upon its completion, a warrior is born, much stronger than Frieza could have ever dreamed to be, but it has to lay dormant for a long time until the fusion is fully completed. The length of this duration differs from species to species, but during this time they all have one thing in common – they're completely invincible. Nothing and no one could hurt or kill them. However, should someone be able to defeat the warrior after the fusion's completion, they would die as well. The destruction of such a warrior causes an explosion, a shockwave so great, that it would annihilate everything in its surroundings. And believe me, no one could escape, as it is impossible to defeat this warrior from a distance."

"Wow…" Jenny was truly amazed, glad and at the same time disappointed that there wasn't such a warrior at that moment. She would have loved to meet him and see how strong a warrior like this really was, if he could compete with a Saiyajin in the second level…

Jenny would have loved to continue their conversation about this ability, but they had arrived at the palace in the meantime and Jenny was escorted to her quarters to freshen up. She had just finished getting dressed, when there was a knock at the door. Jenny opened it, fully expecting a servant, but instead it was Prince Peridean who got her for dinner that night.

This time, to not embarrass herself again, she didn't drink much of that purple liquid, instead drinking some water she had taken along from the spaceship in her room later that night. Even though this wine still tasted so good that she just wanted more.

The Prince also fetched her for breakfast the next morning and once again accompanied her to the spaceship later as well, where Jenny continued her repairs. Everything was going well, much better than predicted, and Jenny knew that she needed only one more day. Which meant that they could leave Oryx-sei the day after the next.

She told them this news that night at dinner, so King Og announced, "That's too bad that you'll have to leave already so soon. But this calls for a huge banquet tomorrow, to say goodbye to our dear guest King Vegeta."

Jenny raised an eyebrow at Vegeta, already having noticed before that King Og no longer referred to Vegeta as Prince, but as King now, but seeing as they had had no chance to spend some time alone since they had arrived, she couldn't have asked him about it. And again after this dinner, Jenny was escorted back to her room by a servant, while Vegeta once again retreated with the King and the Prince.

Sleep always came easily to her since they had arrived, but Jenny guessed that it was somehow connected to the drink they served at dinner, because even though she never drunk as much as the first night, she still felt light headed and pretty lethargic whenever she returned to her rooms.

It was warm the next day, so Jenny had chosen to wear shorts and a tank top to do the last repairs. Her hair was up in a pony tail and the bottle of water never far away. She was so immersed in doing her job, that she once again didn't notice Prince Peridean watching her, just like he had done the previous two days. During the past few days, ever since she had spoken her mind on their first trip to the landing platforms, he had been fascinated by her, and this fascination had only grown into something more, the more he saw of her.

By now he was staring down at her with obvious longing in his eyes, while she was working on the spaceship. She was nothing like other girls of other species he had met. This one was special. She was carefree and serious at the same time. And even though she was just a merely girl, she carried herself with the confidence and air of someone who had much experience in life. There was something about her and he wanted nothing more than to discover the mystery that was she.

She wiped some sweat from her forehead, leaving a smudge of grease on her soft skin. When she turned around to take a sip out of the water bottle behind her, she saw him and waved. He smiled back and also just wanted to raise his hand to return her wave, when he caught himself by what he was doing and lowered his hand again. She only laughed and shook her head, before she returned to her work.

This female truly was something special. He wanted her. He wanted to possess her. He decided that she couldn't leave tomorrow. King Vegeta could leave this planet, but the girl was staying. She was going to be his.

When they returned to the palace and he had escorted her to her rooms, his father suddenly joined him on the way back into their part of the palace. "You want her," King Og stated calmly.

"Yes… she'll be a perfect concubine," Prince Peridean replied. "She'll fit in well with the others."

"Then so it shall be," his father told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's good that we've already sensitized her with the wine, so there should be no problems. Take her away tonight. I'll make the necessary arrangements and I'll make sure that Vegeta won't notice until it's far too late."

"Thank you, father…"

…

Jenny really didn't like this. Why did she have to get dressed up for this banquet anyway? Everyone would ignore her like all the other nights, so there was no need to be pretty. And yet King Og had sent servants to her with a white dress with a golden trim that looked like it came directly out of some old books dealing with ancient history.

It was deeply cut and hanging loosely down to her feet. There were long slits on the side of her dress, going up to her thighs. A stream of white fabric was going from her shoulders down to her wrists, being held there in place by golden bracelets. They were just fastening a golden choker around her neck, when Vegeta entered her room.

"Ouch," she hissed, as something nicked her neck upon closing the clasp of the choker, but then the torture was finally over. Jenny really hated dressing up. "Vegeta, it's so good to see you. Alone for a change."

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta motioned for the servants to leave them alone. They disappeared from the room within less than five seconds. Once the door was closed behind him, he said, "Yes, I could finally escape. I take it the spaceship is repaired."

"Yep," Jenny replied grinning, pulling on the sandals – at least no heels, yay! – the servants had given her. "I checked all the systems and everything is running just fine. We'll be able to leave first thing in the morning. Now we just have to survive this night."

If Jenny didn't know better, she swore that she could hear Vegeta sigh in relief. "Be careful tonight. There are going to be a lot more people than the first night and I don't think I'll be able to keep an eye on you all the time."

"Oh, Vegeta, come on! I've been spending the past few days mostly alone with Prince Peridean and he's been perfectly nice. A real gentleman. I'll be fine, I promise."

…

There were really a lot more people than the first night they had been there. And it wasn't just a banquet, no, this seemed more like a huge ball where the whole cream of Oryx-sei's society was invited. Fortunately this also meant that she wasn't the only girl around, even though none of the female Oryx-jins were inclined to talk to her. They all stayed with their partner, never once leaving their side, and also never joining a conversation. It really looked like they were just arm candy.

So, this just left Jenny all by her lonesome with the purple wine. She was still trying to not drink much of that stuff, but no matter how slow she was, her glass was eventually empty and was immediately refilled, no matter what she said. And it was just stupid to stand there with a full glass, so she continued to sip at it. Well, at least it still tasted really good, almost like juice, always leaving you wanting for more, once you started to drink.

Still, as the time passed and her third glass was empty, Jenny felt as if she had drunk so much more. She noticed that her mind began to work a lot slower; whenever she tried to follow a conversation around her all she could make out was _blah blah blah_. Now, when a servant refilled her glass, she didn't even think of saying no. Her mind was very woozy, but in a good way. There was no need to think, no need to wonder about things she had previously been worried about.

What had that been again? She honestly couldn't remember and dismissed this thought. It really couldn't have been that important then.

A feeling of pleasant detachment had spread throughout her body, so when a hand took hers, she didn't question this action. When she felt her legs move, she didn't wonder why. She was lying down on a bed, a heavy weight on top of her, and she was just limp. Fingers touched her, in places that she usually wouldn't allow anyone to touch her, yet she didn't do anything to stop him. Why should she? Was there any point? Her mind was shut off, her senses dulled.

Somewhere, deep in her mind, buried by the haziness that had settled over her completely, she realized what had looked so off, when she had looked at the servants. It had been their eyes, their dull, lifeless, empty eyes, but it was too late. She didn't care. She wasn't capable of caring anymore.

Her body, her mind, her feelings… They weren't hers anymore.

…

Vegeta didn't notice at first that something felt wrong. The high society was keeping him on his toes, engaging him in countless conversations, and there were so many kis in this room that it was hard to make out her weak one in this mass. It was because of this that he first noticed her absence, when he had a moment to catch his breath. Immediately his head whirled around and his suspicions proved to be true. The Prince was missing as well.

Stretching his senses, his blood froze, when he felt their kis at the same place, in the area of the palace that was meant for the royal family. And something was wrong with her ki.

Ignoring everything around him, Vegeta ran out of the room and followed their kis. He was just a blur and tore the door to the room out of its hinges. Prince Peridean immediately jumped up from his bed and looked at Vegeta in shock, but at the moment Vegeta only had eyes for the girl. She was on the bed, on top of the covers, the upper part of her dress torn away, her eyes half-lidded, empty.

Fury packed Vegeta, as he whirled towards the Prince. And with each agonizingly slow step Vegeta took towards him, he lost just a bit more of his precious control. He barely noticed ascending to the first level, the furious power of the second level was welcome, but what followed was incredibly. He didn't scream as the new power engulfed him, he just kept walking forward as his golden hair grew down to his knees and his eyebrows disappeared.

"What did you do to her?" Vegeta hissed, his voice deathly calm despite the angry power that surrounded him.

"That's none of your business!" Prince Peridean yelled at him, though his body was trembling in fear. "She's mine!"

"She's no one's! So what did you do to her?!" Vegeta's hand lashed out and tightened around Peridean's throat. He lifted him from the ground, just as King Og and several guards stormed the room. The King gasped upon seeing the position his son was in, but Vegeta didn't react to the new arrivals except for saying calmly, "You better tell me what you did to her, Og, or I'll kill your precious and _only_ son."

"It's the choker!" Og told him breathlessly, clearly fearing for his son's life. "It's slowly infusing her with a drug. When she drunk our wine, which was also laced with the drug, it only strengthened the effect."

Peridean dropped to the ground, holding his throat and gasping for breath, when Vegeta disappeared and reappeared again at Jenny's side. She seemed to be looking directly at him – without seeing him. He closed his eyes briefly, knowing what he had to do, but also what it meant. His fingers tightened around the choker, but just as he wanted to tear it apart, King Og's voice stopped him.

"The drug is already fully in her bloodstream. It's designed so that she immediately becomes addicted. The withdrawal will kill her."

"She's better off dead than in this pathetic state," Vegeta told him quietly and destroyed the choker. For a split of a second, Vegeta knew that Jenny really saw him, her blue eyes filled with pain, with fear, as the tiny needle that had pierced her skin was ripped out, but then they closed and Jenny went completely limp. Gathering her carefully in his arms, Vegeta began to carry her out of the room. "We're leaving now. If I ever see you again, I'll destroy you all. You and your planet. Your whole civilization will be annihilated, just like mine. So you better stay away from us."

"Why do you care about her so much, Vegeta?" Og wanted to know, his voice betraying real curiosity despite the panic about what he was witnessing. "She isn't your mate!"

"No, she isn't," Vegeta told him without turning around. "She's my daughter."

…

No one stopped Vegeta, as he flew to the landing platforms with the girl in his arms, and entered the spaceship. He held her tightly on his lap, as they took off and left Oryx-sei behind. First when they were a safe distance away with no other spaceship seen anywhere, did he slowly relax. First then did he bring the girl to her bedroom, taking off her dress and replacing it with her favorite pajamas, before putting her to bed and pulling the blanket over her.

And only then did he power down from the third level, heavily slumping down in a chair across from her bed.

Now the only thing he could do was wait… and hope. She hadn't been exposed to the drug for as long as the other slaves, but still the chance that she would pull through this was slim to non-existent. The hardest thing would be to see her suffer.

One time, after she had almost been killed by the Red Ribbon Army, Vegeta had told her that he had contemplated killing her to release her from her suffering, so that he could wish her back later with the Nameks' Dragonballs. She had just looked at him as if he were crazy and scolded him for even thinking that. She had told him that she didn't want to be killed to be released from pain, because she could still survive. She had, after all, beaten the odds before. She had survived Buu, she had survived this… so maybe she wasn't meant to die yet, at least not until she had beaten her own big bad.

So, here he was, his hands completely bound by her wish, unless he wanted to suffer her wrath after her resurrection in about two weeks.

Shaking his head with a wry smile that never reached his eyes, Vegeta looked at the girl lying on the bed. She looked so peaceful, almost as if she were just sleeping, but Vegeta knew that it wouldn't last. This was just the first stage of the withdrawal, though it hadn't even started yet. The drug was still in her body, but once it was all used up, it would get really bad. Really really bad, so bad that Vegeta didn't want to think of it. So bad that, at the end of the second stage, the victim would usually have almost no energy left and die within a few hours.

It took almost the whole night, a long sleepless night. Vegeta had barely left her side, only to go to the bathroom and one time to get changed into more comfortable clothes consisting of dark sweatpants and a tank top. In the early morning hours, Vegeta noticed the start of the second stage due to the quiet whimpers coming from the girl and the light trembling of her limbs. If it were just that, it wouldn't have been so bad, but her symptoms worsened quickly. Whimpers became screams and the trembling became so bad that her arms and legs were flailing around. Her head was whipping from side to side and her violently shaking hands were scratching her pale skin, leaving bloody trails.

Fearing that she would harm herself further, hitting her head or doing something else that would hurt her, Vegeta took off his shoes and crawled onto the bed next to her. He carefully wrapped himself around her, trapping her arms and legs under his so that they would remain relatively still. Tears were running down her cheeks, drenching his tank top. Her skin was hot and slick with sweat, and he repeatedly had to adjust his grip. She was surprisingly strong, seeing as she was just in her human form, and Vegeta knew that he would have difficulties containing her without transforming if she were in her Saiyajinform.

However, it was her screams that were slowly tearing him apart from the inside. Vegeta had never heard her scream like this before. There had been yelps and cries before, when they had trained and he had hurt her somehow, but never like this. She had to be in unbearable pain. Pain he couldn't soothe.

He was helpless, again. He had failed her, again. Vegeta had known what the Oryx-jins were capable of. He should have paid more attention to her. He should have known that they would be interested in her, no matter how much she stayed in the background. He should have realized that they would be drawn to her just for the simple fact that she had arrived with him. He should have realized what Peridean and Og had planned. He should have stopped them… He should have…

There were so many things he should have done, but hadn't. So many things he was guilty off. So many things he couldn't change.

Vegeta had no idea how long he had been holding her like this, how long she had been screaming herself hoarse. It must have been hours, without a break for either of them. By now Jenny's voice was gone, though her screaming hadn't stopped.

He was exhausted – mentally and physically – but it didn't matter to him. The girl needed him here, so that was where he was going to be. He wouldn't let go of her until it was over. Until she no longer needed him. Vegeta wasn't the kind of man to whisper soothing words, so he hoped that his presence would be enough to help her, at least a bit.

More hours passed. There were still tremors going through the girl's body, more quiet whimpers escaping her throat, but by now her body was so exhausted that it couldn't keep up with her pain anymore. She was burning up, sweating as if she were training for hours at her limit, her breathing flat and labored. Inwardly Vegeta hoped that it would be over soon, that she would be relieved from this torture soon.

And then it all just stopped. From one moment to another the formerly tense body in his arms went completely limp. Her ki wasn't gone yet, but Vegeta knew that soon it would be. Knowing that he now no longer needed to hold her, Vegeta slipped out of the bed and laid the girl back down on the back. After he had pulled her blanket once again up to her chin, Vegeta allowed himself to look at her for the first time since the second stage of the withdrawal had started.

One wouldn't think it possible, but just in the hours that had passed in the second stage, the girl had lost a lot of weight. Almost all the weight that she had worked so hard to regain in the past months. Her body had burned through all her reserves in order to fight against the withdrawal symptoms, only to lose in the end. It wasn't natural. Her body wouldn't be able to take this.

A deep sigh escaped his lips, almost a sob, as he buried his face in his hands. Once again, all he could do now was wait, wait for her body to fail, for her ki to drop to zero and then, in the end, for her body to disappear.

More hours passed. Reluctantly Vegeta left Jenny to check on the spaceship's systems, to make a short call to the scientists and tell them that they were once again on their way to New Namek – without telling them that the girl was dying – and that they would arrive in less than two weeks according to the computer. He took a shower, got dressed in clean, comfortable clothes, and made himself something to eat though he barely touched it.

The girl's condition remained unchanged.

Even now that she was just lying there, unmoving, barely breathing, Vegeta almost never left her alone. She didn't deserve to be alone, when she died. And whenever he had to leave her room, he kept a tight lock on her ki, aware of the slightest changes, ready to be at her side within seconds.

Still, despite his efforts to stay awake, the exhaustion overwhelmed him on the fourth day after Jenny had dropped into this coma. It was incredible, anyone else would have surrendered already, but Jenny's body was still unwilling to give up, not having realized yet that it was fighting a losing battle. Vegeta had been fighting one as well against the fatigue. He never noticed how he fell asleep, but he was all too aware of waking up hours later.

A noise had roused him and as he quickly opened his eyes, he found two tired blue ones watching him. Vegeta was shocked. This shouldn't be possible. As far as he knew, no one had ever survived, less alone woken up.

And yet, here she was, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Can never… catch… break, huh?" she croaked, her voice barely there, and then she closed her eyes again with a deep breath. Fast asleep.

Vegeta hadn't noticed it before, but her ki was much stronger than just a few days ago, than just a few hours ago. He smirked, shaking his head in disbelief.

The girl had done it again.

…

Recovery this time was excruciatingly slow. It wasn't that she was in pain, because there wasn't any. She just had no energy at all. Jenny had never felt this weak. She could barely lift her head or a hand. Two days had passed since she had woken up for the first time and with each time she stayed awake for a bit longer. Her body was almost completely drained of energy, of strength. Her muscles refused to work like she wanted them to.

This wasn't just annoying. This was fucking frustrating.

And Jenny couldn't stop berating herself for getting into this mess in the first place. She remembered everything, and had admitted this to Vegeta. Sometimes Jenny wished that she could forget this, forget how this Oryx-jin had touched her, but on the other hand she wanted and needed to remember, so that she wouldn't make this mistake again. She could only be happy that he had not touched her… down there… That Vegeta had intervened before he could have raped her. A shudder went through her, as she thought about this, but something else was growing within her at this thought. Anger.

She was angry, so angry, but this time she wouldn't let this anger gain control over her. She was angry at herself for having let this happen. She was so much stronger than an Oryx-jin and she should have been much more careful. She should have listened to Vegeta, instead of dismissing him when the Oryx-jins had seemed so nice. But then neither she nor Vegeta had known yet that they had been drugging since their first dinner. And she was of course angry at the Oryix-jins, at Peridean and Og. She wanted to go back to that planet and show them what she was capable of. She wanted to destroy them. She knew she could and she wouldn't regret it.

But Vegeta had talked her out of her wish for revenge. He reminded her that she didn't want to go down that road again. And he was right. Jenny knew that while she certainly wouldn't regret destroying that race, it wouldn't make her feel better either. She and Vegeta spent a lot of time together, either just in companionable silence or talking about serious and not so serious things.

Jenny couldn't get rid of the feeling that somehow this event had just strengthened this weird connection that she and Vegeta had. She had always felt close to him, he was her guardian, her trainer, her friend… But by now she had to admit that Vegeta was more than that, that she regarded Vegeta as her father, though she would never tell him that. It would be too embarrassing for both of them.

Days passed with minimal progress. Her strength was returning agonizingly slowly, even though she was already eating her normal helpings again in addition to the high calorie shakes and smoothies. It was one week after she had woken up and she could just barely sit up in her bed without help. Jenny hated this! She felt even more helpless than after she had been shot. She wasn't physically wounded, it wasn't an outside force that was keeping her from getting healthy. It was her own body working against her. That was what she hated the most. She could fight outside forces, but not her own body.

At least she now knew why she had looked so bad in her vision. Before she had thought that it had been because of the war against the Red Ribbon Army, but after she had recovered so nicely, her body looking almost like it had looked before, she had been confused as to why she had looked so sick in the vision. Well, now she had her answer.

…

They were going to arrive at New Namek in two days, Vegeta had just told her. Basically, make that one and a half day. According to the computer's calculation they would arrive the day after tomorrow in the morning, and as it was already evening there were only about thirty-six hours left until their arrival.

Jenny felt the butterflies in her stomach. Excitement, nervousness and also a bit fear. A small part of her was still afraid that the Nameks would just refuse, that they wouldn't allow Vegeta and her to use their Dragonballs, that everything had been in vain. She and Vegeta had already talked about the possibility that the Nameks would either be angry at or afraid of Vegeta, as he hadn't really left a good impression on them. So it was her who needed to convince them and hopefully they would believe her that she was Goku's daughter.

But for them to believe her, she needed to get out of bed. No one would believe that Son Goku's daughter would be this weak and pathetic girl. They would expect her to be strong, to be a warrior just like her father.

Biting on her lower lip, Jenny moved her legs with great difficulties over the edge of the bed. They were already trembling before her feet hit the ground and Jenny felt tears brim in her eyes. But she wouldn't give up. So, after having taken one deep breath, she pushed herself up. She was standing, but then her body failed her and she fell before she could even take the first step.

"Fuck!" she cursed, hitting the ground with her fist. She hated this! She hated this! She hated this!

If she ever met one of that fucking race again, she would fucking kill him!

…

It was a day almost like any other in the Afterlife, Gohan mused, as he and his whole family was having breakfast on Sunday morning outside their house in the backyard. Goten and Trunks were sitting at the table, bleary-eyed and barely awake after having been out with other young fighters the whole night, partying. Bulma and ChiChi were gossiping like only women could, with Videl joining in every so often. His father was sitting and talking with his friends, laughing about something that Yamcha had said.

Seeing as Gohan was the only person who wasn't really busy, who was just enjoying the food his mom hat prepared, he was the first to spot the Kaioushin walking towards them. His grip on the fork tightened, bending it in the middle, as he saw the high god. No matter how much the other gods looked up to him, Gohan hated him with a passion for everything he had done to his family.

His father had obviously heard the low growl that had escaped Gohan's throat and now also saw the newcomer. He rose from his seat, immediately silencing everyone else, as he greeted their guest coolly. "Kaioushin, what can I do for you?"

"There is nothing you can do for me, Son Goku," the Kaioushin replied pleasantly. "But there's something I can do for you, or rather for the rest of your family and friends."

"What are you talking about?" Gohan demanded to know, his voice hard, but he calmed down slightly, when he felt Videl's hand slide into his. She gave him an encouraging smile, her eyes sparkling. For a moment, Gohan wondered why, but then turned his attention back to the Kaioushin.

Everyone except for ChiChi, who knew of their obvious dislike for the Kaioushin, most of which she shared, was looking at the exchange in surprise. None of them had seen the Kaioushin since those fateful days almost eleven years ago. So seeing him here now and hearing how the two usually so good-hearted Saiyajins talked to him, was very disquieting.

"I've got a message for you from your sister, Gohan," the Kaioushin told him, but before anyone could react, he continued, "Let me make a long story short. Almost three years ago she discovered blueprints for a spaceship in your lab and has since then been working on building it along with some scientists from Capsule Corporation. It was finished a couple of weeks ago and she asked me to tell you that she and Vegeta will be arriving on New Namek tomorrow morning. They will then gather the Dragonballs and ask Porunga to resurrect you."

"Re-resurrect us?" Gohan mumbled, completely stunned. And he wasn't the only one. All the others also had looks of astonishment on their faces, as they tried to process what the Kaioushin had told them. It really sounded too good to be true.

Nodding, the Kaioushin confirmed his question. "Yes, she will resurrect everyone who has been killed since Babidi had appeared on Earth. I'm sorry, but this won't include you and your wife, Son Goku."

"I understand," Goku said, though inwardly he couldn't help but be disappointed. He wrapped an arm around ChiChi's shoulder, who had come to his side, and pulled her close. For just a second he had believed that he could go back to Earth as well, along with his children and friends. For one short second he had believed that everything would once again be perfect for his family on their home planet.

"Well then… use the chance to celebrate and also to get ready to say goodbye to those who stay behind. Gather the things you want to take along. I'll make sure that they get to Earth after you've been brought back to life. Jenny said that she'd contact me a day before they would use the Dragonballs with an exact time, so that your departure won't be so sudden. I'll see you then."

Gohan could just watch, as the Kaioushin walked away, still having a hard time to wrap his mind around what he had just told them. After almost eleven years, he was going back to Earth. After almost eleven years of being dead, he would once again be alive. He had to admit, during the first few years in the Afterlife he had still held onto a very small hope that someone would bring them back, but in the later years, this hope had completely disappeared.

"Can you believe it, bro?" Goten suddenly shouted happily, as he slung an arm over his big brother's shoulder. "We're going back! We're going to see Jenny again!"

"No…" Gohan mumbled, "I really can't…"

And it would really take a while until he could.

* * *

_Wishes_

When Jenny woke up, she was once again in her bed. She remembered passing out shortly after she had tried to get out of bed, and then the dream in which she told the Kaioshin that they would arrive on New Namek in a very short time. She wondered if he had talked to her family already. "How long was I out?"

"Two nights and a day. You've put too much strain on your body. It obviously needed the rest, but we're going to land on New Namek in less than an hour, so I thought you'd want to freshen up before we meet the Nameks."

"Sounds like a good idea… Help me?"

As embarrassing as it had been at first, by now Jenny no longer cared that Vegeta had to wash her or help her get changed. He was a lot better at it than Mirai, actually, who had always started to blush whenever she was showing just a bit too much skin, which was usually the case when she needed to be washed. Vegeta, however, remained cool, clinical. Still, Jenny longed for the moment when she could once again take a shower on her own.

Jenny was feeling slightly better, so when Vegeta wanted to leave to get her some breakfast, she grabbed his hand loosely. "I don't want to lie here anymore, Vegeta. I need to get out of bed. It's killing me here! Please… get me out of here."

Vegeta looked at her for a long moment, contemplating her request, but then, finally, nodded. "Alright. But you stay in the spaceship while I go and talk to the Nameks. You're not strong enough for that, yet. Then, when everything is clear, I'll get you."

"Okay…"

Vegeta carried her down to the kitchen, where he made her a huge breakfast. Once she was done, the computer announced that it was only ten minutes until landing, so he carried her over to her chair, where he strapped her in, before sitting down on his own chair.

The landing was again a rocky affair, but with what little strength she had, Jenny managed to hold onto the arms of her chair and keep her legs firm against the chair's legs. They had decided to land near a village, so that they wouldn't have to look for Nameks. However, the moment their spaceship had landed and the engine was switched off, their screen showed a group of Nameks, obviously warriors according to their build, waiting for them outside.

"Be careful, Vegeta… watch what you say."

"You're warning me?" Vegeta replied mockingly, as he rose from his chair and went to the exit. The door opened with a hiss and the ramp appeared. Jenny watched on the screen, ready to chew on her fingernails, as Vegeta appeared before the Nameks and they began to talk. She wished that she could hear what they were saying, but there were no microphones outside, so all she got was pretty pictures. Or maybe not so pretty pictures. Jenny had no idea what Vegeta was saying, but the Nameks looked pretty pissed off.

Then again, maybe it was just Vegeta's identity along with his charming self that caused this reaction.

However, it looked ready to get out of hand if something didn't happen soon.

She needed to get out of there, before Vegeta did something stupid, like attacking the Nameks! It would destroy everything!

Suddenly, with a strength she had missed for the past days, Jenny rose from the chair and shakily walked over to the door and down the ramp. "Wait!" she called out, reaching out to grasp Vegeta's shoulder as she noticed her legs starting to tremble. "Please… listen… My name is Son Jenny. I'm Son Goku's daughter. Vegeta and I come from Earth."

The Nameks exchanged some looks and then the one in the front asked warily, "If what you say is true, and you're really Son Goku's daughter, then answer me two questions. First, why are you here with _him_? And second, _why_ have you come to our planet?"

"Vegeta's not the bad guy anymore," Jenny explained hurriedly, already feeling how her energy is once again being drained. "He's been living with us for years now. He's mated to a human and has got a son. He's fought to defend Earth countless times. He raised me, protected me, trained me. He's the only person I still have, because almost eleven years ago everyone, including our friends Dende and Piccolo, Nameks like you, were killed by a Majin who wanted to destroy the whole universe. We would have come to your planet sooner, but we've only been able to start building a spaceship a few years ago. We're here to ask you to use your Dragonballs to resurrect everyone who has died since that Majin had been on Earth. So, please… will you help us?"

Jenny managed to get out the words, just before darkness claimed her again.

…

It was comfortable where she was lying, but Jenny knew that it wasn't her bed on the spaceship and was somehow glad for that. Even another bed was better, because that meant that there had to be other things to see, other people to talk to. She opened her eyes to see a Namek kneeling next to her, his glowing hands hovering over her chest.

"Ah, you're awake," he said in smooth deep voice. There was a kind smile on his face and Jenny found herself returning it. "Vegeta said that it would take longer for you to recover, but it seems that my healing power has helped a bit."

"Healing power?"

The Namek nodded. "Yes… Some of us have the ability to heal. I believe that was also the talent of the young Namek Dende who became the guardian of your planet. However, I can only help you a bit. We had hoped that I would be able to restore your full energy, but something is draining your energy too quickly. Vegeta told us what's happened, and while we have no experience with the drug that's been used on you, I can only imagine that your body is running on the lowest energy level possible and is trying to save every bit of surplus energy by storing it away immediately. It will take a while until your body notices that it doesn't need to save the energy anymore but can use it instead. You'll need to be patient."

"Great…" Jenny snorted. "I hate being patient."

"I can see that!" the Namek laughed. "By the way, my name is Rimul. I'm the head healer of this town and until you leave your personal healer as well."

"I'm Jenny, but I guess you already know that… So… where's Vegeta? I hope you didn't kill him."

"No, after you intervened our warriors were willing to listen and then they brought you here. Vegeta talked to our Saichourou, Muri, and explained your situation one more time calmly. He then allowed you to use the Dragonballs. He and some members of our Dragonclan are looking for them as we speak."

"Really? That's great!" Jenny was beaming at Rimul. All her worries about Namek were gone. Now it would only be a matter of time until they could speak the wishes and everyone would be back.

Well, almost everyone, he thought, her mind wandering to Mirai. There was nothing she could about it here, though. These Dragonballs wouldn't work in the other timeline.

Rimul spend more time at her side, just talking and using his healing power on her in different intervals. And even though Rimul said that it didn't help much, Jenny felt just the tiniest bit stronger after each interval.

However, when Vegeta returned later that day and Jenny told him about what Rimul had said, Vegeta had just announced, "Then we know what the third wish will be."

…

Jenny was frustrated that she had to wait in the town while Vegeta was out there looking for the Dragonballs, even though she spent a lot of time with Rimul and he was really good company. Jenny also got to know several other Nameks and even Muri, the Saichourou, visited her for a long talk. He was very interested in her life on Earth, how she had dealt with losing almost everything and everyone. Sometimes even small children came to her, to see the _strange girl from Earth_. Those kids she told stories about what she, Goten and Trunks had done in their childhood, about the pranks they had played and all the other stuff.

Almost, but not totally forgotten was the call to the scientists so that they could inform Earth's King that they were on New Namek and that the wishes would soon be fulfilled. The three scientists were worried of course, when they saw Jenny on their screen, but she told them that she was fine, that they had just run into some trouble and that she was still recovering. They didn't need to worry about her.

And then, four days after they had arrived, it was done. All the Dragonballs were gathered and ready to be used, but to give their families in the Afterlife some time to get ready, they would wait until the next day. Jenny contacted the Kaioushin to tell him that everything was ready and then they only had to wait.

By the next morning, Jenny had gotten strong enough to walk for short moments, though Vegeta had to support her a bit. Still, she wanted, no, needed to be there. She had to be the one to voice the wishes. It had been her project from the very beginning.

The bright sun was blinding, as she stepped outside, especially after she had spent so much time inside, but once her eyes had adjusted to the brightness, she saw the seven Dragonball lie in front of her. They were huge, about as big as a basketball, but then she remembered her vision and that Gohan had told her and Goten this ages ago.

Muri smiled at her, asking if she was ready, and then called out something in their native tongue. The Dragonballs began to glow even brighter and the sky around them became black, as suddenly seven beams of light shot into the sky and materialized into Porunga. He looked just like in her vision, different than their long and slender Shenlong, but he felt incredibly powerful. Jenny could only stare at him in awe, as she stepped closer to Porunga.

Her hands were shaking, as Porunga greeted them in a language that she understood. Vegeta came to stand next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him, seeing his worried expression and exchanged a long look with him, telling him with her eyes that she was alright.

"Tell him your first wish," Muri said quietly.

Jenny nodded and then said, her voice strong and clear, "Porunga, I ask you to repair any damage that Buu has done on Earth, but that hasn't been repaired yet."

Muri translated her wish into Namekian and then Porunga answered, his eyes glowing red. The Namek turned to Jenny, grinning, "Nothing easier than that."

"Okay, the second wish," Jenny mumbled. "Porunga, can you resurrect people who have died almost eleven years ago?"

Until now everything was exactly as in her vision, but she just had to ask. She had to hear Porunga's answer. So when Muri translated Porunga's answer into 'Yes.' she was incredibly relieved.

The scene of her vision had frozen now, so from now on it was completely up to her. She tightly grabbed Vegeta's hand, drawing strength from him, took a deep breath and then told Porunga her wish. She remembered fondly the time she had spent with Mailin and Damian at the ice cream parlor, talking about the wishes, and how she should voice them. "Porunga, please resurrect every good person who has died on Earth since Babidi had appeared there, and who deep in their heart wants to come back to life."

Jenny crossed her fingers, but the glowing eyes just told her what Muri confirmed a second later. "It's done."

Nodding, Jenny prepared for the last wish. She knew that Vegeta hoped to wish for her health, but this wasn't going to be her first choice. She had thought long and hard about this, but knew that it was the right thing to do. Not for her, but for the others, especially her brothers. "Porunga, I need to ask you another question about the last wish. Do you consider it a natural death, when a woman dies in childbirth because her body isn't made for giving birth to two children who are physically much stronger than her?"

Muri asked Porunga this question and then relayed the answer. "No, Jenny… Porunga says that this isn't a natural death."

She just nodded again. "Alright… Porunga, please bring my biological parents back to life."

"Done."

* * *

**A/N: So, that's it… the last chapter of the third part of this story. I hope that you liked it so far and that you will stay with me for Part IV. It's been a long journey to come to this point, but it's done. I hope to get the first chapter of Part IV finished as soon as possible, so that you can see what will happen now that everyone is alive again. I hope to see you then!**

**But before we go on to the next part, here is as usual a small preview from a chapter from the next part:**

_"Why don't you train with her anymore?" Bulma asked and she noticed at once that she had been right, as Vegeta whirled around to glower at her. There had once been a time, when she had been scared of him, when she would have cowered at this look, but this time was long past, so she simply stood her ground and raised her eyebrow._

_"Now that Kakarotto's back, the brat's not my problem anymore," he snarled. His whole body was trembling with tension and Bulma saw his clenched fists._

_Shaking her head, confused, she wanted to know, "What are you talking about, Vegeta?"_

_"Third-class warriors don't train with those of the elite class or of royal blood. However, while the brat and I were the only living Saiyajins, it was my responsibility to look after her and to train her, as there was no one else to do this. But Kakarotto and his brats are back now, so now she's their responsibility. Third-class warriors only train among themselves, that's how it's always been and that's how it always will be." He remained silent for a short moment and Bulma thought she saw hesitation and regret in his dark eyes, but this was replaced by a hard look, when he continued, "And I'm glad to be rid off her."_


	77. Part IV: Alive again

**A/N: Welcome to part IV of The Lost Warrior! I hope that you'll enjoy this part as much as the previous three parts. Now, I can promise you this that this part won't be nearly as long as Part III, but there will still happen a lot of things. So stay tuned! **

**And as always thanks a lot for your reviews! They're what keeps me writing!**

* * *

**Part IV**

**Chapter 76: Alive again**

Gohan still couldn't believe that this was happening. Not even one week had passed since the Kaioushin had come to them with the unexpected news that his sister and Vegeta were on their way to New Namek to resurrect them. And then, yesterday, he had been there again, this time to tell him that Jenny would use the Dragonballs the following morning.

The whole time since the Kaioushin's first appearance had been used for packing up the belongings they wanted to take back to Earth, which was really a lot much to their surprise. Who knew how much stuff you could gather in the Afterlife over the course of almost eleven years? It was amazing and sometimes Gohan wondered, how he would fit all of his new stuff into his old room at Capsule Corporation.

Eleven years. That's how long they had been here. Counting the year he had spent in the Room of Spirit and Time Gohan would be almost thirty by now, if he and Videl hadn't decided to stop aging when they were twenty. His baby brother was almost eighteen, physically now just two years younger than him. Just as his baby sister…

Jenny…

Gohan felt a lump in his throat, when he thought about the fact that probably just in a few days he would finally see his baby sister again. Who no longer was a baby. On the photographs that Videl had brought back from her short visit to Earth it had clearly been visible that Jenny had been on her best way to become a pretty young woman. He wondered, how much she had still changed in the three years since then. Had she lost the last remains of baby fat? What about her character? Gohan knew that it was wrong to think of her as that little girl he had had to leave behind and many things could change in eleven years. Videl had already given him some insight, but he couldn't wait to finally find out what his sister was like now in person.

Yes, after having been rather shocked and having not known what to think about this sudden turn of events, Gohan now couldn't wait to go back to Earth. However, there was a downside. And this was the four persons they were forced to leave behind. His mother had burst into tears countless times over the past few days, but she and his father had assured them that they were happy about their second chance. It would be incredibly hard to leave his parents again so he and Goten had spent as much time as possible with them, savoring every single moment they still had together.

The two other persons were Doctor and Mrs. Briefs. Bulma's father had been really relieved, when the Kaioushin had told them that only those who wanted to be alive again would be resurrected, so he had decided to stay with his wife in the Afterlife. Bulma, while being sad about now really losing her parents for a long time, understood her father's reasons. Her mother had died of a heart attack, a natural cause, so she wouldn't be brought back to life. It was just normal that he wanted to stay with his wife.

While it was true that the last few days had been pretty emotional, it wasn't really depressing. There was a lot of saying goodbye and a lot of tears on all sides, but there was also laughter and talk about things they would do, once they were back on Earth. One thing that caused a lot of amusement was, when ChiChi had made a very embarrassed Goten promise to find a nice girl and give her lots and lots of grandchildren. Trunks wouldn't stop teasing him for days afterwards.

Gohan still felt tears prickle in his eyes, when he looked at his parents, knowing that they couldn't come home with them, but he always reminded himself that it wasn't a final goodbye. After all, it wouldn't be the last time they saw their loved ones in the Afterlife, though his father had made him promise that he and the rest of their family wouldn't die until they were all old and grey.

No, it wasn't a final goodbye, but it would still be many, many years until he saw his parents again.

And now it was time. They were all gathered in front of the big house they had all lived in for the past eleven years. Those that were staying standing on one side and those that were leaving on the other, in small groups. Bulma and Trunks were standing with Gohan, Goten, Videl and Gyuu Mao, and Krillin and his family – almost fifteen years old Marron was really looking forward to going back to Earth, especially as she barely had any memories of the first few years of her life there - were standing with their other friends Yamcha, Puar, Oolong and Muten Roshi. Piccolo, Dende, Mr. Popo and Korin were standing close to Kaiousama, who was there to tell them, when Jenny was asking Porunga to fulfill her wishes.

The last goodbyes had been said the night before, at a huge dinner that his mother had prepared for all of them. So now there was nothing left to do but wait. Gohan gave his mother a reassuring smile, when he once again saw the tears in her eyes. His father had an arm wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her close against his side. The expression on his father's face was… strange. Gohan couldn't ever remember seeing his father cry, but now it looked like he was very close to doing so. Feeling Videl's small hand squeezing his own, he looked down at her. She was smiling brightly, but also compassionately, which reminded Gohan that this was actually a happy occasion.

They were going back!

"It's time," Kaiousama interrupted his thoughts. Immediately, an anticipatory tension filled the air around them, as they waited for _it_ to happen. "The Nameks have summoned Porunga and Jenny is telling him the first wish to repair all the damage Buu has done to Earth. Ah yes, it's been fulfilled. Now the second wish…"

Gohan didn't hear Kaiousama repeat the second wish, as a strange feeling filled him. He was suddenly feeling incredibly light and everything in front of him disappeared. For a second everything was dark and then he suddenly had to blink, as bright light blinded him. Startled, Gohan noticed that Videl's small hand was no longer in his and, when he looked to his side, he saw that she was gone. As a matter of fact, everyone else was gone as well. He was completely alone.

And where the hell was he anyway? There were trees everywhere around him, birds were singing and he could see movement of small animals in the bushes. Telling himself not to panic, Gohan reached out with his senses and sighed in relief, when he felt all of them, though pretty far away.

Then it suddenly hit him. He had to be in the Southwest Forest, where he had died eleven years ago. Which meant that the others were all either on the Lookout or close to it. Rising into the air, Gohan decided to test his theory and took off. And he was right, as he recognized the place where he and the others had fought Buu, though there wasn't much left of it. At least it looked like the spaceship had been destroyed, as there was now just a huge crater, where the entrance used to be.

Satisfied that his theory was correct, Gohan quickly went to join the others.

* * *

The moment they had disappeared from the Dai Kaiou's planet, ChiChi buried her face in the fabric of her husband's gi. Goku could understand her grief, as he also felt incredibly sad of letting his sons go, but on the other side he shouldn't forget that they now had another chance and life and that it would have been incredibly cruel, if they had denied them this opportunity.

"And now the third wish…"

Goku looked at Kaiousama in surprise, not having expected that there would be a third wish. He was curious what it was that his daughter was wishing for. Maybe that she and Vegeta would be brought back to Earth now as well, so that they could join their families? A small twinge of jealousy made itself known inside of him, but Goku pushed it aside.

Further musings on his side were interrupted, when Kaiousama suddenly looked at him and ChiChi first with a surprised and then with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Goku… please, don't come back too soon, okay?"

"Huh?" he asked confused. "What are you talking about, Kaiousama?"

Now ChiChi was also looking at the higher god curiously. "Kaiousama?"

Kaiousama was smiling at them brightly. "You and ChiChi, use this chance. I don't want to see either of you here again until you're both old and grey, okay?"

Before Goku could say something, before he could make sense of what Kaiousama was telling them with his cryptic words, a somewhat familiar feeling began to spread through him. His eyes widened in surprise, as he recognized this feeling. This was the second time he was feeling this, and just like the last time he welcomed it with a smile.

He closed his eyes, but opened them again quickly, when he felt that his wife was no longer in his arms. And when he looked around, he realized that he wasn't on Earth as he had expected. Instead, he was on Kaiousama's planet, where he had died. Sweet Dende, this meant that his wife was all alone in their abandoned house in the Mountain Area. Immediately raising his fingers to his forehead, he concentrated on his wife's very distant but familiar ki and disappeared.

Only to reappear not even a second later in what used to be his and ChiChi's bedroom at their old house. One window was boarded up, but there was light shining through the second window at the other wall. Outside he could see brilliant white snow covering everything, but he wasn't the only one looking outside. ChiChi was standing at the same window, her eyes resting on the glittering snow on the trees. Goku couldn't see her face, but he could feel her surprise and disbelief through their bond.

"ChiChi…" he whispered, causing her to whirl around. She apparently hadn't even noticed his arrival in their old bedroom.

Her eyes were once again brimming with unshed tears, but this time they were happy tears. "Goku… is this… is this real?"

"Yes… yes it is," Goku told her, though he could also hear the disbelief and wonder in his voice. "Our daughter brought us back, too."

With a happy sob, ChiChi threw herself into his arms and Goku pressed her tightly against his chest. He felt that the top his gi was once again growing damp with her tears, but he smiled. Happy tears. They were alive, they were really alive. There was no halo floating above ChiChi's head and he knew that his was gone as well. He almost felt… lighter… without it, more alive. Which was no surprise, as he had been dead before. Being allowed to keep your body just wasn't the same, there was always something missing.

"Come, ChiChi," he murmured into her dark hair after a long moment. "Let's go to the others… I'm sure they're wondering what we're doing here." He only felt her nod against his chest, still unable to say anything because of her tears and the shock of everything. Smiling gently, Goku localized the ki of his eldest son and they vanished from their old house. He hoped that he and his family would all be able to live there again soon.

* * *

Gohan arrived at the Lookout only minutes after he had left the Southwest Forest. On the way there he had believed to feel his parents' kis appear on Earth, but quickly shook this feeling off. It was only wishful thinking, because there was no way that his parents would have been resurrected. His mother had died of natural causes and his father would never leave her alone in the Afterlife.

Everyone was already there, obviously just waiting for him. Videl was immediately in his arms and he could see the relieved looks on their faces upon seeing him. "Sorry," he said somewhat sheepishly. "I totally forgot that I died in the Southwest Forest. I appeared there."

"Don't scare us like that again, bro," Goten said laughing, but then added somewhat seriously… and anxiously. "Tell me, Gohan… Did you… did you feel it, too? Dad… and mom?"

"W-wait…" Gohan stuttered, looking at his little brother, who was giving him a hopeful and begging look. "You mean… it was real? It wasn't just my imagination?"

The moment he asked his brother this question, two more kis appeared on the Lookout. Two kis that they thought they wouldn't feel again until they met again in the Afterlife. "Mom?" Gohan whispered, shocked. "Dad?"

"Hey there, guys," Goku greeted them cheerfully. "You didn't expect to see us again so soon, huh?"

"Goku! ChiChi!" Bulma cried out in surprise, and she wasn't the only one. All of them were surprised and happy to see him and ChiChi, to have them back on Earth as well, without their halos. Alive. "How?"

Shrugging, Goku explained, "Well… apparently Porunga has got some different ideas about natural deaths than Shenlong and Jenny used this loophole to resurrect us as well."

"Yeah, our sister's totally awesome!" Goten exclaimed, much to the others' amusement. But that was the Goten they all knew and loved – cheerful, impulsive, carrying his heart on his sleeve and almost as naïve as his father – almost, because he'd already had a couple of girlfriends back in the Afterlife and knew how to charm a girl. ChiChi still blamed Trunks for this behavior. "Well, she is, isn't she, bro?"

"Yes, she is…" Gohan agreed with a happy smile on his face. He really couldn't believe it. Just a few minutes ago he had been forced to say goodbye to his parents, and now they were here with them, alive and well. Gohan had to resist the urge to slap himself to make sure that he was really awake, that this wasn't just a dream. That in just a few days, his whole family would be complete again, one big happy family.

"Sorry to disturb this happy moment," Bulma suddenly said after a moment of everyone having been lost in their thoughts. "But I'd suggest that we all head home now. Everyone's welcome to stay at Capsule Corporation of course, seeing as we have no idea how all your homes look like now after eleven years."

"Oh, that would be wonderful," ChiChi immediately said. "I've seen our house and it's in terrible shape. It will take some time to do all the repairs."

"Thanks for the offer, Bulma," Muten Roshi told her, "But I'd really like to go home to my island. I'm sure that my old friend the turtle has kept the house in shape, at least good enough for me to stay in it."

"Okay… what about the others?"

Almost everyone else decided to accept Bulma's offer and return to the Western Capital with them, at least until they had made sure that their old homes were still inhabitable. Even Krillin and his family, although they had lived with Muten Roshi until Buu, but Krillin had said that he wanted to give him some time to catch up with his old friend before they moved in again. What he didn't say was what everyone was thinking – that Muten Roshi couldn't wait to go back to his magazines and videotapes. Only Dende, Piccolo and Korin were going to stay at the Lookout, though Korin asked if someone could bring him down to his tower.

"Good… dad, why don't you bring Muten Roshi home?" Gohan suggested. "I'll bring Korin down and then fly to Capsule Corporation in the meantime so you can concentrate on my ki to bring everyone else back."

"Sounds good, son," Goku replied, already walking over to Muten Roshi and putting a hand on his old master's shoulder. "See you in a few minutes."

At the same moment, as Goku disappeared, Gohan gave Videl a quick kiss, grabbed Korin under his arms and then jumped over the edge of the Lookout. Korin gave a startled shout of surprise, as he and Gohan were suddenly falling and falling, until Gohan gently lowered their speed and set him down on the platform of his home.

Grinning cheekily at the big white cat, Gohan waved and then flew off again. He sighed happily, as he felt the fresh air whip around his face. He had missed this, the blue sky, the fluffy white clouds, the bright sun. Sure, he had gotten used to the weirdnesses of the Afterlife, but it really was good to be home again. The planet underneath him still looked the same, though there were also some new things, Gohan realized as he reached the Western Capital after just a few minutes. There were a lot of new buildings, having obviously been built in the past eleven years, and some building sites. However, there was no destruction whatsoever to be seen, thanks to Jenny's first wish.

Yeah, his brother was right. Their sister was totally awesome.

Capsule Corporation looked just the way it had, when he had been here the last time. Well, almost, Gohan noticed with a frown, when he saw the empty spot in the backyard where the gravity room used to be. Shaking his head with a quiet chuckle, Gohan wondered who had finally blown it up – Vegeta or Jenny? Or was it maybe the result of a combined effort?

_'Videl? I'm here. You can come home now.'_

Gohan heard Videl through their bond tell the others that he had arrived at Capsule Corporation and was waiting for them. And just about a minute later, his father along with the others who had decided to come to Capsule Corporation appeared right in front of them. However, not even three seconds passed, until Bulma started to yell.

"I'm gonna kill him! I can't believe Vegeta's finally done it! Doesn't he know how long it will take to build the GR from scratch? He's so dead!"

Almost as if the remaining tension fled with Bulma's outburst, everyone started to laugh. It seemed that first now they really seemed to accept that they were back on Earth, that they were home. And alive.

"Ya know," Goten pointed out what Gohan had just been wondering about. "What if it wasn't Vegeta? What if it was Jenny? Or both of them together?"

Harrumphing, Bulma replied, "Jenny would never do that. She knows how much trouble it is to repair the GR and that it would have been almost impossible for her to rebuild it. I don't believe that she would do something in training that would endanger the GR. She isn't as reckless as Vegeta."

"Says you!" Bulma's glare now fully directed at him, Goten swallowed hard and then elbowed Trunks into the side. "Come on, Trunks! Race ya to our old room! The winner gets the loser's dessert tonight!"

"You're on!"

Laughing both boys, though they were more young men than boys by now, ran into the house. Shaking his head, Gohan just wanted to follow them, when Videl held him back.

"Gohan?"

"What is it, Videl?"

"I just…" She sighed. "I really want to see my dad."

"Oh!" Gohan again felt like slapping himself. With Videl having been living with them for so many years now, he hadn't really thought of Mr. Satan. "I'm sorry… Of course… Do you want me to come along?"

Videl shook her head. "Not today, okay? I'm sure he wants to have me all for himself for a while. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure…" Gohan then put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I'm really sorry for not thinking of your dad. Tell him I said hello."

"Will do…" Slowly rising into the air, Videl first let go of Gohan's hand, when she was too high to keep holding on, and then went of flying to Satan City.

Gohan sighed, as he followed the others inside. He couldn't remember, when he had been forced to spend the night away from Videl. Ever since they had mated, his parents had been okay with Videl staying in his room whenever she wanted, which was quickly becoming a nightly habit, until she had finally moved all her clothes into his room just a few weeks later. Her own room had by then just become a place for her to retreat, if she didn't feel like having some company.

He wondered how they would handle this now… Would Satan even allow Videl to move in with him at Capsule Corporation – even though she was physically twenty and technically almost thirty years old?

As he entered the building, Gohan noticed that the air was a bit stale inside, but Bulma had already started to open some windows to let the fresh and cool air into the rooms. Too bad that it was winter and bitterly cold outside, or else they could have opened all the windows to get rid of that stuffy air. When had Jenny and Vegeta actually left Earth to travel to New Namek? It must have been more than a few weeks…

Walking through the corridors to his old room, Gohan noticed that not much had changed at this place. Some family photographs had been added to the walls, probably to remember them after Buu, but otherwise almost everything looked the same.

"Hey, where've all the fairies gone!"

"And the cars and planes!"

Curios Gohan stopped at the door that led into the kids' room (who were now no longer kids) and immediately saw what Goten and Trunks had been talking about. Now, while mostly everything was still the same, this room really had changed. If Gohan didn't know exactly that this was the right room, he would have never believed that this was Trunks's, Goten's and Jenny's old room.

Sure, the décor was a bit too dark for his taste, all the black furniture and dark purple, but the green brought some more color into this room, and the large windows made sure that enough sunlight got into the room. It really wasn't his style, but it wasn't that bad.

Snickering, Gohan teased, "You really didn't think that Jenny would keep the old wallpapers as a teenager, did you? I mean, I don't even know how often you changed your rooms over the past few years, whenever you got bored with one theme."

"She threw out our beds," Goten complained with a pout.

"Beds none of you would have fit into, anymore," Gohan pointed out.

Goten and Trunks looked at each other, each having surpassed the six foot by now, and then sighed. Then, Goten suddenly got a wicked gleam in his eyes. "I'll take the bed!"

"No, you're not!" Trunks argued. "You're still a bit shorter than me, so the bed is mine!"

"Jenny's my sister, so I'll take her bed!"

"Wait, wait!" Gohan interrupted them again. Sweet Dende, Gohan hadn't expected his brother and Trunks to revert back into seven-year-olds when they got home again. "Honestly, none of you should use this bed. This is Jenny's bed, after all. Where should she sleep, when we've wished her and Vegeta back to Earth? So, if you really want to stay in this room – and we'll really have to see about that, when she's back with us – one of you will sleep on the couch and we'll have to organize a mattress for the other one."

"Okay, okay… then I'll take the couch!" Goten immediately announced.

"No, I'll take the couch!"

"No, I'll take it!"

"No…."

Shaking his head again in exasperated amusement, Gohan left the room behind and continued his short trek to his own room down the corridor. However, before he could open the door, he saw a very confused Bulma stand in the room across from his in front of the open closet. She was holding a pair of jeans in her hands and was inspecting it closely.

"Bulma? Is everything okay?"

"Huh?" Bulma looked up a bit startled, as Gohan joined her in the room. "Oh yeah… actually, no… something weird is going on. I wanted to prepare some guest rooms for the others, but when I got to this one, it seemed as if someone was already staying in it. There are already sheets on the bed and there are clothes in the closet. Clothes I've never seen before."

"Mmh…" Gohan took a thoughtful look into the closet himself. And really, Bulma was right. There were a couple of jeans, T-shirts, other shirts, sweaters and shoes inside. "Maybe Vegeta moved out of your bedroom after… you know."

"Do these jeans look like something Vegeta would wear?"

Bulma handed him a pair of light blue jeans, which were artfully ripped around the knees. And the legs looked to be long enough so that Gohan could wear them. And Gohan had a few inches on Vegeta. Suddenly Gohan paled. Surely… not… "Bulma… you don't think that Jenny… has found a mate?"

"Nonsense," Bulma told him immediately, as she tore the jeans out of his hands. "If Jenny had a mate, I'm sure he wouldn't sleep in a guest room."

"You're right…" Gohan was immensely relieved. "Ah well… I'm sure Jenny can tell you, whose this is, when she's back… I'm sure you can wait for a few days, huh?"

"Yeah…" With a sigh, Bulma put the jeans back into the closet and closed the doors. "You're going to gather the Dragonballs tomorrow, right?"

"That's the plan. We wanted everyone to settle in at first. But first thing after breakfast tomorrow, Goten, Trunks and I will start the search. Though I'm sure dad wants to help now, too…"

Immediately remembering that his parents were alive as well brought a smile on his lips. A smile that he shared with Bulma, as she put a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm so happy for you, Gohan. For you and Goten and Jenny. After everything you guys have been through, it's only right that your parents had the chance to come home as well. You guys deserve this happiness more than anyone else."

"Thanks, Bulma," Gohan whispered and hugged the woman, who had taken care of him those eight years after his mother had died, tightly. "For everything."

* * *

While the King of Earth had announced in a public speech that all the people who had been killed since Buu and wanted to be resurrected would be brought back to life within the next few days, no one had known the exact date or who exactly would be brought back. Many families had been anxious, wondering if their family members were happier in the Afterlife and wanted to stay there, or if they wanted to come back to Earth. Fortunately, almost all of those who had died and who still had family on Earth, decided to give life on Earth a second chance, so almost no one was disappointed.

However, another thing that basically no one had thought of was the wording of the wish – everyone who had been killed since Buu, which meant that also those people could come back to life, who had been killed at a later date by another person or being. This included all the victims of the Red Ribbon Army and even a few soldiers, who in their hearts hadn't been evil, but had seen no way out of the Army.

So it was not surprising that there were more than a few shocked faces, when suddenly in the morning of that day hundreds of mostly young people appeared out of thin air at a scene that had been destroyed not even two years ago. A place that had seen the birth of a mighty and ruthless warrior.

Damian couldn't believe his eyes, when he saw where he was. Just a few seconds ago, he had been floating near a playground in Heaven, bored out of his mind, while his sister had been somewhere around, reading a book. And he was even more surprised, when he looked down at himself and saw that he again had two legs – and two working legs on top of that! Taking a deep breath, he took a step forward and another one, and then a huge grin spread over his face, when his legs not just carried his weight but felt stronger than ever before.

Looking around excitedly, he saw that slowly but surely the other victims of the attack on the cinema realized what had happened and began to cry out and laugh happily. "Mai!" he yelled, hoping that his sister would hear him and that he would find her in this huge crowd. It was a bit surprising that he was taller than a lot of the people here. "Mailin! Where are you?"

He pushed his way through the throng of people, the whole time searching for his sister and calling her name. Until he suddenly heard her call out "Damian!" and then felt something small and hard collide with him. There she was. He sighed with relief and happiness, as he wrapped his arms around her, lifted her up and whirled her around.

"She did it!" Damian cried out, laughing and crying at the same time. "Jenny fucking did it!"

Mailin was laughing and crying as well, not really knowing why, only knowing that all her feelings were currently on a roller coaster. She was so happy and relieved that she was back, that her brother was back, that Jenny had really pulled it off. She had travelled to another planet and wished them all back to life.

"Dame!" she suddenly exclaimed, as she first noticed it now. "You're walking!"

"Yeah!" he agreed, still laughing. "Now I'm finally taller than you!"

"Oh you!" She hit him in the arm and ignored his outcry and pout. "Come on, let's call mom. Or grandpa. I'm sure she's back with grandpa now. How much time has passed anyway? What day is it? What if they're all dead by now, because we've been dead for too long. What if…"

"Hey, hey…" Damian tried to calm her down. "First, it can't have been more than three years. Remember the deal Jenny had with the Kaioushin?" Mailin nodded, looking immediately relieved. "And now let's organize a phone. We'll try calling mom first, and when she doesn't answer, we'll call grandpa at the school, okay?"

"Okay…"

Taking his sister's hand into his own, Damian gently pulled her away from the people to a couple of bystanders. He quickly spotted a brown haired man holding a cell phone in his hand, apparently completely forgotten, as he was still staring at the crowd that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Excuse me," Damian said, when they stopped in front of him to get his attention. "Would you mind, if I borrowed your cell for a moment?" Still completely dumbfounded, the man just nodded and handed him the phone. Damian immediately punched in the number to their old apartment here in the Western Capital, but only got a machine saying that the number no longer existed. Next try, their grandfather's school. This time, the call was answered after the first ring, and he could hear his grandfather's voice. Grinning brightly, as he winked at his sister, Damian said, "Hey grandpa… Is mom around?"

* * *

"Why?" was the first question Vegeta asked, a long moment after the girl had voiced the last wish and Porunga had disappeared again.

Sighing quietly, Jenny replied in an emotionless voice. "I just did it for Gohan and Goten. I knew that if there was the slightest chance that Porunga wouldn't see… my mother's… death as a natural death, I had to take it. It would have been too cruel to separate Gohan and Goten from them again after the last eleven years."

Vegeta didn't say anything about what she had told him and she was glad for that. Jenny didn't want to say more, not when she wasn't entirely sure of her reasons herself. Yes, it was true that she had voiced the wish for her brothers, but maybe… maybe she also wanted a chance to get to know… her parents. Or at least ChiChi. All ChiChi had ever done to her was dying during her birth, but that wasn't necessarily her fault. Sure, there were many things she could have done to prepare for the birth of two Saiyajins, knowing that it would be risky, but then again, the others could have done something as well – Gohan, Bulma, Krillin… Goku on the other hand… Well, she really didn't want to think about this at this moment.

Sighing, Jenny turned to look up at the sky. Some part of her wished that Earth wasn't so far away, so that she could feel how all the kis of the persons she knew and loved appear on Earth after having been gone for so long. For too long. But on the other hand, she was glad, because this meant that they wouldn't be able to feel her. Because then, she was sure, daddy dearest would come to collect them personally.

"How does it feel like, Vegeta?" Jenny finally asked with a smile on her face. Vegeta's face was still unreadable, but at the same time she could feel a peace coming from him that she had never really felt before.

"Good," was Vegeta's simple answer, though it wasn't in the last bit adequate. It felt as if he had been reborn, as if a hole in his chest had been filled. He felt lighter than in a very long time. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be like this, to be whole. This feeling was so amazing, that he couldn't find the right words.

"I… I know you don't care for this kind of stuff… but… I looked at the calendar today and… Merry Christmas, Vegeta."

Vegeta gave her one of his rare smiles. "Merry Christmas, brat."

Suddenly, Jenny felt that her knees began to tremble. She had been on her feet for longer than any other day since she had woken up from her withdrawal and now that the adrenalin was slowly leaving her, she really wouldn't mind if she could sit down and rest for a moment. She hated this, she really did. How could she go home as weak as she was? Her family and the others… they could never know. She needed to be strong again, before they saw her. So, this could only mean… Could she really do this? Would Vegeta allow it? There really was no other way…

"Are you alright?" Vegeta suddenly asked, when he noticed her body start to shake.

Jenny gave him a weak smile. "I really wouldn't mind sitting down for a moment."

"Then let's go back to the house."

Vegeta carefully walked her back to the house the Nameks had offered them to stay in while they were on their planet, making sure that she wouldn't collapse on the way. But he shouldn't have worried. The girl had already become a lot stronger and she was too stubborn to black out again just like that. However, it was still clearly visible how relieved she was, when she was finally sitting on the edge of her bed. It probably would be better, if she were lying down, but again, she was too stubborn.

"Vegeta?" Jenny eventually said after a longer moment of silence. "I need to ask you a really big favor."

He appeared to be a bit surprised for a moment, but showed it only for a second. "What is it?"

"I… I can't go home, yet. Not like this. I'm too weak. And… I don't want them to know what happened to me and they will ask questions, when they see me like this, and I don't want them to worry and…" Jenny took a deep breath to cut off her rambling. Then, when she finally got her growing panic back under control, she continued. "I'm sure that they will gather the Dragonballs to wish us both back to Earth… When they do this, I won't go. You can go of course, I know how much you want to go back to Bulma, and I'm sure that I can stay here on Namek until I'm strong enough to operate the spaceship on my own. Rimul said that it should be about one more week of his healing until I'll be able to walk around all day long as long as I don't transform and-"

"Stop right there," Vegeta interrupted her new babbling attack. "Do you really think I'd let you fly back to Earth in the spaceship _on your own_?"

"But I can't go back, yet! Look at me! Don't you understand?"

In fact, Vegeta did understand her. He understood her really well. If he were as weak as she was now, as helpless, he wouldn't want anyone to see it either. He would do exactly the same as she was doing now. And in a way, he had seen it coming, though he had tried very hard not to think of it. So, with a heavy sigh, he said, "I won't let you go back to Earth in the spaceship alone. I'll come with you."

"B-but Bulma!"

"I've waited almost eleven years to see her again. I can wait a few more weeks. Now that I know… Now that I can feel her again." This was a lie, but she bought it. In truth, now that he was feeling his mate again, it was so incredibly hard to stay away from her. He didn't just want to feel her through the bond, but also with his hands. "Don't worry about me. Just worry about getting better."

"Okay… Thanks, Vegeta…" Jenny bit on her lower lip, hoping that Vegeta wasn't too angry with her. But she just couldn't go home like this.

"I'll talk to the woman tonight, through the bond. I'll explain that you want to stay a bit longer with the Nameks to learn more about them, and that you also wish to travel back with the spaceship, because you think that you'll never get the chance to see so much of outer space again," Vegeta informed her coolly. Oh yeah, he had to be angry. "Now we only need to make sure that they won't see you with the communicational system or everything would be in vain."

"I… I can make sure that parts of the communicational system won't work. I can make it so that we can only communicate with Tico and the others via chat."

Nodding, Vegeta rose from the chair next to the bed and was about to leave the house without another word, as Jenny's voice stopped him for a second, "I'm really sorry, Vegeta…"

"Get better quickly."

That was the only thing he said, his voice still cool and Jenny could even hear some well-hidden disappointment in it. Tears began to fill her eyes, but first when she was sure that Vegeta was well out of earshot, she buried her face in her pillow and allowed the tears to fall.

Oh why did she always have to be so fucking selfish?

* * *

Bulma was lying in her large and oh so empty bed around midnight, fully awake. It wasn't that she wasn't tired, because she was. Who knew that being brought back from the dead could be this exhausting? Okay, the actual being brought back from the dead part wasn't that exhausting, but everything that followed. There was so much that had to be organized. Guest rooms had to be prepared for everyone who was going to stay at Capsule Corporation for a while and other rooms had to be cleaned after weeks of disuse. And to get this over with, she had already been to the Town Hall this afternoon to report all of them back. There was a huge line and she had just gotten back in time for dinner.

After dinner they had all watched the King's announcement on TV that the miracle really had happened and that their savior, who wanted to remain anonymous, had really worked some magic to bring all of them back. There was no word said about Dragonballs or a travel through outer space to another planet, so people were probably speculating wildly about who had brought them back, although many people were once again turning to Hercule Satan as their hero. When a reporter had asked, why this had happened now and not directly after the attack almost eleven years ago, the King had just answered cryptically that _first now the circumstances had allowed their savior to work this magic_.

Needless to say, after this very long day, everyone had retired pretty early. Bulma just hoped that the others weren't plagued by sleeplessness like her. But then again, no one was waiting like she was. All day long, ever since she had arrived on Dende's Lookout, she had been able to feel him. Vegeta. Her mate. She could have cried, when she had noticed that the hole in her heart had been filled, but had suppressed the tears until she had been alone in her room.

But just feeling him wasn't enough. She wanted to talk to him, she _needed_ to talk to him.

Still, Vegeta was blocking her and this was slightly worrying. She was afraid that something had happened, that there was some reason why he wouldn't want to talk to her.

"Damn you, Vegeta," she muttered into the darkness, but then suddenly sat up startled, when she heard it, the amused voice in her head.

_'Already cursing me, woman? You haven't even seen me, yet.'_

"Vegeta!" she mumbled quietly, knowing that he would hear her. She could just talk in her mind, but somehow this would make it less real. "Is it… is it you? Really you?"

_'Stupid woman. Who else can talk in your mind and calls you woman?'_

A relief laugh mixed with a sob escaped her throat and she wiped a tear from her eye. "You haven't changed at all, have you?"

_'Maybe… maybe not,'_ was his cryptic answer, causing Bulma to laugh again. It was so good hearing his voice again, even if it was just in her head.

"I've missed you so much. I can't wait to see you again. Gohan, Goten and Trunks are going to look for the Dragonballs tomorrow and with any luck, we can already wish you back to Earth tomorrow or the day after." There was a deep sigh in her head, which immediately caused the worry to grow again. "Vegeta? What's wrong?"

_'Listen, woman. Bulma. You don't need to gather the Dragonballs. The girl wishes to learn about the Nameks' culture and she also wants to travel back to Earth the normal way, so that she can study space travel more closely. She told me to go ahead to Earth without her… but I can't let her travel through space on her own.'_

"How long?" Bulma asked, feeling a bit disappointed. Okay, more than a bit, but on the other hand, she had the feeling that there was more to Vegeta's story than Jenny wanting to study the Nameks and space travel.

_'We needed a bit more than two months to travel to New Namek, but I don't know yet, how long the girl wants to stay on this planet.'_

"Vegeta…" Bulma began, but then hesitated. The Jenny she remembered would have jumped at the chance to meet her brothers again. This didn't sound like her and Bulma doubted that Jenny had changed that much in the past years. That Jenny wouldn't put studying different cultures and science before her family – family had always seemed to be the most important thing for her. "What happened?"

_'Nothing,'_ he replied, a bit too quickly for her taste. _'There's another thing. A part of communicational system on the spaceship doesn't work anymore. The girl has tried to repair it, but got only the chat system to work. The visual and audio systems are defect.'_

"Pretty big coincidence, don't you think?" Bulma huffed, but when she heard Vegeta sigh again, she resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't see her mate for a couple more weeks. "Vegeta… Whatever makes Jenny think that she can't come home yet, that she isn't ready yet, please don't be angry with her. Be patient. Maybe she's just a bit scared of seeing all of us again, maybe she thinks that we won't like her anymore, now that she's no longer a little girl… If that's the case, please make her see that she doesn't need to be afraid. We'll love her, no matter how much she has changed. Tell her that, okay?"

_'I'll tell her,'_ Vegeta promised.

There was a long moment of silence and Bulma used this chance to bask in her mate's presence in her mind. Then, finally she whispered, "You're not going to contact me again until you're standing in front of me, are you?"

_'Woman…'_

"I know…" she sighed. Being in steady contact with Vegeta would only make her want him more, and she knew that he felt the same way. It would already be hard enough to get through the time until they finally could really touch each other again for real. Flesh on flesh. If she talked to him through the bond, the longing would become even worse. "I love you, Vegeta."

They would get through this. They had managed eleven years with a gaping hole where their connection used to be, but now that it was back, breathing and living had become a lot easier.

It was just a couple of weeks, after all.

_'Take care, woman.'_


	78. Part IV: 101 Days

**A/N: Sorry for the longer wait, but as apology you'll get a super long chapter :) I can't wait to read what you think of it, so please tell me and leave a review! Oh, and just for your orientation: When a new POV starts, it always starts at the beginning. This means you'll get 101 days from different POVs. And now, enjoy!**

* * *

**Part IV**

**Chapter 77: 101 Days**

_ChiChi_

She was standing in their old living room, armed to her teeth with everything she needed to clean the house. Wearing some of her old clothes along with a scarf around her head, she contemplated where and how she should begin her mission of ridding this house of every single dirt and dust particle that had gathered there over the course of the past eighteen years.

With a sigh, she realized that she would most likely need a couple of days to clean all the rooms, and then they hadn't even started the rebuilding yet. A lot of things were broken, planks were brittle and the roof desperately needed some repairs. It really was more than obvious that no one had been here in almost eighteen years. But before they could do this, they had to wait for the snow to disappear completely.

Sometimes, ever since she and Goku had talked along with their sons and Bulma about what should be done to repair the house, she had wondered if it maybe wouldn't be better to just tear it down and build a completely new house. She had voiced her concerns to Goku, but he refused to even consider it. After all, a part of this house was the place where he had lived in with his grandpa. He had just made it bigger, adding some rooms after they had moved in, and now they needed to add even more – at least two rooms for Goten and Jenny, and another bathroom wouldn't be bad.

She smiled, her eyes twinkling. While her boys never needed that long in the bathroom, ChiChi knew how long it could take a girl to get ready in the morning, so a second bathroom was almost non-negotiable. And who knew, maybe Videl would once again move in with them as well. At the moment she was dividing her time between Gohan and Satan, but no one could begrudge her this. She hadn't seen her father in almost eleven years after all.

And she hadn't seen her own baby girl for just as long… and back then only for a couple of hours before she had been forced to leave again. She had missed her daughter's whole life until now, and instead of finally holding her in her arms, Bulma had given them the news that Jenny didn't want to be wished back to Earth. On one side, she was proud to have a daughter who was so interested in studying, but on the other hand, she was disappointed that she had to wait for so long to see her again.

Well, even though it would have been incredibly nice to have her around already now, they now had some time to build her a room in this house, Jenny's new home.

"ChiChi? Are you in here?" Bulma's voice sounded through the hallway and then she could hear her friend enter the living room. "Oh, you haven't even started yet."

Sighing, ChiChi turned to Bulma. "I don't really know where to start. It's all so…"

"Well," Bulma said with a slightly smug grin, as ChiChi trailed off. "I could still give you some cleaning bots—"

"No," ChiChi immediately replied, quite vehemently. "This is _my_ house, so I'm going to clean it."

"Okay, okay, but should you decide that—"

Upon the sharp look that ChiChi gave her, Bulma didn't finish her sentence, but gave her friend a grin, which ChiChi returned. They both knew that ChiChi wasn't really angry, but that she thought that it was her duty as good wife to do this. Just as they both knew that Bulma didn't share this opinion.

"But thanks for the offer," ChiChi amended. "Was there anything you wanted?"

"Actually, yeah… I wanted to ask you if you needed anything from CC? Because Goku will bring me there to get some stuff we need to work on the blueprints for the new rooms."

"No, I'm good… thanks…"

"Okay… oh, and ChiChi… Why don't you start with the kitchen? That way we'll have a place to work in."

ChiChi smiled, as Bulma left the living room, gathered the cleaning supplies and went into the kitchen. It looked just as bad in there as in the living room, but Bulma was right. They needed a place to work on the blueprints and besides, maybe they could start with the repairs here as well, so that the kitchen would soon be able to be used again.

…

Things were going along well in the weeks following the big resurrection. ChiChi and her family had settled into some kind of routine during their stay at Capsule Corporation, but ChiChi hoped that they would be able to move back into their own house soon. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Bulma's hospitality, but already after a few days she had noticed that life in a big city just wasn't her life. ChiChi couldn't wait to move back into the Mountain Area, into their little house near the woods, with the lake almost on their doorstep and all the wildlife around them. And not to forget the clean air. The nature and the clean air was actually what she missed most.

While there was still a lot of snow in the Mountain Area, ChiChi had at least managed to clean every single room in their old house. It had taken a couple of days and it had been a hard fight, one that ChiChi hadn't been so sure she would win. Dust hadn't been her only opponent – there had also been the mold and all the insects and small animals that had taken up residence in the house.

However, after it had been cleaned so thoroughly, it all just got dirty again, when Goku started with the repairs on the inside. Her husband always had a helping hand in his friends Krillin and Yamcha, as well as his sons, even though ChiChi often had to literally drag Goten to the Mountain Area to get him to help. Her youngest would much rather hang out at Capsule Corporation or in the Western Capital with Trunks, but ChiChi would have none of that. If Goten wanted to live in the house, he had to help.

Fortunately Bulma often also _convinced_ Trunks to come along to help. After all, one could never have too many Saiyajins for the heavy lifting. Even Bulma helped, though she only took care that all the wirings and electrical systems in the house were okay, so that their house wouldn't burn down due to a short circuit. ChiChi on the other hand did what she could and liked to do best – she cleaned up after them and kept everyone fed.

Still, even though things were progressing with their house, it would still take weeks until they could move in again, and ChiChi felt bad for imposing on Bulma until then. The slightly older woman just waved this all of, claiming that she didn't have to worry about it, but ChiChi still did everything she could to make it easier on Bulma. She helped around the house, cooked for them and even helped Bulma to go through all the paperwork that had gathered over the past eleven years.

And it really was a lot, though ChiChi had to admit grudgingly that Vegeta had done a good job to keep it all organized, though she would have done it a bit differently of course. But Bulma wanted to know about everything that had happened in the past years, be it of financial or personal nature.

That's how they also found out some things about Jenny they hadn't known yet. While Gohan and Mrs. Briefs had already told them that she had gone to the Western Capital Elementary School, they hadn't known that she'd had to go to counseling for a while in the beginning. ChiChi wondered why Bulma's mother hadn't told them this, especially considering the letter the school had given Jenny after her first day at school and the threat of social services. Well, maybe she hadn't thought it worth to mention as things had relatively quickly returned to normal after her enrollment at the school.

However, what they hadn't known was that, after Mrs. Briefs death, Vegeta had signed the papers to allow Jenny to be home-schooled again. According to the letters from Bulma's lawyer, they had also left the Western Capital directly after the funeral and settled down near the western coast, close to a village.

And a school, apparently, as they found new enrollment papers a bit later. A half year later, Jenny had started at a private school – and a boarding school on top of that. Vegeta had had to pay a small tuition fee every month for 'Li's School for gifted Children and Youths' and he had at first received monthly reports and then later another one every half year. It was these reports that helped ChiChi and Bulma to understand what kind of school that was – a school for martial arts where the students learned to fight with weapons. And Jenny apparently had a knack for swords and the quarterstaff.

ChiChi absorbed these reports, these tidbits about her daughter's life, like a sponge, and while it hadn't looked good in the beginning, ChiChi could feel the pride for her daughter towards the end of her time at that school. Just… her normal school grades could have been a bit better, ChiChi thought with a frown, when she looked at them, especially the ones in history. Mostly D's. Well, at least she had always straight A's in all the maths and science classes and the rest were mostly B's and some C's. It was okay, but ChiChi was sure that just with a bit more studying, the D's and C's could disappear as well.

"Mmh… not bad," Bulma said, when she saw the reports. "Can't say I'm surprised about the maths and science grades. She's always been good at that."

ChiChi felt a spike of jealousy, when Bulma mentioned that but pushed it down. Though she sometimes couldn't help it, ChiChi knew that she had no right to be jealous of the fact that Bulma knew more about her little girl than she did. Bulma had been there, when she hadn't, at least for the first seven years of the girl's life, and she was happy that her friend had cared for her daughter. Even if it was hard to accept that another woman was closer to her daughter than she was.

And now, when Jenny finally came home, ChiChi had to live with the fact that her husband's archrival, a man who had once threatened to destroy this planet, had been a part of her daughter's life for so long. Often ChiChi quietly wondered how Goku would react to that fact once they were back, considering that he and Vegeta hadn't really parted on the friendliest terms eleven years ago. Especially as Jenny's closeness to Vegeta had been the catalyst for her husband's own jealousy and the resulting possession and fight.

"Look, she graduated when she was fourteen, one of the youngest to do so," Bulma pointed out, pulling ChiChi out of her thoughts. "And after that summer she immediately started at the Western Capital High School. Her grades remain mostly the same… Oh…"

"Oh?" Curious, ChiChi looked over to Bulma, who was holding another form in her hands, which told them that Jenny had left the Western Capital High School again almost two years ago. She apparently wanted to be home-schooled again, even though there had been no reports about something happening at school. This form had been filled out in the middle of the term, by Jenny herself, and it was just Vegeta's signature at the bottom. "Is there more?"

"Here are just the tests she had to write regularly as a home-schooled student… and… they're barely passing grades," Bulma told her and ChiChi could hear the shock and surprise in her voice that she was feeling at this very moment.

They both leafed through the reports from the school district, all of them telling them the same. Jenny took all the tests and even though she passed all of them, all her As and Bs from before had become Ds. "What happened?" ChiChi asked.

"I don't know… I really don't… But look, about one year later, her grades pick up again… they aren't as good as before she left school, but they're better… And then here's a copy of the letter Vegeta sent to the school district to tell them that he and Jenny would be travelling for a while."

ChiChi was still just staring at the reports, not knowing what to think. What had happened to her baby girl in that year?

…

The snow was gone and they could finally start working on the outsides of the house. It turned out to be a bigger project than they had thought, adding two rooms and a bathroom, but ChiChi was just glad that they had started. Now it would only be a matter of time until they could move back in.

However, today was Saturday and they had taken a day off to enjoy the relatively warm April weather in the Western Capital. Well, some of them, ChiChi thought with a satisfied smile. Earlier this morning, she and Bulma had woken Goten and Trunks and told them to go grocery shopping with Gohan and Videl. Gohan and Videl had volunteered the day before, but the two teenagers had hoped to sleep in, as they had gone to a club the previous night.

Basically, neither she nor Bulma minded if the boys went out at night, they were old enough by now after all, but on the other hand, they also really needed to learn to take some responsibility. They had gotten out of helping with the repairs or around the house too often lately, always claiming that they were busy and then taking off doing only Dende knew what, especially Goten. He often said that he was going to the library, but ChiChi knew her youngest son. He would never step a foot inside a library if she didn't force him to. Goku just laughed it off, telling her that they were still just boys, but ChiChi thought that they needed a lesson. So, well knowing that their sons had first gotten home well after midnight and mildly intoxicated on top of that, they had barged into their room this morning and demanded that they helped Gohan and Videl with the shopping.

They had complained a lot, but both knew that it was better not to cross their mothers, so they got up and went with Gohan and Videl into town.

Actually, now that ChiChi thought about it, they should return soon. And as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she could hear them.

"Sounds like they're back," Bulma told her with a light smirk, as she lifted her sunglasses and put them on her head.

ChiChi nodded, lazily stretching her arms above her head. She and Bulma were alone in the backyard of Capsule Corporation, lying in the sun, because Goku and his friends had gone somewhere for a friendly sparring match.

Goten and Trunks were talking animatedly with each other, each of them carrying a large brown bag filled to the brim with groceries in front of them. Gohan and Videl were behind them, Gohan shaking his head in amusement, as he was carrying two bags, while Videl had a mischievous smile on her lips.

"What's gotten you guys so excited?" Bulma asked curiously.

Giggling, Videl told her, "Goten and Trunks think that they have found the girl of their dreams. Too bad it's the same girl for both of them and that she immediately left, when she saw them staring at her at the store."

"Now, that's truly unfortunate," Bulma teased them.

"But she's hot!" Goten immediately told her. "Okay, a bit too skinny, but this can be changed."

"She's already been at the club last night, but we didn't get the chance to speak to her," Trunks added and then sighed. "She's been too busy dancing and drinking with other guys."

Nodding, Goten agreed. "Yeah, that was really bad. But it was no wonder she was so popular on the dance floor. Every man with at least one working eye knows how to appreciate a really hot body, especially with the way she moved."

Now ChiChi had enough, as she got up, walked over to Goten and slapped him over the head with the magazine she had been reading. "Son Goten, I thought I taught you better! How dare you judge a girl just by her looks!?"

"Sorry, mom!" Goten replied immediately. "But I can't help it! Even Gohan thinks that she's hot!"

"What?" Gohan squeaked, as his mother's eyes now rested on him. "I never said that!"

Chuckling, Trunks then said with a smirk, "And yet you couldn't look away from her today at the store. Believe me, if you had seen her dressed as she was last night, showing even more skin, and not to forget all of the amazing tattoo on her back, you would really know what we're talking about."

"Tattoo?" ChiChi now shrieked at her youngest. "You like a girl who's got a tattoo?"

"Yeah, she's got a big dragon all over her back," Goten told her. "But a tattoo's not a bad thing, really. It looked really good. A bit like you described Shenlong to us, actually."

ChiChi sighed, feeling a headache coming. When had her sweet little Goten become like this? A horny teenager, who liked girls with tattoos? This must be all Trunks's fault! Otherwise her youngest would never have become like this!

"Believe me, Son Goten," ChiChi threatened, "the moment you come home with a tattoo, I'll kick you out."

* * *

_Goten_

Son Goten loved being alive again, being on Earth again. Okay, while his unlife in the Afterlife hadn't been that bad, he had forgotten what it felt like to really be alive. Somehow, keeping your body isn't quite the same, though it was hard to describe what had been missing. And then there was also the fact that life on Earth was much more exciting. It had been years since he had been in the Western Capital and back then, as seven years old boy, he hadn't known to appreciate the big city life.

So many things to see and to do, like the malls, the arcade, the clubs and not to forget all the human girls. He and Trunks both agreed that all the alien girls they had met and dated on Dai Kaiou's planet were nothing compared to all the hot human girls they had seen since they had arrived on Earth. And even though they hadn't done much more than looking, Goten would lie if he said that none of the girls they had seen had starred in his dreams.

Okay, that sounded a bit horny, but they were teenage boys, so it was natural. Even looking at linoleum made them think of sex.

Still, as great as being back on Earth was, there was still something, or better someone, missing.

Goten sighed, as he looked over his shoulder to the big empty bed at the other wall, completely ignoring that Trunks had just killed him in the videogame they were currently playing. (Who would have thought that his sister was into videogames? He and Trunks had been pretty surprised when they had discovered the gaming console along with all the games.) Today was the 24th of January, their birthday. There was going to be a party tonight for him, but ever since his resurrection, Goten had hoped that he wouldn't have to celebrate his eighteenth birthday without his sister.

"Come on, Goten!" Trunks complained. "Either you play, or you mope. But you can't do both, if you don't want me to kick your ass."

"I don't mope," Goten quickly defended himself, hoping that he didn't sound too pouty as he said that. "I just miss her."

"I miss her, too," Trunks admitted quietly

"No you don't," Goten contradicted him, throwing the controller to the ground and standing up. He didn't know, why he was suddenly getting so angry, especially as this wasn't the first time that he had told his friend that he missed his sister. Maybe it was because it was their birthday, or maybe there were several other things that were bothering him. But actually, now that Goten thought about, this was the first time that Trunks agreed with him openly. Before, his best friend had always just tried to placate him, telling him that he would see her again someday. But never before had Trunks said that he missed Jenny, too. And Goten had never once doubted that his friend didn't miss his sister. "You've always hated her. Back then, when we were still kids."

"I've never hated her," Trunks told him, his voice completely sincere. He got up as well and put his hands on his friend's shoulders, looking him directly into the eyes. "Sure, she was annoying, and she was a girl… and we were always fighting… But Goten, we were children! We were seven and eight years old for Dende's sake! That's what kids at this age do. Especially boys and girls."

"Really? You don't hate her?"

"I don't hate her," Trunks agreed. "And I really do miss her. I can't wait to see her again, even if we just start right where we left off with our fighting." There was a small grin on Trunks face, who then squeezed Goten's shoulders and led him back to the couch, where they both sat down. Goten could see in his friend's eyes that he was struggling with something, until Trunks suddenly said, "You know… I've never told anyone, but the night before Buu… Jenny had a nightmare. She dreamed that we were fighting a monster and that dad… that dad was gonna kill himself."

"She dreamed of Buu?" Goten asked astounded, immediately connecting the dots. "She knew what was going to happen?"

Trunks nodded, as he explained, "But we were just kids. I just thought that it was a normal nightmare. And I comforted her that night, Goten. We didn't fight, but I helped her go back to sleep again. I don't think that… Jenny and I have ever been as close as we were that night."

Goten needed a moment to process this. This was a side of his best friend that rarely anyone saw. Most people, who weren't family, just knew Trunks as cocky, arrogant and selfish. He was handsome and he knew it, not hesitating to use it to his advantage, especially since he had become interested in girls. But underneath it all, Goten knew that his best friend was a good guy with a good heart, otherwise he wouldn't be his best friend, no matter if they had grown up together or not.

Suddenly, a teasing grin appeared on Goten's face, as he tried to lighten the situation. He could think about what Trunks had just told him later. "Not even, when you two kissed?"

Trunks grimaced, obviously remembering the one and only time he and Jenny had kissed. "Oh god no… that was just awful. I swear, if I ever kiss your sister again, it will be so good that she'll never forget it."

"Hey, no kissing my sister, Mister!" Goten laughed, throwing a pillow at Trunks.

A very girly pillow fight erupted, but after that, when Trunks had gone to take a shower, claiming that he needed it to get the feathers out of his hair, Goten started to think again.

No, he didn't mope, not at all.

But still, he missed Jenny terribly. And he didn't understand, why she didn't want to be wished back. The Jenny he remembered wouldn't put studying before her family, so he didn't buy the bullshit that Bulma had told them about her wanting to travel back with the spaceship to learn more about space travel at all. Especially not after what had happened not even one year ago.

He just couldn't and didn't want to forget that night, when a flickering and almost dead Jenny had appeared in front of him at Enma Daiou's check-in station for souls. He couldn't forget how broken she had been, how angry and sad. He could never forget how her eyes had seemed almost dead and how thin she had been. He couldn't forget how she had told him that she had gotten shot, but Goten had no idea how it had happened and who had done it.

She had been so scared of going back to being alive.

What the hell had she been so scared of? Was this maybe the reason why she wasn't coming back? Was there still something on Earth that she was afraid of?

Or maybe… but this was a really stupid reason… maybe she was scared that they wouldn't like her? From their short encounter Goten could clearly say that his sister was no longer the same girl she had been eleven years ago, that she had changed a lot. But she was still his sister, and they would love her no matter what. The most important thing was that she was alive and okay. Even Gohan, who was always good and proper, wouldn't hold the changes against Jenny. He was almost as desperate to finally hold her in his arms again as Goten was.

But… Frowning, Goten realized that his mother really wouldn't like Jenny's swearing. He usually got a slap to the back of his head if he just used words like 'damn' and 'shit', so what would his mother do, if Jenny still dropped the f-bombs as often as she had during her short visit to the Afterlife?

And what about their dad? What would he say about the girl his sister had become? What if she pushed him away again, just as she had done eleven years ago, when he and his mom had visited them on Earth for the Budokai? None of the adults had ever told them this, but Goten and Trunks had perfected the art of eavesdropping when they were still little kids, and so they had heard their parents talk about how their fathers had gotten possessed by Babidi and why this had happened. All these years ago, it had been a bitter pill to swallow for Goten, to realize that the man he had idolized all these years, that his father wasn't as perfect as he had always thought.

Sweet Dende… Suddenly Goten feared that their reunion wouldn't be the happy and carefree occasion he had always imagined.

…

To say that he was slowly getting really worried would be an understatement. With each day that passed without his sister returning home, Goten began to wonder more and more about what would happen, when she finally did. He had done a lot of thinking – or moping as Trunks would still call it – and he had long since given up on his illusion that everything would just be fine.

The Jenny he had met in the Afterlife had just been too different, too broken and scarred for this to happen. He had kept his promise and never told anyone about their encounter, even though it had been incredibly hard. His family had been worried about him, as he had been very quiet and withdrawn for a while after, wondering what had happened to her.

And he was still wondering about this. Only now, Goten had an advantage, he suddenly realized one day a few weeks after they had been brought back. Here on earth, he had the resources to find it out.

Only… how to start?

On an afternoon, when he was finally alone at Capsule Corporation – oh boy, it had been really hard to convince his mother that he wasn't feeling well – Goten did something that Jenny probably would never forgive him, if she found out. He went through her stuff, starting with her closet and ending with her desk. His sister had always treasured her privacy and he doubted that this had changed over the past years, so he really felt guilty for doing this, but he felt that he had no other choice. If he wanted to find out what had happened to Jenny, he needed to know what her life had been like on Earth.

After he had emptied her desk, he finally found something. It was a report for school, something which he had almost discarded, if the title of the report hadn't caught his attention – _'The life and death of Son Goku'_.

Curious why there was a report about their father in her desk, Goten opened the folder and started to read. And almost with each sentence, each paragraph and each page the frown on Goten's face deepened, until he was finished with the report and just dropped it into his lap.

Glad that his mother wasn't at home at this moment and couldn't hear him, he just muttered the one word that fit to what he had just read. "Fuck."

…

A few more days had passed since Goten had found the report. After he had read it a second time, just to make sure that he hadn't misunderstood anything, he hid it again in the desk. Or maybe hoping that he had. He hadn't, however, and now he had to deal with the aftermath. Just… how? He couldn't possibly tell anyone about what he had read, at least not without talking with his sister about it first.

Shaking his head, Goten buried his face in his hands. He was trying to watch some TV – he had been too distracted so that his dad had told him to stay at home – but he didn't even know what he was watching.

Sweet Dende… His sister hated their father. This was the only logical conclusion he had been able to draw after having read the report.

And the sad thing was – regarded from her position, she had written the complete truth. It may all seem like the things she had written were facts, but Goten knew their dad. He just knew that their father wasn't like that. He knew how much it had hurt him to make these hard decisions – he knew this because their father had taken him aside, when Goten had one of his few teenage rebellions and had thrown exactly these things at Goku's head, and had explained everything to him and had apologized.

However, somehow Goten doubted that a simple apology would help with the hatred Jenny seemed to feel for him.

Having been so preoccupied by his discovery, Goten hadn't even made any attempts to figure out, what had happened to his sister one year ago. But he knew that he should start soon, though he still had no idea, how.

Sighing, Goten removed his hands from his face, when the doorbell rang. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat, hoping against hope that it was Jenny, but when he got up and opened the door, he was met with the wide eyes of a three-eyed man.

"Uh… can I help you?"

"Amazing," the man breathed. "You really look exactly like your father. Except for the hair, you could pass as twins."

"You know my dad?" Goten asked warily, instinctively securing his stance, just in case this man tried to attack him. You could never be too careful, when you met unknown people who claimed to know Son Goku.

"Oh, sorry… I'm Tenshinhan. I'm sure you've heard of me?"

Now that he heard the name, Goten recognized the name and also knew from the stories his father and his friends had told them about their earlier adventures that the man in front of him really was Tenshinhan. "Of course. Please, come in. Dad isn't home right now. He and the others are in the Mountain Area to repair the house. But I'm sure you know that already."

"Yes, I feel their kis over there," Tenshinhan said, as he followed Goten into the living room, where he sat down across from him in an armchair. "But I'm here because of you. Actually, I had hoped that it would be you here, and not Trunks."

"Me? But why?"

Tenshinhan looked a bit… not embarrassed, but slightly uncomfortable. "We had hoped that… as her brother… you know why Jenny isn't back yet. We had thought that you would gather our Dragonballs and bring her back to Earth from New Namek."

"Sorry…" Goten apologized. "Jenny isn't back yet. She didn't want to be wished back. The official story is that she wants to study the Nameks and space travel a bit closer."

"And the unofficial story?"

Shrugging, Goten explained, sounding slightly bitter, "I have no idea, why she isn't back yet. Why she doesn't want to come back. But how do you know her? And who's 'we'?"

"I was a teacher at the boarding school she attended a couple of years ago. We've become good friends over the four years she spent there. And 'we' is all her friends from that school. We're all really worried and seeing as I know your father, they all thought it would be best if I came here instead of some stranger."

Tenshinhan was looking at him with expectant eyes, almost as if he was hoping that Goten would be excited by this news. And really, a part of him really was and wanted to know more about his sister's stay at that school, who her other friends were and most importantly who she had been there. But on the other hand, he still had more serious problems to think about.

Goten hesitated for a moment, looking for the right words, before he finally said, "When you're really such a good friend of my sister, then I'm sure you can tell me why she was so broken last year. Why she had almost died."

"What… How…?" the older warrior asked, but then he seemed to understand without an explanation. "She was in the Afterlife, when she had flatlined for a moment. You saw her."

"It was a coincidence. I had a part time job at Enma Daiou's check-in station and was filling in for him, when she was suddenly standing in front of the desk. She… Jenny… looked terrible."

"Yeah, I can imagine…" Tenshinhan muttered thoughtfully. "I wished I could tell you what had happened to her, but it's not my story to tell. But," he quickly said, when he saw that Goten wanted to interrupt him and took a piece of paper and pen that was lying on the table in front of him and wrote something down, "if you really want to know, go to the library and read the newspapers from this date onwards. The only thing I can tell you is that Jenny's two best friends were killed in a terror attack and that she didn't take it well."

"Thanks," Goten mumbled, looking at the date on the note. It said _April 5, 784_. That was almost two years ago. Had Jenny been broken for this long already?

Fuck…

…

Goten took Tenshinhan's advice to heart and excused himself again and again from helping rebuilding their old house to go to the library. He knew that his mother didn't believe him, when he told her this, but he didn't care. As long as he could go, it didn't matter. Goten also felt a bit bad for not helping as often as he should, seeing as this was also going to be his new home, but Jenny was more important right now.

Trunks had just looked at him in disbelief, when he had tagged along with Goten at the beginning, only to find out that Goten had really gone to the library. His best friend had then quickly balked and gone somewhere else, to the mall or arcade most-likely. This solved one problem, as Goten had had no idea how to ditch his best friend, when he had claimed he needed to study at the library as well.

One of the librarians was kind enough to explain to him how the computer system, where you could look at all the newspapers of the past twenty years or so, worked and then left him to his devices. The first thing Goten did was pull up the newspaper from April 5, but when he didn't find anything in there, he realized that Tenshinhan hadn't meant the newspaper with this date, but that something must have happened on that day, meaning he would find something in the newspaper from the following day.

And he did find something. Not just in this one but also in many others after that date. The first article talked about an attack on a cinema, where many students from the Western Capital had been killed. Goten believed that this was the attack Tenshinhan had talked about. This was also the newspaper article that identified the terrorists as Red Ribbon Army.

Goten had swallowed hard, when he had read this. The Red Ribbon Army was always bad news.

Then there were mentions of a Lost Warrior, a girl who was killing soldiers from the RRA and destroying their bases. It didn't take a genius to realize that Jenny was this Lost Warrior.

Over the next year, the number of killed soldiers rose to unbelievable heights, until finally one article was written about a press conference the King had given. It was a transcript of that conference and once he was done reading, Goten felt sick.

He couldn't believe it, he really couldn't. His sister, the sweet little girl he had known, couldn't have done all this. She wasn't… no…

Goten came back to the library several times, looking through other newspapers and magazines, hoping to find anything that would tell him that he was wrong.

But he didn't find anything. Everything he read just told him one thing.

His sister was a cold-blooded killer.

It was because of this that Goten was standing in front Tenshinhan's hut on the compound of Li's school two weeks later, nervously wringing his hands before eventually raising one to knock at the door. Much to his surprise a blond haired woman opened the door, looking at him curiously. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah… I'm looking for Tenshinhan. One of the students told me that he lives here…?"

"And you are?"

"My name is Son Goten… I'm—"

"Jenny's brother! Oh, please come in. My name is Suki, I'm Tenshinhan's wife. I'm a good friend of your sister's. Have you heard from her?"

"No," Goten told her, as he followed her inside. Looking around he saw that this hut may be small, but looked very comfortable. "I've just got some questions for Tenshinhan."

"He's in the back. Putting our daughter down for her nap. I'll get him."

"Thanks…"

Goten was nervously tapping his feet, while he was waiting for Tenshinhan, and fortunately didn't need to wait long. "Goten, good to see you again. I didn't feel your ki."

"I've hidden it," Goten explained. "I didn't want anyone to know that I was coming here. No one knows what you have told me… or what I've found out. But I still got some questions…"

"Okay… But I'm not sure if I can answer all of them," Tenshinhan warned him, as they both sat down at the kitchen table.

"Okay… the first one… is… is Jenny really the Lost Warrior?"

Nodding slightly, Tenshinhan answered, "Jenny _was_ the Lost Warrior."

"So, she really did kill all the soldiers."

"Yes, she did."

Goten lowered his gaze. He hadn't noticed that, until now, he had still held onto the small hope that the newspapers had been all wrong and that it hadn't been Jenny who had done this. "My sister is a killer…"

"Not anymore," Tenshinhan quickly corrected him. "It's true that Jenny killed all the soldiers in cold blood, to take revenge for her friends' lives, but she was in a really bad place back then. I'm sure you've heard about what had happened to Gohan, when he reached the second level?" Goten nodded – everyone knew the story of how Gohan had lost it, when the Saiyajin in him had taken over. "Now imagine the same happening to your sister, only that she hadn't snapped out of it until much, much later. She even pushed Vegeta away. And then, when everything was done, when the Red Ribbon Army was destroyed, the guilt caught up with her. It almost destroyed her. None of us got to her, not even Vegeta, but… she had another friend, and he had helped her through this. Without him, without his support, we're all sure she would have killed herself. The last time I've seen her, before she left for New Namek, she was much better, almost like her old self."

"That's… good I guess…" Goten heaved a sigh of immense relief. Everything was suddenly a lot lighter, knowing that while his sister had had to go through all of this, she wasn't a killer at heart. She was still a good person. Whoever had helped her get better deserved an award. "Who is her friend? Is he on New Namek with her and Vegeta?"

"Sorry…" Tenshinhan told him with a light smile, though there was also a worried look on his face. "Who he is, is something you should ask Jenny. But I can tell you that he didn't travel to New Namek with them. He had to leave a few days before they left."

"Okay… thanks, Tenshinhan."

"You're welcome."

They talked for a bit longer about trivial stuff until Goten flew home again. Many worries had been taken care of, but still one question remained.

If Jenny had been feeling so much better before they left for New Namek, then why wasn't she coming home?

…

Goten's nearly depressed mood didn't go unnoticed, but Goten deflected all the questions and concerns his friends and family voiced. He hoped that they would just chalk to it down to his missing Jenny so much. And in a way, they were right. Jenny was the reason for his mood. If she just were here already, so that he could talk to her about everything.

However, while Gohan and his parents let him be for now, Trunks continued to nag him, trying to tell him to get out and have some fun, to just cheer up. In the end, Goten gave up and agreed and from that day on, in the beginning of March, Trunks regularly dragged Goten out to various bars and clubs.

And slowly but surely Goten began to realize that just moping around – okay, so he had been moping! – wouldn't bring his sister back to Earth any faster, and so he started to enjoy their outings into the Western Capital's nightlife. He enjoyed going to the different clubs the most, where he could forget himself and everything else in the loud music and the dancing. There he was just one of many, another young man wanting to have some fun.

Goten and Trunks also weren't afraid of trying new clubs, and besides Trunks just claimed that going to the same club every time was just boring, and so they found themselves checking out a new club in the Western Capital, the _Starlight_.

However, Goten quickly had to admit that this club was pretty much like every other one they had been to in the past few weeks. The same deafening music, blinding lightshows and sweaty bodies. Okay, the drinks were a tad bit better, he had to admit, as he sipped at his coke and rum, his gaze wandering over the dance floor. Goten didn't know the title of the song they were playing at the moment, but it was a bit too hard for his taste, so he and Trunks had taken a break from dancing and gotten something to drink.

"Hey, look at that girl over there! Isn't she hot?" Trunks suddenly yelled over the loud music, pointing to a girl on the dance floor, who was moving to the beat of the music, surrounded by a couple of guys.

Goten's gaze followed Trunks's line of sight, knowing very well that Trunks really had a good eye for hot girls. In the flashing light, Goten could see that she had long blond hair falling down to her shoulder blades and was wearing a flimsy silver top, which showed a lot of her bare back and flat stomach. He whistled in appreciation.

"Nice."

Really, Trunks was right. The girl was really hot… and the way she moved. It seemed that this girl was really aware of her body. And this not in the sense that she knew that she was a looker, but more that her body was so well trained that she just knew how to move it to drive every guy around her crazy. Goten's own body felt immediately drawn to her, though not as much as Trunks's, if he interpreted the look in his friend's now almost black eyes correctly. Trunks was totally hypnotized by her, not able to take his eyes off her. Still, when Goten looked back to the girl, he realized that she was a bit too skinny for his taste, because while she looked very fit, the way some of her bones protruded just didn't look healthy. A couple more pounds certainly wouldn't hurt her. But other than that… Wow!

Goten watched her for a moment longer, and then, when the light suddenly hit her back, he exclaimed, "Look at that tat on her back! Ya think I could convince my mom to allow me to get one?" The girl had a huge black dragon covering almost her whole back, sinking its claws into the yin and yang symbol, which was surrounded by flames. It was really cool.

"Good luck with that," Trunks told him grinning, pulled out of his stupor, but then sighed loudly. "Too bad that there're already so many guys who crave her attention."

Sighing as well, Goten could only agree with his best friend. For some strange reason, neither of them let the girl out of their sight, while they were staying discreetly out of her sight, and so it didn't escape them, that many of her admirers followed her everywhere, even to the bar, buying her several shots. Goten had to admit, he was pretty impressed by how much alcohol she could put away, because when she left the club half an hour later, she was still pretty steady on her feet.

"There goes the girl of our dreams," Trunks whined, as they watched her leave.

Goten just nodded, having a weird feeling, when he watched her go. A part of him wanted to go after her, grab her and keep her from leaving, but he ignored that part. What was it about this girl that fascinated them so?

…

Goten was in hell, he was sure of it. He was so tired, barely able to keep his eyes open, and not to forget the slight hangover that was plaguing him. Why, oh why did his mother insist that he and Trunks helped Gohan and Videl with their grocery shopping? She had known that they had gone out the previous night, and even though they had been home already at around one o'clock, he hadn't been able to fall asleep. He just hadn't been able to stop thinking about the girl they had seen that night. So, being here now, when he had barely slept, was torture. Well, at least his best friend didn't look much better.

"Come on, Goten!" Gohan called, as he and Trunks had fallen back. "Don't fall asleep! We've still got plenty to do! You could get the milk. Maybe the temperature of the cooling shelves will wake you up."

"Har har, very funny, bro," Goten muttered, shuffling over to the cooling shelves, where the milk was kept.

Yawning loudly, he grabbed a milk container, glancing with half-closed eyes to the right, when he heard something. At the other end of the shelf, putting a pack of yoghurts into her shopping basket, was a teenage girl with a messy blond ponytail. Goten would have shrugged her off as just another customer, if he hadn't seen something black peek out from under her dark blue tank top. The outlines of flames and scales.

Shocked, the milk container slid out of his hand and dropped to the floor. "Fuck!" he exclaimed, immediately bending down and picking the container up again. He sighed in relief, when he noticed that the container was still intact. It would have been a real mess, if the milk had splattered everywhere.

Looking to the right again, he now saw that the girl – the very same girl from the club last night – was staring at him with wide blue eyes.

"Goten, are you okay?" a worried Gohan asked, as he entered the aisle, along with Videl and Trunks. His best friend had a reaction similar to his, as he spotted the girl, staring at her with wide eyes, clearly more than a bit surprised to see her here. However, if Gohan wanted to say more, he didn't, because this girl seemed to have him robbed of his ability to speak as well. His mouth was hanging slightly open and if this situation weren't so… weird… Goten probably would have laughed at the expression on his big brother's face. He couldn't believe that Gohan was ogling another girl with Videl, his mate, standing directly next to him.

This staring contest lasted another few seconds, until the girl suddenly turned on her heel and literally fled the aisle. First when she was gone, Trunks breathed, "I can't believe it! It was really her, wasn't it? This can't just be a coincidence! This gotta be fate!"

"Her? Who?" Gohan asked confused.

"We saw her last night at the club," Goten explained, as a slight teasing grin appeared on his face. "And she had already had this effect on the guys there, Trunks included."

"Effect?" Gohan asked confused. "What effect?"

Clapping on his shoulder, Trunks told him, "The effect she just had on you. You were, after all, staring at another girl, while you were holding your mate's hand. When I saw her last night… it was just… wham! I was so drawn to her that I just couldn't look away. And Goten was pretty taken by her, too."

"I did not!" Gohan exclaimed indignantly, though there was a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Oh yeah, bro, you so did!" Goten laughed. "Jealous, Videl?"

There was a mischievous and knowing spark in Videl's eyes, as she just said, "Oh no, not at all."

* * *

_Jenny_

"Take good care, okay?" Rimul said to Jenny, as she, Vegeta, Rimul, Muri and several other Nameks they had met over the past days were standing in front of the spaceship, ready to say goodbye. They had been here on this planet for almost two weeks, and somehow Jenny was really sad to go. She had met some great people and had found out a lot about the way the Nameks lived. Well, at least now she could say that she had actually learned something during her stay here. "And remember what we talked about. Continue to build up your endurance, not your strength. This will come back all on its own."

"Yeah, don't worry, I won't forget," she answered grinning. A few days ago, when she had felt up to it, Rimul had suggested that she slowly start to work on her endurance. She had started with taking longer walks, which had then become short and slow runs. And with each passing day, she had started to feel better, a sign that it was working.

So, in between this and their frequent healing sessions, Jenny was slowly starting to feel like a normal human again, at least physically. And this was something. She couldn't transform, yet, but Rimul had kept telling her to stay patient. It was easier said than done, but Jenny was slowly starting to accept that she simply had no other choice.

Rimul smiled at her, and then, acting upon her instinct, Jenny stepped forward and hugged her new friend tightly. "Thanks, for everything."

"You're welcome, Jenny. It was a pleasure meeting and getting to know you," he told her, as they let go. "And come and visit us again."

"Sure… shouldn't be a problem, now that Goku is alive again," Jenny promised him. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed how Vegeta was tapping impatiently with his foot. She sighed quietly – he was still angry with her for not allowing the others to wish them to Earth and had barely spoken a word to her in the past days – and took a step backwards. "Goodbye Rimul… Goodbye Muri. And thanks again."

The two Nameks just smiled at her, as she turned her back on them and walked past Vegeta into the spaceship. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Vegeta nodding at the Nameks – a much bigger thank you than she had expected from him – and then ignored the piercing look directed at her back, when the ramp was pulled in behind them and the door closed.

"I'll check the systems," she just muttered, going directly to her seat and doing exactly that. Vegeta never said a word, not even when she was finished and the spaceship took off. Jenny watched on the big screen, how the green planet began to shrink more and more until nothing but a small dot in the black sky remained.

First then, when it was safe to do so, Vegeta got up from his seat and left the room, probably going to train. When he was gone, Jenny buried her face in her hands and let out a shaky breath. She had really messed up this time. Just a few days ago, she and Vegeta had been so close, closer than ever before, and now he was again so cold and distant. And it was all her fault, because she was so fucking selfish, because she was such a fucking coward.

And because she was so fucking broken.

Jenny had started to notice it, when her body had started to get stronger again. The recurring nightmares, the memories of what Peridean had done and almost done… She often woke up, after having dreamed that _he_ was touching her again, and it always took a moment until she realized that this was just a nightmare, just a memory, that _he_ would never do _that_ again. And there were even flashbacks to her war against the Red Ribbon Army. These things just showed that not everything was alright. That while her body was healing again, some of the scars on her soul had once again been torn open by what had happened on Oryx-sei.

Jenny just couldn't let the others, her family, see her like this.

Still, no matter why she was doing this. She wasn't sure, if Vegeta would ever forgive her for keeping him from his mate, after they had been separated for almost eleven years.

…

Laundry day. Jenny really hated that. They had been back in outer space for a bit more than two weeks already, and by now she and Vegeta had both run out of clean clothes to wear. Since doing the laundry was her job on the spaceship, Jenny had tried to procrastinate as long as possible, because she really had a very big aversion to it.

So, sighing, Jenny gathered the dirty clothes from her and Vegeta's rooms and then checked all the pockets for things that shouldn't be washed. Jenny would never forget the day, when she had accidentally washed her allowance, after she had put it into the pocket of her jeans and forgotten about it. Needless to say that she had needed to use her last money really sparingly that month. She had sworn then that something like this would never happen again.

And it was good that she had done this, because she found a piece of paper in one of Vegeta's pants. Jenny only gave it a quick glance, seeing a longer row of numbers, before putting it into the pocket of her shorts to look at it or give it Vegeta later. After having made sure that there was nothing more hidden in the clothes that shouldn't be washed, Jenny crammed it all into the washing machine and got it started.

Glad that she now had at least one hour before the next step, Jenny went back to her room and got out her laptop. She hooked it up at the spaceship's network and then took out the note she had found in Vegeta's pocket. Frowning at it, Jenny tried to make sense of the numbers. The system looked familiar somehow. It was because of this that she entered the code or whatever it was into the program on her laptop and waited for results.

Her eyes widened in surprise, when the program told her that the code was in reality the coordinates of a planet in the Southern Galaxy. So that's why the system looked so familiar – it was just like the coordinates she had gotten from the Kaioushin. But… what were the coordinates of a planet doing in Vegeta's pocket? And where had he gotten it? Now that she looked at it more closely, she saw that it wasn't even in Vegeta's handwriting.

And then it suddenly hit her… The pants… she was pretty sure that Vegeta had worn them on Oryx-sei. Just… why were those bastards giving Vegeta the coordinates of a planet in the Southern Galaxy? She couldn't ask him, not at the moment, not while he was still so cold towards her.

There was only one person, who would and could give her an answer, what kind of planet it was. "Kaiousama?" Jenny mumbled quietly, not wanting to risk Vegeta overhearing her, just in case he walked past her room. When he didn't answer at once, she tried again. "Kaiousama? It's Son Jenny… Can you hear me?"

_"Jenny! What a surprise! What can I do for you?"_

Jenny sighed in relief, when she heard his answer in her head. "I've got some coordinates, from a planet in the Southern Galaxy… Could you tell me, what kind of planet that is and who lives there?"

_"Mmh… the Southern Galaxy… Could be a bit difficult. But why don't you give me the coordinates and I'll try?"_

"Okay…" Jenny told him the coordinates and then waited… and waited.

_"Oh!" _Kaiousama exclaimed after about two minutes, clearly surprised by what he had found. _"Why has the Southern Kaiou never said anything?!"_

"Kaiousama? What is it?"

_"Tell me, Jenny… where did you get the coordinates?"_

Jenny hesitated for a moment, before sighing deeply and admitting, "I've found them on a note that was in one of Vegeta's pants. And he… I think he got them on Oryx-sei."

_"Okay…" _For a moment, Jenny feared that Kaiousama wouldn't answer her question, but then he continued, _"Jenny… these coordinates are from a planet, which is filled by refugees from Frieza's reign. Among others hundreds of Saiyajins."_

…

Hundreds of Saiyajins!

Even a couple of days after she had spoken to Kaiousama, Jenny still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that there were still other survivors and that they were living in a colony, peacefully, on the same planet as many other refugees. Even harder to understand was why Vegeta hadn't told her anything about it. Sure, telling her had probably been the furthest thing on her mind while she had been fighting for her life, but what about after? Surely she deserved to know as well that there were still other survivors of her race.

Eventually, Jenny couldn't wait anymore and confronted Vegeta, while he was taking a break from training. Slapping the note with the coordinates down on the table in front of him, she asked, "Did it ever even cross your mind to tell me that there are other Saiyajins alive, my _King_?"

Yeah, Jenny now finally understood, why Og had suddenly started to call Vegeta King instead of Prince. After all, Vegeta's father had been killed by Frieza, and now, with hundreds of Saiyajins still alive, Vegeta was technically their King.

"No," was Vegeta's short answer, as he looked down at the note.

"Why not? Didn't you think I deserve to know something like this? That there are more of us out there? That you can be their King?"

"I have no intention of ever going to that planet to be their King," Vegeta told her coldly. "So, maybe you deserved to know, but you didn't need to know."

"You… you don't want to go to that planet?" Jenny was stunned, sitting down on the chair across from him. "I had thought… that this was something you wanted? Now that you know that there are more of us?"

"It was… tempting," Vegeta admitted. "And if it hadn't worked with the wishes, I might have considered it. But that's neither here nor there. Our family is alive again and we're going home."

Jenny looked at Vegeta, as he said this. He was completely serious; Jenny knew that he wasn't just saying this. He meant it. And here she was, keeping him from his family, when he had given up his people for them.

Slowly, one tear trickled down her cheek, followed by another. For once, she wasn't ashamed of crying in front of Vegeta. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "So fucking sorry… It's all so messed up. I'm so messed up. We could be home by now… You could be with Bulma… and we're still here… just because I'm so fucking messed up! And now you're angry at me and acting all cold towards me and it hurts! But I know I deserve it, because I hurt you, too!"

"It's okay, brat."

"No… it's not," Jenny contradicted him. "I'm sure that, if I told them, Gohan and Goten and the others would understand why I'm this way, but I can't tell them. I can't tell them about the Red Ribbon Army, I can't tell them about what happened on Oryx-sei… I just can't. They'll see me, they'll see that I'm not the little girl they used to know anymore, and they won't understand. But you should be home with Bulma, instead of having to play babysitter to a selfish brat like me. You shouldn't suffer, just because I'm so fucking broken!"

Jenny's body was then overcome with heavy sobs, after she had gotten all of this out. She wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach, wanting to curl into a ball and disappear. She hated this feeling, she hated being so fucking scared. She hated being so broken. She hated fucking Og and Peridean, who had destroyed so much of what Mirai had repaired.

She wanted her best friend. She wanted Mirai. She wanted him to hold her and to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Maybe it was because of this, that at first she thought that she was imagining it, as she suddenly felt strong arms wrap around her. But then she heard a voice whispering, telling her that everything would be alright. That she was strong. That she was going to get through this. That she should take as much time as she needed. It wasn't Mirai's voice telling her this, it wasn't Mirai's arms that were holding her. No, it was all Vegeta, who was comforting her, which made her cry even harder.

However, after there were no more tears left, and she was still lying in Vegeta's arms like a little girl, Jenny started to feel more peaceful for the first time in weeks. She started to hope that maybe, given some more time, she could also heal from this and be ready to face her family.

…

Things were improving on the spaceship over the next few weeks. Jenny was feeling stronger with each passing day, doing a happy dance when she finally managed to transform for the first time and was truly ecstatic, when she again became a Super Saiyajin, even though she had just been able to stay in this form for a few minutes. Rimul had been right – building up her endurance had been the key, her old strength was returning completely on its own.

By then, it wouldn't take long anymore until they arrived on Earth. Just a few more days maybe, but Jenny felt far from ready. When the countdown showed them that it would only take them five days until the spaceship landed on Earth, Jenny would probably have had a full-blown panic attack, knowing that now it would only be a matter of time until their kis could be felt, if Vegeta hadn't suddenly held a bracelet, one of the Red Ribbon Army's ki-shields, out to her.

"It's your decision", he had told her quietly, his voice no longer holding any anger or resentment over her not wanting to go home. "I won't be angry, no matter what you're going to do."

And really, when she took the bracelet from him and put it around her wrist, there was only understanding in his eyes. First then she noticed that she couldn't feel his ki and a glance to his wrist told her that he was already wearing one of those bracelets. "I'm sorry…"

"No, don't apologize," he ordered firmly but gently. His behavior since her breakdown was so strange, again so different from the man she had known her whole life. He was watching her like a hawk, being so careful around her, almost as if he was making sure that she wouldn't break completely. "I should have realized sooner that what this little piece of shit has done to you would leave scars. But I've told you before and I'll tell you again – you're a strong young woman. You _will_ get through this."

"Thanks… Vegeta…"

…

Being back on Earth was strange. Being back in the Western Capital even stranger. While they had landed the spaceship discreetly at night on the other side of the planet, they had set up the spaceship hidden in the woods near the Western Capital. For the first two days, Jenny hadn't wanted to go into town, but they were slowly running out of food – or better said, real food – as they were both getting sick of all the food they had taken along for their long trip.

Of course, Vegeta could have gone into town to buy groceries, but the chances that he would be recognized were a lot bigger than if she went into town. No one except for Videl knew how she looked like now, as long as she didn't transform. And no one would be able to feel her ki thanks to the ki-shield around her wrist. So here she was, walking along the busy street – much busier than she could remember – with filled grocery bags in her arms.

Vegeta was waiting for her in their car – she didn't know why he had taken that capsule along – seeing as she didn't have a driver's license and it was too far to walk. The whole time, Jenny had to resist the urge to look over her shoulder, to see if one of her brothers or Trunks or Bulma or someone else was walking there, but she had to remind herself that it was ridiculous. She could feel their kis, and they were nowhere close.

She was just shaking her head at her own stupidity, when she suddenly saw it in one of the shop windows. It was a black and white drawing of a dragon, looking a lot like Shenlong, wrapped around the yin and yang symbol. The symbol was surrounded by flames and the dragon had sunk its claws into it. This picture, it was calling to her.

Looking up, Jenny saw that she was standing in front of a tattoo parlor. Her gaze wandered back to the picture of the dragon. It was big and would probably cover almost her whole back if… No, what was she thinking? She couldn't get a tattoo! Could she?

Without really noticing it, Jenny opened the door and stepped inside. It was surprisingly light inside, not as dark and gloomy as she had expected a tattoo parlor to be. A perky young woman, wearing a blindingly pink top, with short black hair, several piercings in her ears, lips and eyebrows, and a few tattoos on her arms welcomed her with a warm smile. "Hi, can I help you?"

"I… uhm… I was wondering… This picture of the dragon you've got out there… how long does it take?"

"In that size?" the young woman asked. "Well, it would have to be tattooed on your back, and it will take quite a few hours. Usually we do tattoos in this size in several sessions, but we've already had some people here who wanted it in one day. But they had an incredibly high pain tolerance. But I have to warn you, it is pretty expensive."

"Pain is no problem… and neither is the money," Jenny told her. She couldn't help it; she was drawn to this tattoo. It was telling so much about her. The dragon – her strength, Shenlong, the Dragon Swords. Yin and yang - the precarious balance she was always dealing with, the fight between the Saiyajin and the Human. The flames – the raw power burning within her.. The cracks in the symbol – the cracks in her soul. What could be better to remind her of these things than this tattoo? "Uhm… say… if I wanted this tattoo, do I need an appointment? Or can I just come by?"

"Well, it's pretty slow at the moment, but an appointment is always better, just to be on the safe side that your trip won't be in vain. Here, take my card and just give me a call, if you've decided," the young woman said, handing Jenny a card with the name of the tattoo parlor and the number.

"Pixie?" Jenny asked wryly, reading the name of the woman.

The young woman shrugged with a grin. "What can I say? My parents are weird."

…

She had done it! She had actually done it!

One day after she had seen it, after having thought about it really hard and even asking Vegeta what he thought about her getting a tattoo (His answer had just been, "Do whatever you want. You're old enough, after all.), she had called Pixie and made an appointment for the day after.

Jenny had arrived in the tattoo parlor the moment it had opened and had had to stay there almost the whole day until Pixie had finished it. The young woman's warning that it was going to be very painful wasn't an understatement. It had hurt, a lot, but Jenny had already experienced worse pain, so she just gritted her teeth and endured it. The fact that Pixie was talking her head off, telling her things about other customers, designs and other pretty unimportant, but sometimes really funny stuff, helped a lot to keep her mind off the pain.

In the end, Pixie had even been so impressed by her, that she had given her a 50% discount on the tattoo. Jenny had protested, but in vain. Pixie had claimed that she had never had such a brave customer. After Jenny had paid, they had agreed that she would come back in a couple of days to check if everything was healing well.

The skin around the tattoo was still red and pretty sensitive, but Jenny was already planning on using Tenshinhan's technique to help speed along the healing process. But she was impressed by the artwork, when she was looking at it in the mirror in her room. And happy that she had done it. For some reason, it had been necessary, almost as if it was a part of her healing process.

Well, some girls cut their hair, others got tattoos, if their lives were changing or if something drastic had happened in their lives. Seemed like she was the tattoo-getting kind of gal.

"It suits you."

Startled, Jenny lowered crossed her arms in front of her chest, covering her naked body, as she looked over her shoulder to Vegeta. "Geez, don't startle me like this! Especially not, when I'm not wearing anything." Sighing, when Vegeta just smirked at her, both of them knowing really well that Vegeta had already seen her wearing fewer clothes than she was wearing now in the past few weeks, she looked again at her back in the mirror. "But you're right… It does suit me, doesn't it?"

"Well, it would be bad, if it didn't. After all, you're stuck with it now." Then the smirk on his face became pretty amused, as he added, "I can't wait to see your older brother's face, when he sees it."

Jenny laughed out loud. Oh yeah, her dear Gohan would get a heart attack.

…

Even though they were back on Earth, Jenny was once again bored out of her mind, especially in the evenings. As they didn't want to risk anyone seeing them, she and Vegeta had to keep their training to a minimum. No flying, no powerful ki attacks, nothing that could draw any attention of the other fighters.

Boring, yeah…

Especially in the evenings. The TV program was as bad as ever, so Jenny quickly decided that with her tattoo being completely healed – much to Pixie's surprise already at their check-up – she might chance it to go out at night. She bought some new clothes suited for partying and ran into the Western Capital under the cover of darkness.

It wasn't the same as with Mirai – Jenny always had to fight back tears, whenever her mind wandered to him, as the chances that he had survived were really slim by now – but Jenny tried to make the best out of it. Getting lost in the heavy bass of the music, the dancing and the alcohol was kind of therapeutic, although she was aware that Vegeta didn't like this habit at all. But she was of age now, eighteen years, so there was nothing he could do or say.

She tried something new every couple of nights – new clubs, new music, new guys to dance with, new drinks.

That was how, about three weeks after they had landed on Earth, Jenny was in the _Starlight_, a fairly new club which hadn't been there yet, when she had left a half year ago. She didn't know what it was, but something was different that night. The air seemed to be charged with something. The guys were the same, all after her because of her looks, and even the drinks tasted the same… but yet… there was something and she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Maybe it was because in not even two days it would be the two years anniversary of the attack on the cinema and the birth of the Lost Warrior.

Pushing this thought quickly aside, Jenny accepted the offered drink from one of the guys and chugged it all down.

Getting totally drunk suddenly sounded like a very good idea.

…

"Get up, brat!" Vegeta snapped, pulling her blanket away. She groaned, her eyes protesting against the light that he had switched on. Her head was pounding like hell and her stomach felt like it was on a roller coaster. God, she couldn't remember when she had had a hangover like this.

"Don't wanna…" she mumbled, trying to bury her face in her pillow, but then it was gone as well. "Hey…"

"Get up, get a shower, get dressed and then get some breakfast. You need to go out to buy some groceries."

"Urgh…."

The shower had woken her up a bit, but Jenny hadn't been able to eat a bite, as her stomach was still acting up. And Vegeta was acting extra mean, as he told her that he wouldn't drive her into town. "You're so used to walking there, so you're going to walk. I'm sure this will clear your head and help with the nausea."

It did help, but not much. Jenny could barely keep her eyes open, as she was staring down at the grocery list in her hand and then looked back up into the cooling shelves. She was just taking a pack of yoghurt and put it into her basket, when she heard a muttered, "Fuck!" to her left. Slowly turning her head to the source of the noise, it was all Jenny could do to not have a panic attack. With wide eyes, she stared at the boy on the other end of the shelves. His eyes were probably just as wide as hers, as they were both frozen to the spot.

_Goten…_

"Goten, are you okay?" a worried voice asked, and at this moment her big brother entered the aisle, along with Videl and Trunks. Trunks had a similar reaction to Goten's, both of them staring at her with wide, surprised eyes. It seemed like Gohan wanted to say more, but when his mouth opened, nothing came out. It was clearly obvious that all three boys were ogling her. The only person who wasn't staring was Videl, who was just smiling happily and encouragingly.

But then, Jenny couldn't take it anymore. She turned on her heel and fled, not just the aisle but also the store, the groceries completely forgotten. She didn't know where she was going, didn't notice her surroundings, so it was no surprise, when she collided with something, or rather, someone tall and hard, and dropped to her butt.

Blinking up against the blinding sun shining down on her, Jenny could just make out the outline of a pretty tall boy with shaggy dark blond hair. He held out his hand to her, his skin rough, and helped her back up. "Thanks," she muttered, and just wanted to go on, when she got a closer look at the person. For the second time in five minutes, her eyes widened in surprise, as she recognized that person. "Oh… sweet Dende… Dame… is that you?"

The boy looked confused for a moment, and for a moment Jenny thought that she was wrong, that this boy wasn't Damian. Until he answered, looking stunned. "Fuck, Jenny… you look terrible. What the hell happened? I mean, except for me and Mai dying, of course."

Tears sprung into her eyes, as Damian suddenly engulfed her in a tight and warm and comfortable hug. Jenny remembered that he had always had very strong arms, but that they were still so strong, now that he wasn't sitting in a wheelchair, was surprising.

Wait… Damian wasn't sitting in a wheelchair. "Dame, you can walk!"

"Yeah, thanks to you and the wishes I guess… Come, I need an ice-cream for this shock. And I think we need to talk."

They went to the nearest ice-cream parlor and ordered their favorites, at first just eating in silence, until Damian suddenly said, "So, who where you running from?"

Jenny winced, as she thought back to the confrontation. They had looked at her so shocked, but had they really recognized her? For some reason, she didn't think so. "I saw… Goten and Gohan and Trunks… they were at the grocery store. I was just so surprised that I fled."

"Wait… Does this mean that they don't know that you're back, yet? And when did you come back? Tenshinhan just said yesterday that you must still be far away, because he couldn't feel you yet."

Fingering the bracelet around her wrist, Jenny mumbled, "Almost three weeks. These ki-shields keep us hidden."

"But… why?" Damian looked at her, completely bewildered. "What about your family? Your brothers? What about us, Jenny? We've missed you, too, you know."

"I… just… bad things have happened, Damian," Jenny told him, trying to keep her voice strong and hard. "I became a killer to avenge you. I've killed every single soldier of the Red Ribbon Army that crossed my path. And I didn't stop until they were all gone and the Red Ribbon Army was destroyed."

"I know," Damian admitted, his eyes burning. "And let me say one thing, Jenny. They deserved this for all the people they have killed. If it had been you and Mai, and if I'd had the power, I would have done exactly the same. So I don't care, if you're a killer or not, Son Jenny. You'll always be my best friend."

"Dame…"

"Is it because of this that you don't want to go home? Because, even if they somehow found out what you've done, they can't hate you for it. Because then they would be hypocrites. Just think of Vegeta… How many people has he killed? And they still accepted him."

"More or less…" Jenny added wryly, but had to admit that Damian was right. Somehow, it had never crossed her mind before. But it wasn't just because of this that she wasn't going home, after all. There was still the other thing… "I was almost raped…"

This confession came out of nowhere and completely unexpected. Jenny didn't look up, but saw that Damian was clenching his fist tightly around the spoon, his hand shaking. "Who?"

"We had to stop on a planet to make some repairs to the spaceship. The planet's Prince was taken with me, and he and his father drugged me and then he wanted to… rape me. He would have succeeded if Vegeta hadn't noticed that I was gone from the party and had stopped him. I almost died that night."

Fearing Damian's reaction, Jenny slowly looked up and was surprised by the fierce look on his face. However, whatever she had expected him to say, it wasn't what he actually said, "Jenny, listen to me, and listen closely. Go. Home. You can't deal with all this on your own. Vegeta alone can't help you. You need your whole family, you need your brothers. They will help you heal. Damn it, Jenny, I can see how broken you are… I've never seen you so lost… even before you've told me this. Let them be strong for you, okay? When you can't be strong yourself?"

"Dame…"

"No. Go home, Jenny. Where you belong. And whenever you need me… or Mai… Just call us or come and visit us. We all want to see you again. And so does your family. They will never judge you for what you have done, understand?"

Jenny nodded slowly, feeling tears run down her cheek. But there was a small, grateful smile on her lips. Somehow, what Damian had told her had hit home.

"So, you're still gonna eat that?" Damian suddenly asked, grinning mischievously as he stole spoonful of her chocolate ice-cream.

"Hey! That's mine! You thief!"

…

Jenny wandered through the Western Capital almost the whole day, completely lost in thoughts, so when she finally returned to the spaceship after darkness had fallen, Vegeta was already waiting impatiently for her with a deep scowl on his face. "Where've you been?"

Hanging her head, Jenny took a deep breath. "I saw the boys today… Goten, Gohan and Trunks. And they saw me, but I don't think they've recognized me. I ran away before they could. And then I met Damian and we talked and after that I had to think and…"

"And?"

Looking up, there was a light sparkle in Jenny's eyes, as she told him, "I'm ready, Vegeta. I wanna go home."

* * *

**A/N2: If you want to see the drawing of the tattoo, just go to me profile and click on the link there. I just think it's amazing and it really suits Jenny ;) . **


	79. Part IV: Coming Home

**A/N: Hey everyone! Do you wanna know, how I finished this chapter so quickly? Well, that's really easy, because the first 6.500 words have already been written for years! I started writing it during a really boring class at university in 2006. Really! So you can see, that all these things have been planned to happen for a really long time. Well, it's been tweaked a bit here and there, even now, so that it would fit with the other unplanned chapters and occurrences in this story, but I didn't have to change a lot. So, after some small changes and another 1.500 new words towards the end, this chapter is finished. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Part IV**

**Chapter 78: Coming Home**

Jenny could only remember one moment in her life, when she had been nearly as nervous as at this moment, and this had been the day she had gotten the tour of Li's school. Her hands were shaking, her heart beating so hard and so fast in her chest that she could hear the thump-thump with her own ears. She had had almost no breakfast that morning – Jenny's stomach hadn't really wanted to cooperate and her throat had been so incredibly tight. Vegeta had looked at her nearly full plate disapprovingly, but this time he hadn't said anything. Usually he would have ordered her to eat more, as she was still too thin, but even he understood that this situation they now found themselves in wasn't at all usual.

No, this situation rated very high on the not-usual scale. For the first time since their deaths eleven years ago, Jenny would meet her whole family again. She thought that this was reason enough to feel like she felt, now that she was finally standing in front of the door to Capsule Corporation. Without their ki-shields, she was feeling naked somehow, knowing that it was now only her own control that kept her ki hidden. Even if she wanted out again now, just one move from Vegeta and they would feel him, knowing that they were back. So yes, Jenny had a right to be totally nervous.

However, a quick glance to the right told her that she seemed to be the only one nervous enough to puke. Vegeta appeared to be his usual self – completely calm and composed, scowling and seemingly unaffected by the life changing step they were about to take. But as she looked a bit closer, Jenny noticed the light twitch in his fingers. He was also wearing the most peculiar clothes she had ever seen and she had had to look twice, when she had first seen him that morning, to make sure that it had really been him. She hadn't even known that Vegeta possessed clothes like those – normally his wardrobe consisted of black and dark blue clothes, but those pants were yellow and the shirt pink for Dende's sake! The fact that the words _Bad Man_ were written on his back didn't help much to make him appear somewhat less strange.

"How can you be so calm?" she wondered aloud, her voice being barely louder than a whisper. Or maybe the question should be – _Why am I still so scared?_ After she had talked to Damian, she had thought she was over this. This was her family after all. When she had made the decision that she was ready to face them, to see them again, she had felt elated, relieved even, happy to finally be reunited with them again. And besides, she wouldn't be meeting them all at once, seeing as the only persons in this house at this moment were Bulma, Goten and Trunks. The kis of the others were in the mountains. So it was just the three of them. No biggie.

But it's been eleven years.

She had changed so much, had been to hell and back – more than once. The girl they had known back then was gone. In her stead was a young woman, a woman who had experienced death in more than one form and it had left its marks on her – both physical and psychological. Jenny was scared that her family wouldn't like this changed person. She was scared that they still saw her as this little girl she had been, when they had died.

However, she wasn't the only one who had grown up. When she had seen the boys, it had been hard to realize that it was really them and she still couldn't quite believe it now. It was all just so surreal, as if in a dream.

But it wasn't a dream. This was real. After eleven years, she would finally be reunited with her family.

Jenny looked again at Vegeta, who still hadn't answered her question. Sighing, she turned her attention back to the door and therewith to the doorbell, which she yet had to ring. She only had to press this small button. And still, this seemed to be the hardest part.

"Who said that I'm calm?" she suddenly heard Vegeta say next to her.

Eyes wide, Jenny looked at him. Now she knew that something was wrong with him. Had he actually just admitted that he might be just the tiniest bit nervous? "You're weird today," she simply said, motioning with her hand to his outfit, as if to prove her point.

A chuckle escaped Vegeta's lips, which quickly turned into a smirk. With one of his eyebrows raised, he nodded towards the door. "Are you planning on standing here all day? You know, I could get some training done, while you're trying to convince yourself that you're really ready to go home."

"Hey!" she exclaimed with a pout on her lips. "I'll have you know that I'm ready. Otherwise I wouldn't be here, would I?"

"Then, why don't you ring the bell?"

Jenny knew a dare, when she heard one, and being a Saiyajin she never even thought about backing down. So, looking at Vegeta with her lips curled into a smirk, Jenny extended her hand and rang the doorbell. First as the sound of the bell echoed through the building, the smirk on her face turned into a scowl, as realization hit her. "You tricked me!"

"That I did," Vegeta simply said.

Her heart was once again stuck in her throat, so the glare directed at the older Saiyajin didn't have its desired effect. Jenny couldn't believe that she had actually fallen for this! This must have been one of the oldest tricks – provoking a Saiyajin, while knowing exactly that it wasn't in their blood to ignore this. And now it was too late, Jenny thought, as she turned her attention back to the door. Nervously chewing on her lower lip, she wrung her clammy hands, waiting. There was no turning back now.

Seconds seemed to turn into minutes, and minutes into hours and after a seemingly incredibly long wait, the door was finally opened. Jenny's breath caught in her throat, when she saw the woman standing in the doorway. Bulma hadn't changed at all in those eleven years; she still looked as young and vibrant as when she had last seen her at the Tenkaichi Budokai. Bulma was wearing her working outfit, meaning a pair of old jeans and an old T-shirt. Jenny's hands began to tremble, overwhelmed by the infinite number of emotions running through her. This wasn't a dream and Bulma was really standing in front of her.

"Can I help you?"

Bulma regarded the young woman in front of her curiously and just the slightest bit confused. She looked to be the same age as the boys and Videl. Was she a friend of them? Or maybe… even a potential girlfriend of Trunks or Goten?, Bulma thought, her mind immediately going over all possible scenarios. She was pretty, if a bit plain in the pair of faded blue jeans, with the simple dark green tank top she was wearing and the braid at the base of her neck. But the boys hadn't mentioned anything concerning a potential girlfriend or even a date… There had only been the talk about this _hot_ girl they had seen the day before at the grocery store. The very same girl they had seen at a club two nights ago. Well, this girl definitely appeared to be nervous enough for someone, who came to the home of a boy she fancied for the first time, Bulma grinned inwardly.

The girl gave her a shy smile. "I believe you can," she answered. Bulma noticed the quick glance the girl gave someone to her right, but seeing as she was still standing inside and didn't want to appear rude by taking a look around the corner, she didn't know, whom this glance was directed at. "I-I was hoping that you… maybe… could point me to my room…"

Bulma's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Jenny?" she gasped, completely dumbfounded. Could this young woman in front of her really be the small girl she had left behind so many years ago?

"Hey Bulma," Jenny answered and just a split second later she was crushed in an almost bone-breaking hug.

Bulma felt the tears prickle in her eyes, as she wrapped her arms around the girl. "Sweet Dende! It's really you! You're back! I can't believe it… Let me look at you!" Immediately she grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away at arm's length. Her eyes wandered over Jenny, taking in her face and wondering, how she hadn't recognized her before. But then again, eleven years had passed. Whereas all those years ago, the girl had been small, barely reaching her navel, this young woman Bulma was facing now, was about as tall as her, maybe even a bit taller. There was not an ounce of baby fat to be seen; her whole body appeared to be well-trained without being overly muscular. Though she was a bit too skinny. Worried, Bulma also noted all the small scars on her arms, but decided that she wouldn't mention them now.

"You've grown," Bulma simply said with a small smile. "Into a pretty young woman."

Jenny felt a blush creep onto her cheeks and she lowered her gaze a bit. No matter how tough she was in battle or when she had been the Lost Warrior, she would probably never get used to compliments like this one, when she was just Jenny. Especially, when this compliment came from a person she was, or had once been, close to. She began to fidget a bit nervously, when she noticed that Bulma's eyes once again wandered over her whole body.

"What's this?" Bulma asked, as she suddenly grabbed Jenny's wrist and twisted the arm to get a better look at the scar running down almost the whole length of her lower arm. It was so prominent that all the other, smaller scars on the arm almost appeared invisible. A memory of what her mother had told her, shortly after she had arrived in the Afterlife, flashed through her mind. "Did… did Buu do this?"

Jenny nodded, as she gently pulled her arm back. While this was one scar that Jenny tended to forget about often, she didn't think it was necessary to tell Bulma that it had technically been her own fault that she had gotten this scar. If she hadn't stopped Vegeta's suicide attack, not only would she have not gotten that scar, but also everything else would have been different. Shaking her head ever so slightly to get rid of this thought, she forced a smile on her face. "Don't worry, Bulma. It's okay. It's an old scar, and besides," she added with a smirk, "what's a Saiyajin without battle scars?"

"Spoken like a true warrior," sounded a voice from her right. Jenny's smirk turned into a full-fledged grin, when she noticed the widening of Bulma's eyes.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Jenny said with a nonchalant shrug. "There's also someone else, who wants to say hi." With lightning fast reflexes, Jenny's hand shot out and pulled an unprepared Vegeta into view. He was scowling at her, but Jenny didn't mind at all. He hadn't allowed her to set her own pace for facing them this morning, so she would simply return this _favor_. Besides, he had already announced his presence, after all, so he had no right to be angry with her. "I'm sure you remember him."

"Brat," Vegeta grumbled, the irritation in his voice warning her that she would regret ever getting up that morning, if she didn't stop soon.

However, the grin on her face didn't waver once, completely unaffected by the threat. As far as she knew, she wouldn't see either of them until the following morning anyway and by then, she hoped that Vegeta would have forgotten about this. "Well, I guess I'll better leave you two to get reacquainted again. I take it my room is still there, where it has always been?"

Still not being able to remove her eyes from her mate, Bulma nodded absently and replied, "Yes… But," she called after Jenny, finally tearing her gaze away, as the girl had already been on her way to the stairs, "Goten and Trunks have also moved back in there. I hope you don't mind."

"Nah, I don't. I wanted to see them now anyway." Jenny just wanted to turn around, as she looked back one more time and said, "By the way… Have fun and please, keep the noise level down, will ya?"

Bulma stared at the retreating girl, her mouth hanging open, while Vegeta only chuckled softly. It was then that she noticed the black color peeking out from next to the strap of the top. Oh, ChiChi would have a fit! Shaking her head, Bulma turned back to Vegeta. "She has truly grown up."

Her eyes softened, as she took in the tanned face of her mate. He didn't look much different from when she had seen him the last time, eleven years ago. Still as young as before – Bulma was sure that she would have had at least a few wrinkles on her face, if she had aged eleven years just as he had – and still as handsome as ever. This new, shorter hairstyle made him even more attractive, Bulma thought with a grin.

"It's good to see you again," she finally whispered, once again feeling the tears return to her eyes. With a sob, she suddenly threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in the soft fabric of his shirt. "I've missed you so much…"

"Woman," Vegeta sighed, deeply inhaling her unique scent mixed with the flowery fragrance of her shampoo. Now that he was finally holding her again in his arms, feeling her warmth, it was beyond him how he had managed to stay away from her those last few weeks, knowing that she was alive again and within reach. _Damn you, brat_, he cursed inwardly.

He had truly become pathetic…

Eventually, after long comfortable minutes, Vegeta gently pulled her away from him and wiped the remaining tears away with his thumb. "Look at me," Bulma sniffed with a smile on her face. "My face is all blotchy now, isn't it? And I also got your shirt all wet." Adjusting the crumpled shirt again, Bulma grinned slightly. She hadn't even known that he still possessed these clothes. "Way to go to make a new first impression on you…"

Vegeta only smirked, as he listened to her rambling. It was good to hear it again, but still, he had planned to spend the day slightly differently. So, without forewarning, he grabbed her shoulders and pressed his lips onto hers, effectively shutting her up. "Let's go to our bedroom, woman," he whispered huskily, as they parted. Bulma was breathless and her face now even more flushed. In his eyes, she had never been more beautiful. "As much as you love public displays of affection, I highly doubt you want our neighbors to witness what this will lead to."

A giggle escaped Bulma's lips, as she pulled him inside and closed the door. After she had given him a small peck on his mouth, she said, "Give me two minutes to get a bit more presentable. Why don't you go ahead and make yourself comfortable?"

Vegeta watched with a smirk, as Bulma turned around to get _more presentable_, knowing very well that those two minutes would turn into at least ten. It was really good to be home again.

* * *

Jenny's soft footsteps echoed quietly in the hallways, as she was walking along the familiar corridors to her room. No, their room, she corrected herself with a grin. The door to the room was standing open and she could hear laughter inside, male laughter of voices she had already heard once the day before, voices that sounded so different from the children's voices she remembered them having.

Quietly she stopped in the doorway of the room and let her eyes wander around, immediately spotting Goten and Trunks sitting on the floor in front of the television. Her brother was holding the game controller in his hands, desperately trying to get past one obstacle in the videogame. Jenny grinned, as she remembered having the same problem in this game until she and Mirai had finally figured out how to do it.

Leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest, she watched them for a while with a grin on her face, not making a sound. But even if she had made a sound, she doubted that the boys would have noticed her. Both of them were completely engrossed in the game, as they were arguing back and forth about how to defeat or get past that monster at the end of the level. They must have been at this for quite some time already, obviously, because of their discussion about what they had already tried and what of this had not worked – apparently all of their attempts had been futile, even though it was so easy. The hard part about finishing this level was finding the easy way out.

"I think I'll try to attack it again with the fireballs," Goten suggested, when he started again at the point in the level, when he had saved the game the last time, after having died at the claws of the monster yet again.

Trunks ran his hand through his hair, mussing it up. "But that didn't work, just as tackling it, drowning it and everything else didn't and won't work."

"It just didn't work, because he got his claws on me before I was able to finish him off," Goten argued. In the meantime he had arrived at the monster and began to attack it mercilessly by throwing fireballs at it, but eventually the monster killed him again.

Her brother emitted a frustrated groan and Jenny thought that it was time to interfere. "Trunks is right," she said, immediately getting their attention. They both turned around to look at her. "That monster is invincible, but there's a way around him. Those last few blocks just before you meet him lead up to a secret passageway. To get past him, you have to take the path over his head."

Goten flashed her a grateful grin and, before he turned back to the game, said, "Thanks, sis."

However, Trunks only continued to stare at her. He blinked, once, twice and eventually muttered with an incredulous look on his face, "Jenny?"

Hearing the name also finally got Goten's full attention; although he had already called her _sis_, most-likely out of instinct, he hadn't fully realized the fact that it was really his sister standing there in the doorway until now. A full-fledged smile lit up his face, as he threw the game controller to the ground, monster completely forgotten, and lunged at her to pull her into a warm and nearly bone-breaking hug, crushing her against his chest.

"Goten," she gasped laughing. "Need air!"

Grinning sheepishly, Goten let go of his sister and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry... But… It's just… Wow! You're finally home! Just… Where the hell have you been all this time?"

Jenny just wanted to answer, ready to feed him some feeble half-truth about where she and Vegeta had been for the last few weeks, but Goten simply ignored her attempt to say something by waving his last question off.

"Ya know what? It doesn't matter. You're back now and that's important." Goten embraced her again, this time gentler, as he whispered into her ear, "And it's good to see you all solid this time."

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked confused, but then blurred images of Goten, almost just as he was looking now, flashed through her mind. However, they were gone just as quickly as they had come.

"You don't remember," Goten realized, as he loosened his hold onto her. His hands were still resting on her arms, as he looked at her with a sad smile, which then quickly turned into one of his most famous grins. "Ah, maybe later…"

And then, from one second to another, a deep frown appeared on his face, as he finally got to look at Jenny closer. His look was almost scrutinizing, so Jenny tilted her head slightly to one side, as she asked confused, "Is something wrong? Do I have something in my face?"

"No…" Goten replied, shaking his head slightly. "It's just… Déjà vu… I mean… Even all solid and blond, you look really familiar."

"Well, uh…" Jenny, realizing that Goten was just now recognizing the girl he had seen at the store, though she still had no idea what his talk about 'being solid' was about, glanced past her brother over to Trunks, who had gotten up by now and was just standing a step behind Goten. He, too, had a weird look on his face, which quickly showed recognition and just a split second later, he burst out laughing, holding his stomach. "What are you laughing at?"

"Sorry," Trunks gasped, trying to regain control, without much success, as the laughter just kept bubbling up. "Oh sweet Dende... Goten," he clasped his best friend's shoulder, partly to get his attention, partly to remain standing upright. "You do know that you and Gohan have been ogling your own sister at the grocery store yesterday, don't you?"

Goten's eyes widened comically, as he looked back and forth between his sister and his friend, as if trying to find out if Trunks was saying the truth. He tried to remember the face of the girl from the store, but finding it hard to concentrate, when almost all he remembered of her was everything that was below her neck. Oh yeah, and then there was the long blond hair and blue eyes… And not to forget the unmistakable tattoo, which had made him recognize her at the store in the first place. But no face… even though he had been staring at her.

Jenny chuckled and a wide grin appeared on her face, when she noticed the look on Goten's face, which was almost begging her to say that it wasn't true, that the girl at the store hadn't been his sister. "Sorry to disappoint ya, bro, but Trunks is right. It was me… I just, well, I didn't tell you then that it was me, because, well, because…" she shrugged, letting her explanation trail off. She hoped that they would just forget about this now and ask later or maybe not at all.

Her prayers were answered, when a horrified and agonized groan escaped Goten's lips. "Oh, please… no… What have I done to deserve this? No one, no one should have… Oh Dende…" He had closed his eyes, hoping to banish the pictures from the grocery store, and more importantly from the club, the way she had moved, what he had been thinking back then, from his mind, but unsuccessfully. They just kept on coming back, and more. He had actually had dreams about this girl, she had been on his mind so often since he had seen her for the first time! That was… sick! "Bad mental images! I'm sorry… I'm right back," Goten suddenly said and brushed past Jenny out of the door.

Both Jenny and Trunks looked to the door for a moment until they both were caught in a laughing fit. "That. Was. Brilliant," Trunks snorted, once he had calmed down enough to be able to speak again. "This look! I believe he's scarred for life now!"

"Yeah, probably," Jenny agreed and then looked at him with a smirk on her face. "But if I remember correctly, Mr. Briefs, you've also done your fair share of _ogling_ me."

"You're right," Trunks answered, returning her smirk with one of his own. "But I'm not your brother, am I?" Another chuckle escaped his lips and he shook his head. "However, I believe we haven't been properly reintroduced yet… Nice to see you again, Jenny. It's been a long time."

"Eleven years," Jenny told him with a small smile, as she looked up at him. Both of them were a bit self-conscious, not knowing what they should do now, if they should hug or not. In the end Jenny simply offered her hand and Trunks shook it briefly, before his hands disappeared in the pockets of his jeans.

There was a strange tingling feeling in her hand, when he let go, but Jenny ignored it, using this moment to take a good look at him. He was tall, about an inch or so taller than Goten even, who was already about five inches taller than her 5'7". She cursed inwardly. Why was everyone always taller than her? Even Vegeta had about an inch on her, though that might just be the hair.

She had noticed at once that Trunks looked a lot like Mirai, which was to be expected, seeing as they were the same person only from different timelines, and at the same time so different. It wasn't just the hair that this Trunks wore shorter, in the same style as already eleven years ago, although he now let some stray strands fall into his eyes; he had also softer facial features, more carefree. It might be Mirai, when he was truly happy, but at the same time not. But the biggest difference was the eyes. Trunks' blue eyes were laughing almost the whole time. They were telling her that he had had a happy childhood, even though he had been dead, unlike Mirai's, which were darker and haunted by his past.

Jenny now realized that a part of her had been afraid of seeing Trunks, not knowing how much he and Mirai were alike. But seeing all the differences now, even after this short moment, made it a lot easier to understand that they were two completely different persons. This made it a lot easier to not always think of her missing friend, whenever she looked at Trunks.

But now, thinking about her friend, Jenny once again began to wonder what had happened in his time, if he was still alive. Although she had slowly come to accept that the chances of seeing him again would be close to non-existent. It had been almost six months since she had seen him the last time, six months since she had heard anything from him. However, even if he hadn't made it, Jenny hoped that he had at least been able to take Buu and Babidi with him, to protect his family and his timeline. But if he was really dead, Jenny wasn't sure, if she would ever forgive herself. After all, it had been her, who had sent him back to his time to fight against Buu. To his death.

"Is everything okay, Jenny?" Trunks asked, sounding even a bit worried, after the girl in front of him had been so quiet for the last few minutes, her eyes somehow vacant and at the same time sad, as she had been lost in her thoughts.

Jenny blinked a few times, as Trunks came again into focus in front of her. Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, she forced a smile on her lips. "Sorry… I zoned out there for a moment."

"I noticed that," he replied with a small grin, but he couldn't help but wonder what she had been thinking about. He had only met her again a few minutes ago and already he could tell that this Jenny was so much different from the Jenny he had known as a child. He was sure that there were many things bothering her, things that she didn't want to or couldn't talk about, for whatever reason.

One of those things seemed to be the reason why she had hidden for so long. She and Vegeta seemed to have been on earth for at least a few days already, so why hadn't they come to Capsule Corporation then? Why now and not sooner? Trunks hoped that someday Jenny would tell them, but until then they just had to respect her privacy. Maybe they just needed to pull her out of her shell more.

Trunks really needed to talk to Goten about this. He was sure that Jenny's life on Earth hadn't always been easy – life in a post-apocalyptic world just couldn't be – so it was going to be their mission to make sure that she was having a lot of fun now and to make her transition back into her family as smooth as possible.

A thought crossed Trunks's mind, as he thought back to the tingling he had felt in his hand, when he had shaken hers, the reason why he had immediately stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans, but had to force himself to push that thought away again. There was no denying that he was attracted to her – the memories of how she had looked like and how she had moved in the club were still too fresh on his mind to not be – and he had to stop himself from doing something that he might regret later. This was his best friend's sister, after all. The girl who had been somewhat of a sister to him, too, eleven years ago. He just couldn't go down that road, it would be wrong.

Instead, he was going to try to be her friend and help her to take the first step to have fun.

"So, Miss Son," he began, sounding mischievous. "What do you think about finding your twin and then doing something to regain our reputation as _The Trio From Hell_?"

"What do you have in mind, Mr. Briefs?" Jenny wanted to know, immediately perking up. She didn't know whether Trunks was doing this on purpose or not, but she was grateful that he took her mind off those depressing thoughts.

The mischievous grin on Trunks' face widened, happy to see also one, a true one at that, on her face, as he leaned down to her and whispered conspiratorially, "I'm thinking about giving your dear big brother some really bad nightmares…"

Jenny first looked at him blankly, but only a few seconds later the zeni finally dropped and a very unladylike snort could be heard from her. "Sounds perfect."

* * *

Goten was staring into the mirror of the bathroom down the hall, his face dripping with cold water. He couldn't believe it, he really couldn't. His sister was back! She was actually back. Slowly, a bright grin spread over his face. Jenny was finally home.

However, his face almost fell again, when he remembered the reason why he had fled their room. His sister was the girl from the club, the girl from the grocery store, the girl he had been drawn to. But… Had he really been drawn to her because she was attractive – and she undeniably was attractive – or because of something else?

Taking a towel, Goten cleaned his face and then looked back at his mirror image.

Now that he thought back to it, though he hadn't recognized it at this time, it hadn't been sexual attraction that had drawn him towards her, but something different, something he hadn't felt in so many years that he had forgotten what it felt like. It must have been the twin-bond they shared. It had tried to tell him that she was his sister, his other half, only he hadn't listened.

But… what about Gohan? Well, he had always been very protective of Jenny, so maybe some part of him had recognized her and been drawn to her because of this as well… He was her brother, too, after all. They were all family. And part-Saiyajins, which might play a role in this as well. This was the only logical reason he could think of. Everything else would just be wrong.

"Hey Goten!" his sister's cheerful voice – oh, what a nice sound it was, especially when he remembered how devastated she had been during her short visit to the Afterlife, the visit she didn't remember – called out, as she stuck her head through the gap of the bathroom door. "Trunks and I want to play a prank on Gohan. You in?"

Grinning, Goten turned to his smiling sister. "You bet!"

* * *

Son Gohan stretched, as he got up from his kneeling position on the grass, closing his eyes. A small smile lit up his face, as the unusual warm spring sun danced behind his eyelids. With a sigh, he opened his eyes again and turned to look at the house, which was looking better and better with each passing day. What a few weeks ago had resembled a ruin, now looked to be almost inhabitable. Of course, having several Saiyajins and humans with inhuman strength work on this helped a lot.

He himself had just finished painting a few wooden beams, which they needed for the latest additions to the house – two rooms, one for Goten and one for… Jenny.

Shaking his head, before allowing himself to think further about the absence of his sister, Gohan bent down and easily hoisted two beams on each shoulder. His father was probably already waiting for him. He hadn't wanted to hurry, though. They were almost finished, anyway. He guessed that they could move back into this house in about two or three weeks. A lot faster than many other families that had been brought back to life along with them.

However, just as he wanted to bring the beams to his father, Videl came out of the house, wiping some sweat from her forehead with the back of her free hand. She was carrying a basket over her other arm. Smiling at Gohan, she said, "Leave them here, Gohan. Your mother just sent me to tell you that we will have lunch in a few minutes."

"Alright," Gohan replied, grinning, and dropped the beams directly to the ground, next to where he was standing, as if they were made of cardboard. "Do you need any help?"

"Well, you could help me spread the blanket and decapsulate the food. But," Videl added with a mischievous grin on her face, as Gohan was about to take the basket, "you'll first get something, when everybody's here."

"Spoilsport," Gohan pouted, but just a split second later, he had grabbed the basket and was running away from Videl.

"Son Gohan," she yelled, but she was laughing at the same time. She took off, running after him, and was surprised to notice that he had suddenly stopped, looking at the sky. "What do you see?" she asked, when she came to a halt next to him.

Gohan chuckled, as he shielded his eyes against the sun. "I should have known that those two would get here just in time for lunch." How they had gotten out of helping here in the Mountains again was beyond him, but it was just so typical that they would show up the moment they were going to have lunch.

"So it's Goten and Trunks?" Videl was also looking in the direction, where Gohan could obviously see his brother and his friend. But until now she couldn't see anything.

Nodding, Gohan answered, "Yeah… But," he suddenly added, and a slight frown appeared on his face, "they don't seem to be alone."

Videl looked at him questioningly, but apparently Gohan couldn't yet see, who it was. "Maybe it's Bulma," she suggested.

"No," Gohan mumbled thoughtfully. But then, suddenly, his eyes widened. "I can't believe it! It's her!"

"Who?" Videl was confused. But fortunately she could finally also at least see a small dot at the sky, which was quickly growing bigger.

"That girl! From the store! Goten's carrying her!"

Gohan's voice was still showing disbelief, but Videl could barely stop the bright grin from spreading across her face. _Jenny!_ At least it would be her, if Videl had been correct with her assumption, which she was sure of. Jenny had finally returned home.

"I wonder, how my dear brother found her."

At this, Videl simply raised an eyebrow, hoping that this expression would somehow conceal the happy sparkle in her eyes. "What makes you think that he found her? Maybe it was the other way around. I mean, you were there with Trunks, and he's already become _'the hottest bachelor on earth'_, if I may quote one of those women's magazines. And it's public knowledge that he's living at Capsule Corporation." She didn't add that this girl probably knew better than anyone just where to find one of them. Gohan would find out soon enough and she didn't want to spoil the surprise. Grinning inwardly, Videl wondered, if this was the newest prank of the newly reunited Trio from Hell. Because Jenny simply _had_ to have noticed how not just Goten and Trunks, but also Gohan had looked at her!

Gohan laughed. "Okay, okay… You're right, of course! But, considering this, it's an even bigger miracle, that it's _Goten_, who's carrying her, not Trunks!" He turned to look at his girlfriend, who had startled to giggle, having given up the fight against the cheerful bubble, which had risen in her chest, upon realizing that her boyfriend's long lost sister had obviously decided that it was time to come home. "What are you giggling about?"

"Nothing," Videl chuckled now, trying to regain control over her fit. "But look, they're nearly here."

Gohan looked back to the sky and saw that Videl was right. By now even normal humans could make out the identities of those flying towards them and just a few seconds later, Goten, still holding that mysterious girl in his arms, and Trunks landed only a few feet away from them.

"Hey!" Gohan greeted them grinning, trying not to be too obvious about his curiosity concerning the strange girl. "You're just in time for lunch. Videl and I just wanted to prepare the picnic. But I'm sure mom would have appreciated, if you'd told her that you were bringing a guest."

Goten's hand wandered to the back of his head and he barked out a laugh. "Yeah, sorry about that. She was just suddenly standing in front of our door."

"Is that so?" Gohan asked, raising his eyebrow, as he now turned to the girl at his brother's side. "And who might you be? My dear brother's girlfriend perhaps?"

Gohan had been prepared for almost everything, but not that the girl suddenly snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. The smirk on her face and her whole posture was somehow familiar, but Gohan didn't waste another thought on this matter, as the girl spoke.

"Me? Being Goten's girlfriend? Ridiculous!"

"Yeah," Goten agreed, nodding with a bright mischievous grin on his face. "That's really ridiculous. I mean, that'd be incest!"

"Twincest's more like it," Trunks added seriously. He, Goten and Jenny exchanged a quick glance and then suddenly, from one second to another, they all burst out laughing.

Gohan stared at the three of them, his mind still working on what he'd just been told. It was simply too amazing. He didn't even hear his girlfriend giggle next to him. Finally, after several long moments and tries to open his mouth to say something, he gave up and just rushed forwards, hugging his sister tightly. He was clinging to her almost as if she were to disappear again, if he let her go.

"Please," he whispered into her ear. "Please, tell me that it's true. Tell me that you're Jenny."

"It's true," she answered, suddenly feeling tears in her eyes. "I'm back, Gohan. I'm really back."

Gohan felt tears well up in his eyes, when he heard her say this. But he still couldn't let her go. Not after he hadn't been allowed to hold her for eleven long years. She was here… Jenny was here… His baby sister, who really no longer was a baby, was finally home. "I'm so happy…" Memories of the last time he had seen her, back shortly after she had started at the elementary school, and memories from before Buu flashed through his mind. She had changed so much, she had become a lovely young woman.

A very familiar young woman.

Suddenly, a frown appeared on his face, as he gently let go of her and held a at arm's length to get a good look at her. There was an amused smirk on her face, as he took in her face, her body and in the end even chanced a look over her shoulder and saw parts of the tattoo Trunks and Goten had talked about.

"Oh, Dende… you guys really do love to torture me, don't you?" Gohan asked, shaking his head, but there was also a smile on his face. He had no idea, why Jenny hadn't revealed herself the day before, but at least the look on that girl's face, like a deer caught in headlights, suddenly made a lot of sense. He knew he should feel shocked, maybe even disgusted with himself, but already at the store he had known that, while the girl they had seen had been very attractive, he hadn't stared at her because he had felt physically attracted to her. No, it had been something deeper. A part of him must have recognized her as his sister.

"Oh, come on, bro!" Goten complained with a pout. "No heart attack? No disgusted sounds? I'm really disappointed."

"Sorry, Goten," Gohan apologized, feeling not at all sorry. After all, it didn't happen often that their pranks failed. Actually, he felt kind of proud.

"Hey, Gohan…" Videl's voice suddenly caught his attention. "I really would like to say hello, too, you know?"

Blushing lightly, when he noticed that he was still holding onto Jenny's shoulders, Gohan let go of her and took a step back. Scratching the back of his head, he mumbled, "Oh yeah, sorry…"

He then watched how the two young women, who were now almost the same age, faced each other with an appraising and cool look on their faces. For a moment, he worried that they might not like each other, but then again, how could he forget the stories Videl had told him about the last Budokai?

"Devil…" Jenny said with a small nod.

Returning the nod, Videl replied, "Saiya…"

And then huge smiles appeared on their faces and they hugged each other tightly. Gohan could only shake his head… Girls… he would probably never understand them.

The two girls were just letting go of each other again, when Gohan's senses alerted him and he looked back to the house. "Jenny…?" he said quietly, but happily, gaining her attention.

Jenny seemed to have felt it as well, as the smile on her face was suddenly replaced by an apprehensive, almost wary, look. He carefully took her hand – Jenny looked as if she might bolt any moment – when two persons came out of the house. Both stopped dead in their tracks, as they spotted the girl holding Gohan's hand.

…

Oh, sweet Dende… She couldn't do this. Jenny wanted to run, to fly away, but she remained rooted to the spot, when she saw Goku and ChiChi, her parents, come out of the house. Both of them stopped the moment they spotted her, but if they knew who she was, they didn't show it. Gohan was holding her hand gently, but firmly, almost as if he was fearing that might run away.

Another hand on her shoulder alerted her to Goten's presence on her other side. "Come on, Jenny", her twin said softly. "Time to meet the 'rents."

She wanted to say something childish, like 'Don't wanna', but her throat was to dry to say anything. She didn't know what to think, what to do. She had not once thought about how she would react, when she met her parents. Ever since she had wished them back to life, she had known that this would happen eventually. But even though she had known this, she hadn't even wanted to think about what she would do.

However, now that the moment had come, Jenny thought wryly that maybe she should have thought about it.

ChiChi took a hesitant step forward with an expectant and hopeful look on her face. She looked at Gohan and Jenny saw her brother nod lightly, before she broke out into a run. It was all Jenny could do to brace herself against this woman's, this stranger's, tight hug. As a matter of fact, if it hadn't been for Goten's hand on her shoulder, she probably would have been tackled to the ground. Damn, this woman was strong for a human.

However, as ChiChi's arms closed around her, Jenny's whole body tensed. This hug was too strong, too possessive. This woman was virtually a stranger and Jenny really hated it, when strangers touched her.

"Let her go, Chi," a vaguely familiar and clearly amused voice suddenly said. "I think you're scaring her."

Jenny let out the breath she had been holding the whole time, when ChiChi released her from her hug. The woman – her mother – took a very reluctant and slow step back. Jenny saw that her fingers were still twitching, as if she wanted to attack her again, but Jenny trusted that Gohan or Goten would stop her, if she did.

So she now turned to the person who had helped her get out of the death-grip. Son Goku was standing next to his wife, looking at Jenny with an unreadable look in his eyes. For a moment, Jenny was afraid that he might attack – sorry, hug – her, too, but he didn't do such a thing, as his eyes softened and he instead put a hand on her shoulders. However, Jenny still had to resist the urge to flinch away.

Here, right in front of her, touching her, was one of the few persons she hated with a passion. And he was now looking at her with such a hopeful look in his eyes that Jenny didn't know what to do.

"Jenny," he said with a smile on his face. "I know it's been a very long time, and even eleven years ago, we never had the chance to get to know each other…" Jenny had to bite her tongue to keep herself from making a scathing remark, like how he had been too busy getting possessed to do that. "But, I wanted to say thank you, for giving ChiChi and me this second chance… I hope… I hope that we can now finally be a family. Like it's meant to be."

Jenny swallowed hard. This was too much! She couldn't do this! Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, she averted her eyes, looking to the ground instead.

She hadn't even realized that she had started to tremble, when Goku's hand on her shoulder suddenly disappeared. Glancing up at him, she saw the hurt in his eyes, and a part of her felt sorry for having done this, but on the other hand she forced herself to remember everything she had found out about him and what he had done. It was this hatred for him that would help her get through this somehow.

"Mom, dad…" Goten's voice said quietly, taking her hand, and Jenny thought she could hear understanding in his voice. But how could he understand what she was going through? "Jenny hasn't seen us in such a long time, so I'm sure that this is all a bit overwhelming for her. Why don't we have something to eat now, so that we can give her a chance to catch her breath?"

"That's a good idea," Gohan agreed, almost protectively wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Here, sandwiched between her brothers, Jenny slowly started to feel safe again and began to regain her composure. "We can talk a bit during lunch."

"Alright," ChiChi finally said, after exchanging a quick look with Goku. She seemed to be disappointed as well, but willing to play along, at least for the moment. Goku's eyes seemed to linger on her for a bit longer, before he nodded as well. "Okay, Goten, Gohan, what are you still standing around? Help me with the picnic."

A sudden surge of panic welled up within her, when they let go of her to go help their mother, but her brothers' calming presence was then replaced by Trunks. After having given her a questioning look, which she answered with a nod, they clasped hands, both of them watching how ChiChi was ordering her boys around until the huge blanket was spread and all the food was placed on it.

However, even though Trunks's presence calmed her, Jenny slowly began to dread the days to come.


End file.
